Yesterday my friend Aaron and I went to spend some time with Booker T. Jones. Arrived at the venue at the appointed time, and several minutes later a taxi pulled up in front and Booker, his wife Nan and the band popped out. During sound check, we had a great conversation about many varied subjects, including what their eight kids are doing, who they played with the day before (The Black Keys), how great it was to go to Japan, and even a little about music! Then we listened to a little of the sound check. Aaron’s comment (he is an editor at Downbeat) was:
“Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone we worked with was as nice as these people?”
Couldn’t agree more. It seems that the older the artist is, and the longer that their career is, the more they appreciate what the press can do to help their career. Maybe that is something that younger artists should be looking at!!
After sound check, I did a quick photo shoot, and Aaron did what he called one of the best interviews he has ever done.
Showtime (one of two sold out shows that night). He started off with two songs from his new album, and then introduced the next song by telling us that he wrote it while in high school. The band kicked into “Green Onions” in my opinion, the greatest instrumental track in pop music in my lifetime!
During the set, he mixed the set list between recent stuff and classics from his vast catalog, switching between organ and guitar, playing both with a style that is only his. All in all a great night, and one of the few reasons left to still be in this crazy business!