Smitty: That’s what I’m talking about!
GA: ….which we do in a live setting as well, so I’m so proud of my touring band being involved in this project because they really raised the bar and they took those two tunes to another level, man, and I’m so happy that they’re a part of it.
Smitty: Yeah, introduce these cats, man. Let’s let the world know who they are.
GA: Well, my musical director is Tracy Carter….he plays the keys….my bassist is Melvin Davis, and my drummer is Tony Moore. And on those particular tracks we used a guitar player who I’m a big fan of, he works with Frankie Beverly and Maze, and I just wanted his element on this tune….actually, these two tunes….because he just has such a soulful approach on the guitar, his name is John “Jubu” Smith. We call him “Jubu” for short. So that was the rhythm section and then, of course, some guy named Gerald Albright came and played a few notes on top if, you know? [Both laughing.]
Smitty: I heard that. Did he ever. You also have another friend in the in mix, Miss Patrice Rushen, on a track and that was cool.
GA: Yeah, Patrice and I go back to high school. We went to Locke High School in South Central L.A. together and we’ve had this long friendship and we’ve been able to work together in different scenes through the years and I just wanted her to be a part of this project because not only is she one of the finer pianists out there, but she has been a total support to me for so many years and I owe so much to her in regards to the start of my career and she’s always been there, she’s always been the same person, and so we wanted her to be a part of this and she really came strong with it on the title track, “New Beginnings.”
Smitty: Yes she did, she has such a vibe. And “Take Your Time” is a nice track I kept hitting the repeat button on that one.
GA: Well, “Take Your Time” is a….thank you for saying that. “Take Your Time” is a special tune to me. It’s one of four productions that Jeff Lorber and I co-produced and co-wrote, and it kinda reminds you of that Philly international sound and we coupled that with the contemporary jazz side of things, and it really came out to be a nice mid-tempo ballad, man, and like you, that’s one of the tunes on the CD that I put on repeat too.
Smitty: [Laughs.]
GA: I gotta hear it more than once. You know, it’s like a Lay’s Potato Chip, you know?
Smitty: Yeah.
GA: You can’t have just one experience at it, you know?
Smitty: [Laughs.]
GA: So Jeff did a fine job in terms of production and performance and songwriting on this project, and he’s also been a part of my last two or three projects as well. Two of the singles that we both were involved in went No. 1 and we have a nice little roll going here and we hope that the single that we have out now, “We Got the Groove,” does very, very well. We want it to go to No. 1 as well.
Smitty: Yes indeed. I kinda think it will, man, I tell ya. Jeff’s a bad boy, yeah, he’s totally cool. I love Jeff’s work as well.
GA: Yeah, he’s phenomenal.
Smitty: Yeah. And I must tell ya, I love the artwork of this CD, man. Wow!
GA: [Laughs.]
Smitty: Who came up with that ‘cause that’s….I’ve never seen anything like that before.
GA: The artwork on the CD?
Smitty: Yeah.
GA: Yeah, well, actually, it’s directly reflective of where I’m living now. We went up to the mountains of Denver and the photographer, who is Carl Studna , who is a Denver resident, really got the essence of Denver and I thought he took some fine photos both in and out of the photo studio, and we just wanted to capture, you know, that God’s Country type of thing here in Colorado, and I think we captured it very well, and Peak did a great job in terms of, you know, taking the pictures and placing them correctly on the booklet within the CD, and all the artwork and everything surrounding the pictures. I’m really, really happy with it, so everybody came to the table with something positive and it was ultimate teamwork for us.
Smitty: Yeah, and it’s cool. So this is just a celebration for you right now, isn’t it?
GA: It really is, Smitty. It’s a good time of life for us I’m happy, the family’s happy, we found a nice place to live out here and, you know, it’s just, you know, closer to nature, it’s just a wonderful thing, and I know Colorado to be one of your favorite places to hang out too.
Smitty: Yes, it is. Yes, it is, man, I must say. You’re right. I love it out there. Get out there every opportunity I can. And you’re right. You’re in a….you’re probably in one of the most wonderful laid back picturesque parts of the country there is, I tell ya. You’ve gotta love it.
GA: Yeah, you never get tired of the scenery here. You wake up in the morning and you look out the window and you go “Wow, man. God really knows how to put it together.”
