Happy Seventh Day of Mellowmas, everybody!  As if Al Jarreau didn’t provide us with enough smooth jazz fodder, today we’re stuck with some serious scatting.

Spyro Gyra — The Christmas Song (download)

From A Night Before Christmas Amazon iTunes

Jason: Pbbbbbbbbbblt!

Jeff: Is that Lewis Black? Bobby McFerrin?

Jason: I think it’s Al Jarreau.

Jeff: Is this the theme to “The Cosby Show”?

Jason: Ha ha ha ha! What the hell IS this?

Jeff: Ah, here we go.

Jason: Oh shit, there are the instruments! In our FACES!

Jeff: I think this IS Al Jarreau. Did he wander into the wrong studio?

Jason: Have I ever told you that I HATE jazz vocals?

Jeff: No, I don’t think you ever have.

Jason: Jazz scatting, especially. Although he seems to have stopped for the moment. However, he’s increased the drama in his vocal to, like, 11.

Jeff: Why have I not sent you everything by Diana Krall?

Jason: No, I kind of like Diana Krall. It’s these kinds of vocals that I hate. The whiny-scat kind.

Jeff: Wait, this isn’t Al Jarreau.

Jason: It’s not?

Jeff: This is a guy wanting to sound like Al Jarreau.

Jason: He reminds me of a type of desperate actor who shows up at musical theatre auditions, trying to make a unique impression. And all you can think is, “what a jackass.”

Jeff: Why would you do this? And by “this,” I mean two things:

1) Try to copy Jarreau, and
2) repeatedly kick the song’s melody in the nuts.

Jason: The instrumentation isn’t bad. Hey, jazz swing!

Jeff: Vince Guaraldi!

Jason: Now we’re cookin’! Oooh, guitar solo!

Jeff: I feel like I’m at Nordstrom’s.

Jason: If we could just keep the vocal out of this mix!

Jeff: Ugh, the asshat is back.

Jason: Shit. I thought we were done with him. And now he’s trying to do a Stevie Wonder thing.

You know, I haven’t heard any Spyro Gyra before, except for this album. And I’ll be honest, the album isn’t bad.

Jeff: No, you’re right, it isn’t all that bad. I went into it expecting Kenny G-type crap, but it’s pretty tasteful.

Jason: However, this song is really irritating.

Jeff: Baddadeebaddadeebaddadee

Jason: I can tolerate it as a blip in an otherwise nice album.

Jeff: The vocalist is fighting with the sax.

Jason: Seriously!

Ooh, gentle ending? The piano sounds really nice. But I just can’t deal with these vocals.

Jeff: Hmm It sounds like everyone in the band except the bass player and the drummer expected the song to end for a minute, and then they all realized it wasn’t over yet.

Jason: Ooooh, I wasn’t expecting THOSE chords to end the song!

Jeff: How about the creepy whisper at the end?

Jason: “Merry Christmas.”

Jeff: Did you expect that?

Jason: Not at all! It was kind of sketchy, to be honest.

Jeff: So as it turns out, Spyro Gyra is from your favorite town in upstate New York. Buffalo.

Jason: Really? No way!

Jeff: Yep!

Jason: How about that! I mean, I’ve heard of them before, but I’ve never heard anything they’ve done.

Jeff: One of the guys went to SUNY Buffalo.

Jason: My alma mater! Sucks for them! That school is terrible! I mean, look where it got me. I’m sitting here doing Mellowmas with you.

Jeff: I wish there was some kind of civic pride station in Buffalo that played nothing but Spyro Gyra and the Goo Goo Dolls.

Jason: And Ani DiFranco. Man, I would NEVER listen to that station.

Jeff: I’m looking at their discography now. Jesus. 24 studio albums, two live albums, one Christmas album, and four compilations.

Jason: Apparently we’re the only ones who haven’t jumped on the Spyro Gyra train.

Jeff: 10 Grammy nominations! Zero wins!

Jason: Awwww! Poor Spyro Gyra!

Jeff: “Due to the wealth of Grammy nominations and complete lack of wins, saxophonist Jay Beckenstein is fond of referring to Spyro Gyra as “The Susan Lucci of Jazz” during live performances.”

Jason: Except Susan Lucci has now won a Daytime Emmy.

