| Jeff Lorber Once Again Adds the “Fusion” |
| Written by Alex Zaglin | |||
| Tuesday, 12 June 2012 06:38 | |||
 Jeff Lorber Fusion is an eclectic band that dates back to the 70's. For quite a few years, Lorber dropped the "fusion" and was one of the pioneers of the smooth jazz format. As Lorber discussed with me, he felt a few years ago that it was time to bring the flavorful sound of Jeff Lorber Fusion back. The band's most recent release Galaxy consists of Lorber, Jimmy Haslip, and Eric Marienthal. Times Square (TS): Can you tell me about the role music played for you growing up? Jeff Lorber (JL): Well, my mom was a pretty accomplished piano player, and I'd hear her playing when I'd go to sleep at night. I had two older sisters who took piano lessons. There was always music around, and it seemed like a natural thing to get into. We also had a record player with probably what was typically at a record player in the 50's in suburban Philadelphia, which were Broadway show music and maybe a few pop tunes. That was the beginning of rock and roll. My sisters were really into the Beatles, which I sort of immediately didn't like only because they liked them. When I heard the song "Can't do that" and that won me over. I had cousins that were into music and turned me onto some stuff, in particular, my cousin Stuart. He was a drummer, and I'd go over and bang on his drums. I didn't really get educated about music seriously until I went to Berklee School of Music after high school. Before that, I played in bands, took piano lessons, and played in the school orchestra. I just always had an interest in music, which was brought out when I went to Berklee rather than some liberal arts thing like most of my friends. TS: Can you tell me about your experience at Berklee? JL: The great thing about Berklee is that it's like a vocational training school. The curriculum is really focused on helping you get a job in the real world, which I think is terrific compared to music schools that are more classical and history-based and not so much about pop music and what the music industry is about. From what hear, a lot of students there don't even focus on becoming on players. Kids are focusing more on film scoring, composition, sound design, and engineering. TS: Back in the 80's what pushed you from the more fusion music to the smooth jazz genre? JL: Smooth jazz is a radio format. It's not a music format as far as I'm concerned. I always made music that was melodic, and I think it worked well for the smooth jazz format. I really don't like the title smooth jazz very much. I try as much as possible to be creative and innovative. I understand why they did it, saying smooth jazz is more like easy listening. On one hand I'm grateful for the smooth jazz radio format because it really allowed me to reach a wide audience. Sort of being stuck with that label can also have some negative connotations. It's like any kind of music that's successful— it tends to go its boom and bust cycle. Music is cyclical, which is why I brought back the idea of Jeff Lorber Fusion. All the sudden it seemed like the idea of more ambitions, up-tempo, and harmonically interesting music that is implied by the name fusion was a good one, and I got a lot of support. TS: How was the process of re-organizing the band? JL: It was pretty straightforward. One thing that the early records had was that the band would be playing a lot, and we'd be very well rehearsed. We would just of into the studio and play, and that would be what you'd hear—that ensemble sound. Then, I started working with drum machines and overdubbing. You lose that interaction of live musicians in the studio. That's one thing we really wanted to recapture was live and in-the-studio playing. We also wanted to have one core band that played on everything. We do have some guests, but there is a core band concept. TS: What sets Galaxy apart from 2010's Now is the Time? JL: They're very similar. One thing's that is very different on now is the time is that we had a vocalist named Irene B that joined us on four songs. Galaxy has no vocalist and is a more accurate representation of what we do live. This record is geared towards showing what the band does live. It's more focused on that. Now is the Time was more of a departure and an experiment. We stuck with that concept, but focused more on instrumental music. TS: What can people coming to see your shows for this tour expect? JL: We have a band of virtuoso players that play very well together. We feed off of each other and the crowd. We basically try to have a good time. It's jazz improvisation, so it's a bit of a tightrope act. You put yourself on the spot to create. We enjoy doing it, and I'm very grateful to have had a long career. TS: What does music mean to you? JL: It's a core thing that I think about morning, noon, and night. I love so many different aspects of it from writing and producing and performing. Sometimes the business aspects aren't so much fun, but I love the creative parts. I'm also a huge student of music. I love listening to other musicians and records. I listen to some rock, blues, R & B, and hip-hop. Music is an all-encompassing thing. It's not like work to me; it's more like fun. This question, though, it's almost like saying "what's life about?" (Laughs) It's hard to pin it down! For more Times Square articles like Jeff Lorber Once Again Adds the "Fusion", please visit the Music Interviews Section of TimesSquare.com
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