Dan Siegel
In an age when recording artists often sell out their true artistic vision to the ever homogenized demands of the commercial marketplace, it’s refreshing to see a veteran performer like Dan Siegel—over 25 years into one of contemporary jazz’s most storied careers--take a full throttle approach to record the album of his dreams. With Departure, an all-acoustic, live-in-the-studio date that marks his second release for Native Language Music, the composer and keyboardist brilliantly blends the melodic and rhythmic pop sensibilities he’s famous for with his traditional jazz roots.In creating this ultimate “Siegel Unplugged” experience, he surrounds himself with longtime friends and colleagues whose careers have also been defined by a powerful blend of Jazz and pop, electric and acoustic music: Brian Bromberg (who plays acoustic bass and co-produces with Siegel), Bob Sheppard (sax), Lenny Castro (percussion) and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, who twenty years ago played the skins on Northern Nights, the seminal album that launched Siegel to instrumental stardom in the infancy of what became the smooth Jazz format.
“Departure is a record I made out of true love and the desire to go in and play in a more organic way,” says Siegel, whose last release, 2004’s Inside Out, was one of the year’s most acclaimed smooth Jazz albums with the hit “In Your Eyes” featuring saxophonist Boney James. “The concept was pretty simple actually: go in the studio with a bunch of songs I really liked, and create an acoustic, unplugged album with no synthesizer, no electronics, just real playing in real time. Brian’s role was essential, because the minute you put an acoustic bass on there, it takes the songs sideways, down a notch from what passes for modern funk, but very cool. Same with Vinnie’s drum brushes. I like that subtle Jazz trio approach, and have been looking for an opportunity to try it for a long time.”
Even “Street Talk,” the first single whose strutting urban funk vibe makes it smooth jazz format friendly, has what Siegel feels is an old school “CTI George Benson flavor,” complete with the exciting, grooving guitar of Norman Brown. “That song is a bit more in the pocket than many of the others, but there’s still the organic sensibility. What makes Departure unique is that people seem afraid to do this kind of acoustic jazz these days. I just love the idea of bringing in certain arrangements, but being spontaneous and open to shifting gears once you start playing. The sessions for the album seem to answer the question: What happens if you put four guys together in a room and stop worrying about formulas for a change? It was so refreshing to break free. And yet, because I always focus on creating memorable melodies, the tunes are still very accessible.”
In the late 70s, the Eugene, Oregon, native made a rudimentary demo of four songs, which led to a multi-album deal with New York’s Inner City Records and the now classic recordings Nite Ride, Hot Spot and Oasis. Thanks to fellow keyboardist Jeff Lorber and a growing interest at certain radio outlets, Siegel was the focus of a mild bidding war between Clive Davis of Arista (Lorber’s label) and Elektra.
The result was 1982’s self-titled album, which achieved its greatest success in Japan. His three mid 80’s recordings, Another Time, Another Place (1984), On The Edge (1985) and Short Stories (1986) were all later re-released by Sony, where Siegel achieved his greatest fame beginning with Northern Nights (and its still-played hit single “Rhapsody”).
After a handful of years away from the scene—after 1998’s Clairvoyance, he recorded a few new tracks for the Epic/Legacy retrospective Along The Way: The Best of Dan Siegel in 2000––Siegel viewed Inside Out and his deal with Native Language as an exciting opportunity to reach a whole new listening audience who might not have been there when Northern Nights, Late One Night (1989), Going Home (1991) and Reflections (1992) were setting the standards in the early days of smooth Jazz.
“Just like in the old days, I still find making music spiritual, invigorating, and I enjoy rolling with the changes and opportunities,” he says. “These days, I’m still excited, music is still my religion and food for my soul. Despite all the peaks and valleys in my career, I believe in its rich communicative and healing powers. It’s love to me, the essence of life.”