Jeff: Yeah, I wonder if Beckenstein cried that night.

Jason: Who’s singing on “The Christmas Song”? Is he in the band or a guest?

Jeff: I don’t even care about that guy. Whoever he is, I hate him. Stupid Jarreau impersonator.

Jason: There’s a special place in hell reserved for those who prefer to scat on jazz records.

Jeff: Oh, this is perfect: “Their music can be heard during The Weather Channel’s Local on the 8s segments and their song “Breakfast at Igor’s” is included in their 2008 compilation release, The Weather Channel Presents: Smooth Jazz II.”

Jason: HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!

Jeff: If I were in the band, I would get a Wikipedia account just to erase that.

Jason: I used to watch Local on the 8s. I thought all they used as backing music was “Breezin’.” Or maybe “Feels So Good.”

Jeff: Wait, someone watches that? I thought only Cliff Clavin watched that.

Jason: I don’t watch it anymore, but we used to watch it while getting ready for work. Isn’t that lame?

Jeff: Couldn’t you just look out a window? You do have a window, don’t you?

Jason: Jeff, I live in Queens. If I look out my window, I’ll get shot.

Jeff: Right, right, sorry. Hey, try something for me, would you?

Jason: Sure.

Jeff: Play “The Christmas Song” out your window and see what happens.

Jason: Are you KIDDING? We’ll never get through Mellowmas!

Jeff: Baddadeebaddadeebaddadee Jason got shot

Jason: Ha ha ha ha! As a service to our readers, I want to tell them the songs on this album that are actually decent.

Jeff: Go on. Service our readers.

Jason: “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is good. So is “O Tannenbaum.” And “It Won’t Feel Like Christmas,” even though it features a jazz vocal, is kind of nice too. Those were my three favorites. There’s a duet on “Baby It’s Cold Outside” that is simply pitiful.

Jeff: Well, there you have it, smooth jazz Mellowmas fans.

Jason: Yup. Man, this was a disappointing day for Mellowmas, wasn’t it? I guess they can’t all be winners.

Jeff: Winners?

Jason: Well, you know, put it in context. But readers, if you’re disappointed with today, I’d say just replay the first 3 seconds of this track.

Jeff: Ha ha ha ha ha!

Jason: Just the part where he’s going “PBBBBBBBBBBBLT…WAP!”

Jeff: I think we might just be numb to this by now. Readers, if you’re disappointed with today, play this track for someone who doesn’t know about Mellowmas.

Jason: Good idea. Tell them it’s your favorite Christmas song.

Jeff: Tell us what they do.

Jason: Then put on your best Cosby sweater. Snap your fingers.

Jeff: And scat.

Jason: And smile real big. And let us know how quickly they slap you in the face.

Jeff: Send us your stories. Our favorite one gets a free copy of this lousy album. Delivered on or after December 26, of course.

Jason: Oooh, awesome idea, Jeff! Mellowmas contest, y’all! And if you can send photos of your friends’ reactions…even better.

I bet nobody takes us up on this contest. I know I wouldn’t. Too dangerous.

Jeff: That’s what you said about Mellowmas in general. And now look where we are! The Kings of Mellowmas!

Jason: Yes! Let’s reflect, shall we? PBBBBBBBBBBBBBLT…wap!

Jeff: Baddadeebaddadeebaddadee!

Jason: gunshots

Regular readers of Popdose will know that we’re kind of obsessed with Al Jarreau. Who could possibly forget Al Jarreau Week back in March? So when we heard that good ol’ Al was releasing a Christmas album, how could we resist?  And yet, all we wish is that we resisted.

Al Jarreau — White Christmas (download)

From Christmas Amazon iTunes

Jeff: Where the hell is the scatting?

Jason: I just did a little over here. Actually, that opening is kind of nice.

Jeff: It’s beautiful, but I want scatting.

Jason: I bet the groove is going to happen any minute now. Hang on…

Jeff: Oh no.

Jason: Oh shit! What the fuck!

Jeff: Never mind scatting — where the hell is the melody? Al, what have you done with the melody?

Jason: How did he just pronounce the words “I’m” and “white”?

Jeff: I think Winamp is broken. This is much too slow.

