Singer Al Jarreau is one of only a handful of jazz artists who has managed to successfully reach a mass audience while still staying true to his musical roots. Serious jazz heads know him for tunes like his groundbreaking rendition of Take Five while more mainstream music fans know him as the dude who sang the theme song for the old Moonlighting TV show. However you know Jarreau, be sure to check him out when he stops through Charlotte on March 20 (show information at the bottom of this artcile); he promises to put on a genre-bending show full of hits, both big and small (yes, even Moonlighting). We caught up with Al last week via telephone and chatted with him about his multifaceted career.
Creative Loafing: I was online a few weeks ago checking out performance videos of you online and found you doing your version of Take Five in 1976 (See video below). So far its been viewed more than 1,000,000 times. Do you have any particular recollections of that performance?
Al Jarreau: Well, a couple of things. Its Al Jarreau just working on the scene, and its Al Jarreau doing some very unusual music for a singer at that time and perhaps any time. I mean Take Five is a very special piece of music that takes a kind of special approach and understanding and ability to get comfortable with this rather unusually written, eclectic piece of music. I tell the story today on stage that whenever I see Dave Brubeck I tell him: I know you wrote that song, but Ive been doing it as long as you have and I feel like you owe me some money! (Laughs) Which is not the truth. But the truth is, I might have played that song as much as he has.
The way you were singing that song, it was kind of like you were mixing similar to a hip-hop DJ, which came years later. Its kind of interesting that you did that before hip-hop existed.
Isnt that interesting? (Laughs) Al doing that stuff 20 years before it became the thing to do. Isnt that interesting? Hello folks! Do I have to turn the spotlight on myself and drum roll? Gotdamn! Was Al a forerunner? Yeah he was way out there. Ahead of the pack! (Laughs)
Its funny to think that back in the day with songs like Moonlighting and such you were a pop star yourself. What do you think of the current state of pop music?
Oh my man. I dont recognize this sector of the universe! I dont know what I would do coming along these days with my brand of music. I mean, the Esperanza Spladings are rarities; still, its encouraging to find that there are some young people who are seeing through to the real deal seeing through the kind of haze of other stuff that can be music. Yeah, its a really different time. I just tell young people these days: Just do it cause you love it. Thats been my approach.
So what do you have coming up?
George Duke and I have a little CD coming from 1965. In 1965, we played at a place called the Half Note [in San Francisco]. George was a student at the conservatory, and I was a social worker living in San Francisco and singing nights. We recorded on one or two nights. We just went through those tapes, and theres some stuff there that we think is important for people to hear Al Jarreau and the George Duke Trio 1965, doing some music that theyve never heard me or George ever do. Thats coming toward the end of the month. And Im gearing up for a big summer tour. And were working on a new studio record brand-new material. Were just really grinning about that. Ohhh wait till you hear this!
Show info: $38.50-$75.50. 7 p.m. Knight Theater, 430 S. Tryon St. 704-372-1000. www.carolinatix.org.