Jimmy Sommers Interview Page 4

Jazz Monthly: Then of course Fever, you mentioned Gloria Loring on vocals there.

JS: That song really took off. We started slow, but it just builds and builds and builds… and then we’re out.

Jazz Monthly: You’re right, and again just a smoking rendition. You said that perfectly, it just keeps building and building and then it’s the end of the tune. Such a cool live sound.

JS: Yeah, it definitely turned out good.

Jazz Monthly: One of the cuts on here, and when our readers go out and buy the CD we want them to enjoy all of them but one of the cuts that I particularly enjoyed was, just for the simplicity of it was The Look of Love, you know Burt Bacharach.

JS: There’s a great guitar solo in there, Paul Jackson Jr., played it. That’s one of the things on this record; I wanted to make sure I produce these solos right. This guitar solo was really amazing. I was going for that breathy wet reed sound again you know where it’s just real lazy but you kind of, you know, close your eyes and sit back… drink some wine… and just lose yourself.

Jazz Monthly: Yeah, I know what you mean. On the track At last, you mentioned that you found Dena Deadly on My Space?

JS: I was just going through Myspace and I was like, “This girl can sing,” cause you can really find some good artists on Myspace that haven’t been out yet. I called her up and she said “Yeah I’d love to do it,” and she came. She really delivered.

Jazz Monthly: That’s very encouraging for people who are on Myspace.

JS: Yeah, sure you never know whom you’re going to meet.

Jazz Monthly: You’re right, (Both laughing), and of course You Are So Beautiful, the Joe Cocker tune, very spare background, and you know you didn’t need a lot.

JS: It’s a good way to close the record, it’s such a good tune when Joe Cocker sings it, it’s so meaningful… you just feel it… and that’s something that I just wanted to do. Just have that horn, a bare horn playing that. I want people to be able to feel it and that’s what doing music is about and recording it right, you want people to feel you.

Jazz Monthly: You know the thing I like about it man is: this is a sophisticated CD. Its very hip, and you mentioned wine: it’s like sipping your favorite glass of wine. It’s not just mood music; its great music… with the arrangements, the approaches… it’s real music.

JS: Thank you. It’s something that I wanted to do after all of these R&B records that I’ve done. I wanted to do it with all the songs that everyone knows… it speaks like the album: Time Stands Still, because all these song… they are going to be here forever.

Jazz Monthly: Absolutely.
I was watching some food station and there you came on and I’m saying “What the heck is Jimmy Sommers doing?” (Both laughing) Now let me explain what it was, I guess you’re still one of the owners of that popular sushi fusion type restaurant in Hollywood?

JS: Yeah, Koi, it’s like a celeb spot in LA, we have a lot of celebrities going there. A musician always wants somewhere to go play so I started a restaurant where I was going to play and the only problem is, it did so well that we need all of the tables so there’s no live music now because we need the space to serve.

Jazz Monthly: (Laughing) Hey, that’s a good thing! So it’s Koi in LA. It’s a real hotspot.You’re also one of the original, I guess from the ground up partners in the company Baby Genius.

JS: That’s something too, as a musician, you know sitting with my friends, we started developing music for kids and it turned into a DVD line and we have toys now in Wal-Mart.

Jazz Monthly: Is that what Baby Genius is Jimmy?

JS: Yeah, it started with Classical music for kids, and then we have child development DVDs with great music. It teaches kids: learning with music.

Jazz Monthly: If that’s not enough you know, Jimmy Sommers has his own clothing line, what is it called Wildfox something?

JS: Yeah, Wildfox Couture, www. wildfoxcouture.com.

Jazz Monthly: What’s that, what kind of clothes?

JS: That was another day, friends sitting around, they put together a business proposal for me, and “We have this idea, we’re going to make you millions.” If I had a dime for every person that came to me with an idea. But I was like “Well I can get some shirts made with instruments on them. So, first thing was I had to meet up with a graphic artist… and it ended up we shipped over 120,000 t-shirts now. But now, it’s mainly girls, you know I realized that guys don’t shop, they get their favorite clothes and then that’s it. But girls always want something new.

Jazz Monthly: Well we know that you have a great female fan base, so its wildfox couture. I know that you’re also a pretty hip dresser because I’ve checked out some of the videos with you, and I’ve known your work.

JS: Except for the leather pants on Regis. (Both laughing)

Jazz Monthly: Hey Jim, what’s on the horizon for you. We were talking, of course, about you’re latest CD that we want everybody to get, Time Stands Still.

JS: I’m going on a little vacation with my parents and then I’m going to do some dates with Chris Botti, and just start playing and promoting the record. I want to take just a little time off to just enjoy the summer and I’m going to Europe with my parents, it’ll be fun to spend more time with them.

Jazz Monthly: That’s right. Enjoy them now while their here right?

JS: Exactly.

Jazz Monthly: Jimmy I love you for that.
That’s a cool thing about CD Time Stands Still. When you do go out to perform, you can put together a band… whether they’re some of the guys that are on this CD and maybe some others, and really recreate the sound because again the feeling of the CD is so live.

JS: Yeah, I agree, it’s definitely going to be fun to play. I took my time finding that “right sound” acoustically, so that’s something that I’m going to have to work on. Any room you play is different with a horn instrument, so I want to definitely play where you know people can feel it… and just like the record. I want to play and find venues where I can recreate the same feeling.

Jazz Monthly: He’s got a stellar cast on here, some great people surrounding him as part of his extended family. Really go check it out; Time Stands Still, Jimmy Sommers’ latest record…  playing some of those great standards but putting his own twist on it… his own Jimmy Sommers sound on it… and you nailed it man.

JS: Thanks so much Joe, I appreciate it.

Jazz Monthly: Thank you