Jason: No, it’s on my end too. Let me throw my laptop across the room. Maybe that’ll fix the problem.  Actually, that would TOTALLY fix the problem.

Jeff: I also think he sampled some Bob James keyboards from 1986.

Jason: He just ad-libbed a little.

Jeff: “A-white.”

Jason: “A white, a white Christmas!” Yup!

Jeff: Does he sound drunk to you? He sounds a little drunk to me.

Falsetto!

Jason: I’m listening to the bass now. I’m betting the bass player is getting a hummer.

Jeff: Doo doo doo doo be white…

Jason: There’s your scatting!

Jeff: YES! This is the mellowest fucking scatting I have ever heard.

Jason: SCAT AWAY, MUTHAFUCKA!

Jeff: SYNTHMONICA!!!

Jason: KEYTAR!!! That’s DEFINITELY a keytar!

Jeff: Oh, this is dreadful.

Jason: That sound is almost on loan from “What’s Love Got to Do With It”!

Jeff: Glissando!

Jason: I’m dreaming of a world where Al Jarreau stops singing.

Jeff: Dude, he didn’t even pronounce the “wh” in “white” in that last line. I swear to God he’s drunk. Or stoned.

Jason: When my wife heard this, she said “Al Jarreau surrounds himself with too many ‘yes’ men.”

Jeff: Having interviewed him, I believe this was probably Al’s idea.

Jason: Big finish. Oh wait! No! There are two minutes left!

Jeff: What? Two minutes? No. Can’t be.

Jason: Jesus, he sounds like the Cryptkeeper. Synthmonica returns!

Jeff: I love how he looks like he’s freezing to death on the cover.

Jason: Does Al ever pose for anything without his mouth open? I’m just curious.

Jeff: Maybe his nose doesn’t work.

Jason: He wants your Christmases to be JINGLE BELLS, CHRISTMAS CAROLS!

Jeff: Jingle bells, Christmas carols, children wishing…he’s just throwing the holiday phone book now.

Jason: I wonder if Wexford Carol will be mentioned next!

Jeff: I’m not sure we’d be able to tell that’s what he was saying. It’d probably sound something like ix-faaaaaaaah…

Jason: This groove definitely needs to be disturbed.

Jeff: Al’s just fucking around…and now he goes wandering out the studio door.

Jason: Looking for change. And I don’t mean, like, Obama change. I mean, like nickels.

Jeff: Or more Ambien. He really does look like he might be begging for change on that cover.

Jason: Who buys this stuff? Am I just too white?

Jeff: That’s an excellent question.

Jason: Because I can’t imagine listening to this, and being like, “…and NOW we’re groovin’.”

Jeff: Maybe with enough white wine…

…Nah.

Jason: Maybe if you slipped a roofie in it.

Jeff: I was hoping Al would give us something funky for Christmas.

Jason: I’d love to see some footage of him recording this stuff. I bet he makes some great faces.

Jeff: I’m looking right now.

Jason: Yeah, so am I. No luck so far.

Jeff: This is bullshit. Well, at least there’s the official Al Jarreau Christmas e-card. We can send it to everyone reading this.

Jason: Let’s do that. Let’s share it with everyone. Why should we suffer through this god-awful holiday alone?

Jeff: Merry Jarreaumas, fuckers!

Jason: Ha! Jarreaumas! That sounds like an inflammation. I have Jarreaumas in my throat.

Jeff: Ha ha ha ha ha! I had an upset stomach, and I went to the bathroom and pooped a Jarreaumas.

Jason: Oh man! That sounds PAINFUL!

Jeff: It was. There was scatting, too.

I wouldn’t want to be the lone man out, so let me begin by opening this contribution to PopDose’s Al Jarreau Week by admitting that I, too, was hesitant when asked if I might want to chime in on the genius that is Mr. Jarreau. It’s not that I can’t get behind a tribute to the man; it’s simply that I’m not all that familiar with his back catalog.

