Performance:
Saturday, November 8, 2008: 8:00 p.m.
For over three decades and to this very day, the name Earl Klugh is synonymous with “Guitar Legend.” He maintains a
loyal and devoted fan base, touring all over the US and the world, playing music that is beautiful, lyrical, elegant
and eternally cool and classy.
With The Spice of Life, Earl follows his 2005 Grammy-nominated solo classic Naked Guitar with his first
full-ensemble album in more than eight years! The Spice of Life features everything from original solo guitar
pieces to contemporary jazz, reminding the listener why the Boston Globe would claim him “one of the most highly
esteemed jazz guitarists in the world.”
Earl Klugh's inimitable musical voice is among those true originals that can be counted on one hand. "For me," he says,
"it has always been my greatest joy to explore and create my own unique thing." Klugh credits one-time mentor and band
mate George Benson with encouraging him in that direction. While still a teenager, he was touring with Benson's band,
and still finding his musical footing. Klugh remembers well Benson's advice. “He said to me, ‘Earl, this is what you
do; just do it. You've got your own spin on things. Don’t worry about what other people are doing; just keep moving
forward.’ ”
That “spin” as Benson noted, has, to date, generated 13 Grammy nods, record sales in the multi-millions, innumerable
hours of airplay, and what has amounted to numerous world tours. But there was, of course, a beginning—the defining
moment of which occurred in January, 1967.
On a cold evening in Detroit, a 13-year young Earl Klugh sat down with his mother to watch the Perry Como Show.
Como's special guest that night was none other than Chet Atkins. Earl was enraptured by the performance, never having
witnessed such a display of musical mastery. “Chet's playing opened up a whole other world,” he remembers. “I had never
heard the guitar being played like that. And the experience changed my life; it marked my destiny.”
Little had Earl imagined then that he would someday share the stage with Atkins, let alone find himself in his
studio, recording with the legendary figure, himself. (Klugh guested on several of Atkins’ albums, and Chet reciprocated
by joining Klugh on his 1978 Magic in Your Eyes.)
That seminal inspiration melded with other sounds of the day, notably those of Burt Bacharach, the Beatles, and
Sergio Mendez, and further shaped Klugh's burgeoning musicality. Says Klugh, “I grew up a huge fan of great
songwriting—from Brazilian music to the Beatles—and it always seemed natural to bring all those influences into the
style that I developed as a guitarist." But perhaps more important was the inescapable influence of his
hometown Motown. In those days, the infamous Funk Brothers, after laying down tracks all day for the likes of
Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, and Marvin Gaye, could be found at Baker's Keyboard Lounge, blowing
out some serious jazz. And at least one night a week, the teenaged Klugh could be found in the audience. Escorted by
his mother or chaperoned by the club owner, young Earl couldn't get enough of the music. And apparently, neither
could the many musicians who passed through get enough of Klugh. Of the many legends he met or sat in with at
Baker's, he went on to work professionally with George Benson, Yusef Lateef, George Shearing, and Chic Corea,
joining the lineup of the first incarnation of Corea’s Return to Forever. In 1976, with such heady
credentials under his belt, Klugh was signed as a solo artist to Blue Note Records, a stint that included
the release of his aptly titled Dream Come True.
A continuous string of trend-setting releases would follow, with Klugh garnering particular accolades for his
three collaborations with keyboardist Bob James. Their Grammy-winning One on One (1979) was a veritable
watershed in contemporary jazz, still cited for its astonishing combination of progressive daring and popular
accessibility—hallmarks that continue to describe Klugh's projects, including his latest.
The many pleasures of The Spice of Life encompass lush orchestration, warm and vibrant production, and
original solo guitar compositions -- all of these in Klugh's unfailingly positive, fresh and imaginative style. As
ever, expanding the mind, refreshing the soul and evoking emotions -- in short, heightening the experience and
enhancing the environment of life itself -- is the Earl Klugh signature.
Tickets on sale now. For more information about Earl Klugh, check out
his website at www.earlklugh.com or watch the video clip below.