I do, however, have 1996’s Best of Al Jarreau, so I immediately broke out that disc in order to spin it and see which songs leapt out at me with instant familiarity. As it turned out, all I really had to do was glance at the track listing for memories of one of the songs to come flooding back: “We’re In This Love Together.” The finger-popping goodness and silky smooth synth and sax sounds of this track still hold up, at least to my well-aged ears. Jazz? Not so much. But given the way the hook has stuck with me for 25 years, it’s sure as hell a top-notch pop song. Listening to it now, it has the same effect that so many singles from the early ‘80s have on me: it makes me start to wax nostalgic about a time when tracks from various musical genres could sit comfortably side by side on the airwaves without having to be so damned segregated.

And speaking of the early ‘80s, I always used to get Al Jarreau and George Benson mixed up back then (and I have a sneaking suspicion that I’m not the only who suffered from this malady), so I found it rather appropriate when I learned that the pair had teamed up in 2006 to release the collaborative effort, Givin’ It Up. As someone who gets inappropriately excited about a good cover song, it must be said that I probably enjoyed their take on Seals & Crofts’ “Summer Breeze” more than some, but the cover that really surprised me was Sam Cooke’s “Bring It On Home To Me,” courtesy of an unexpected third vocalist: Sir Paul McCartney. You can always tell when Paul’s having fun rather than just phoning it in, and this is clearly a case of the former; when listening to the soulful vocal harmony between these three guys, it sounds like the feeling was mutual.

Unfortunately, that’s about all the love I can comfortably offer for our man Al without totally clutching at straws. But here’s to ya, Al, and let it be said that, if nothing else, you made enough of an impression on me in my youth that I think of you fondly even now. That should count for…um, probably either nothing or, if you’re in a really bad mood, maybe even less than nothing.

But, hey, at least, it’s from the heart.

The theme to Moonlighting (1985-1989) was one of those great TV theme songs that was able to set the mood for the program that followed it. In just under a minute, the combination of the smooth arrangement, Al Jarreau’s even smoother vocals, and the very simple lyrics painted a quick but encompassing picture of the show’s basic premise: a combination of style meets intrigue, where a former fashion model, Maddie Hayes (Cybill Shepherd), “moonlighted” as a private investigator in order to get back on her feet and ended up in a complex relationship with her business partner, David Addison (Bruce Willis), all with the supergloss of 1980s Los Angeles as the backdrop. The theme song fit the vocalist, the show, and the era perfectly.

(more…)

The e-mail went out to all us Popdosers a couple weeks ago: “Who’s interested in participating in Al Jarreau Week?” My initial reaction was that I couldn’t possibly be less interested, until someone, I think maybe Robert, pointed out that Al had once covered a song written by Green Gartside and David Gamson, aka Scritti Politti. That was enough for me to be in.

Warner Brothers must have had Scritti fever from 1985 to 1986, since the band hit the Top 40 with “Perfect Way” and the label partnered them with Chaka Khan for her single “Love of a Lifetime.” Warners was also home for Jarreau, so one can only assume the label suggested he record “L is for Lover” (download), a very Scritti ditty produced by Nile Rodgers that featured a witty, map-skipping wordplay chorus, courtesy of Green:

Maybe she’s looking
for you in London
L is for lover
Maybe she’s looking
for you in Boston
O is for an offer
Maybe she’s looking
for you in Houston
V you got to venture
Maybe she’s looking
for you in Kingston
E maybe forever

Rodgers did such a good job recreating the total Scritti sound that you can imagine Green’s vocals laid right over — I find it hard to believe it’s not just the original demo with Al singing over it, but Nile and various non-Scritti session musicians get sole credit on the sleeve, so we can chalk it up to staying faithful to the original, I suppose. “L is for Lover,” while a prime candidate for crossover success, failed to light up any charts, except for a middling performance on the R&B chart. Since the last Scritti R&B collaboration with Chaka suffered much the same fate, Warners apparently quit pushing the band on other artists on the roster, leaving us to enjoy one new Scritti Politti album in each decade since.

BONUS: Here’s a rare Scritti Politti b-side, “World Come Back To Life” (download), a song inexplicably left off 1988’s Provision — “inexplicably,” since it’s better than 95% of the tracks that made the album. You’ve never heard a better kiss-off song this week, at least.

“L is for Lover” peaked at #42 on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart in 1986.

Get Al Jarreau music at Amazon or on

What, you thought we were kidding around with the whole “Al Week” thing? Shame on you. And while we’re at it, shame on you for thinking Al Jarreau is too square for the retrospective treatment. Yes, he’s made his share of dreadful R&B music; yes, he spent most of the ’80s bogged down in adult contemporary hooey. But shit, people, Al’s got bills to pay just like you, and no matter how many sappy ballads he’s released, he has remained a ferocious vocal talent underneath it all. Here, check it out. I’ll show you.

We Got By (1975)
purchase this album (Amazon)

A lot of critics say Jarreau’s first “official” release (not counting 1965, since Jarreau himself doesn’t seem to, and I’m not sure it’s ever been issued on CD) is his best, and while this is sort of a shitty thing to say about someone who’s been making albums for over 30 years, it’s easy to see where these people are coming from. All the missteps he’d make later in his career — excessive sentimentality, synthesizer fever, a willingness to record undemanding material — are nowhere to be found here. Instead, you hear a vocalist with uncommon range, gleefully running the gamut between pop, jazz, and R&B. He’d shortly reveal a weakness for the pretty stuff, but in the meantime, songs like “Spirit” (download) and “Raggedy Ann” (download) show that Jarreau could throw down with the best of them. (more…)

At first glance, the video for Al Jarreau’s 1984 single “After All” seems simple enough. Jarreau sings on a soundstage “rooftop” while a pair of dancers interpret the song’s romantic inclinations through movement, eventually winding up in a position to “consummate” the relationship Jarreau is describing. There’s no plot, no animation, no special effects that couldn’t have been created with a paintbrush and a fog machine.

A simple, low-budget video, right? Perhaps even amateurish, if viewed in the context of many of the other clips of its year, from the Cars’ “You Might Think” to Madonna’s “Like a Virgin,” not to mention videos by pop-oriented black artists such as Lionel Richie’s “Hello” or Prince’s “When Doves Cry.”

It’s tempting to guess that little money or effort was expended on “After All” because Jarreau was not being marketed particularly strongly by his record label, Warner Bros. — or perhaps because he was being marketed to African-Americans rather than a white audience, and presumably artists targeting the R&B charts would have received smaller video budgets than their pop counterparts.

Certain facts undermine such a guess. First, “After All” was the lead single from Jarreau’s High Crime album, the follow-up to two Top 15 albums that each produced a Top 25 pop single. Second, “After All” was (let’s face it) a pretty goddamned exquisite, but completely colorblind ballad co-written by pop uber-songwriter/producer David Foster, who was then riding high on a pair of bestselling albums by Chicago. Third, the video for Jarreau’s previous album-leading single, “Mornin’,” had been a big-budget extravaganza setting Jarreau within an elaborate cartoon world.

And finally, is that male dancer white? (more…)

We may scoff at his constantly smiling public persona — not to mention vintage bits of ’80s cheese like the “Mornin’” video — but anyone who tries to deny Al Jarreau’s talent is simply a fool, and we’re not too proud to admit we were, to borrow a phrase used in an earlier Darren Robbins post, “chuffed to the ‘nads” to have a few minutes on the phone with the voice that made Grammy history with wins in the pop, jazz, and R&B categories. You aren’t too cool for Al, kids — quite the opposite. In fact, he was too cool to answer some of our questions directly, but we accept that. Jarreau exists on another, hipper plane, which is why this interview kicks off Al Jarreau Week here at Popdose. Meet us at the roof garden from now ’til Friday!

Mr. Al Jarreau! How are you?

I’m okay! Sorry I’m late. I’m just sort of stumbling, bumbling, tumbling downhill. Where’s a tree stump when you need one? It’s not today, it’s everything up to today, and what I gotta do tomorrow! (Laughs) That’s good stuff, you know. Having things that demand your presence and require you to be on the job!

Like this new Love Songs compilation. How did that come about? You haven’t been affiliated with Warner Bros. for awhile now…

Yeah, well, it should have happened years ago! In fact, seven years ago, this package got put together. My wife did it — she put it together, and said, “You should have a Valentine’s project, Al. You should do a compilation of all the love songs — you’re a love song ballad singer, and people are asking for these songs in concert, so put one together and call it Al’s Valentine Card,” you know? So all I did to complete this was to add a few things from newer projects, and make sure that “Like a Lover” was included. (more…)