Originally published 10/31/12 at rocktopia.co.uk
As someone who has reinvented himself several times over the course of his career, it's always an adventure to follow Trevor Rabin, the guitarist who went from being a teen idol in his native South Africa to a worldwide star as the wunderkind in the revamped 1980s version of Yes, penning what is still their most popular song to date, "Owner of a Lonely Heart." Having spent the past sixteen years as a successful film scorer, Trevor has blazed a new trail once more with the instrumental album Jacaranda (Varese Vintage Records): blending elements of traditional jazz, fusion, bluegrass, progressive and classical to create a compelling and well-crafted musical statement; the release has received overwhelming acclaim from critics and fans alike and has made a Top Twenty debut in the Billboard Jazz charts. I discussed the genesis and development of the album in a series of exchanges (via email and phone) with Trevor, as well as other topics relating to his nearly 40 years of popular and critically-acclaimed status as a working musician.
***
Jacaranda is perhaps the
most personal musical statement ever created from the heart and mind of Trevor
Rabin; beginning, of course, with the title of the album itself: a wholly
appropriate appellation given how it has figured in his own referential
landscape over the years. "It’s one
of my favorite words…along with 'Shelley,' 'Ryan,' 'love,' and 'music,' he
noted. "It’s the tree that lined
the streets where I grew up and it seemed to fit the collection very well. It’s
also the name of my studio." When I
asked if the titles of the songs - also references specific to his life in his
native Johannesburg
"Absolutely.
The titles were
for the most part inspired by my first two decades growing up in South Africa
His reference is
to the packaging for the album, which also reveals many personal touches: the
cover portrait was painted by Hannah Hooper, his son Ryan's bandmate in
GROUPLOVE. Trevor and his wife Shelley
consider their son's cohorts to be as much their children now too, helping to
nurture the dream by housing the band, providing studio space, equipment and
advice, during the recording of their debut EP and showing their support in
attending many of the band's gigs and appearances over the past two years. The booklet insert portrait of Trevor and his
famous '62 Stratocaster was taken in his studio, and the back cover photo is
another portrait of the Strat taken over twenty years ago. The liner notes were composed by Trevor as a
chronicle of his memories and impressions in regards to each track. Trevor's long-time colleague and friend Paul
Linford mastered the album; even Trevor’s dog Rompie makes an appearance on a
track (“I should have given him an actual credit,” his owner quipped.). But that self-referential focus began with the
recording itself, as Trevor worked between scoring assignments strictly for his
own enjoyment and creative fulfillment.
"The great
thing about this album is there was never any pressure; at no point did I
concern myself, with the pressure of release dates, or the pressure of
demographics or anything of that nature," he explained. "It just happened when it happened and I
never put pressure on myself. Once I got close to the end when I knew it was
done then I started focusing on 'now I’ve got to put it together, get it ready
for release.'”
But Trevor's
ambition in regards to the scope of the project was there from the outset, ever
striving to create something innovative in regards to his own abilities. "On every track I wanted to explore
something new," he declared. And
the risk inherent in such a mindset did little to dissuade him from that
goal. "If you’re a musician and you
want to succeed, you want to get better, you'll have to take risks,"
Trevor explained. "There is simply no way you can grow without taking
chances. Succeeding takes time and prolonged effort no matter what the odds are
against you. The recording process of this album took over six years – in
between working on films and as inspiration struck. This is what defines
the music."
Trevor realized
this direction was likely to be somewhat controversial within the section of
his fanbase still very attached to his former identity as an AOR
hitmaker/guitar god/heartthrob, but is primarily optimistic regarding the
evolution of their tastes. "You
always hope fans will follow into your creative journey," he mused. "I'm sure I'll be back doing a rock
record at some point." He also
desires to remove any doubts regarding his future as a singer: "I have
definitely been working and thinking with voice in a more profound and central
sound, and that will be included in whatever I do next. I definitely intend to sing on the next
project, I'm ready to sing again, although Jacaranda just happened in
the instrumental way. I did get to a
point where I consciously decided not to include vocals, for the most
part."
Much of the
public expressed surprise and even skepticism when the project was revealed -
in the course of interviews conducted a couple years prior to release - to be
an instrumental record with a primarily jazz-minded orientation. But what many were not aware of, in the
overall history of his musical career, Trevor is no stranger to jazz: either
traditional or fusion. During his years
in Johannesburg Trevor was a fan of jazz as well as a player, recording and
gigging with many South African jazz musicians, such as Hennie Bekker and Ratau
Mike Makhalemele (in the liner notes for the album he makes mention of
the Hennie Bekker Band as an ensemble he greatly admired and followed) and I
asked him if playing jazz was as serious to him at that time as his burgeoning
aspirations of becoming a classical music arranger and conductor, perhaps even
more serious than his actual gig as the leader of the pop-rock band Rabbitt.
"They all
had equal importance to me but for different reasons," he responded.
"As far as seriousness goes playing jazz was purely about the music and
had nothing to do with any marketing strategy or genres unlike Rabbitt where
marketing and packaging were part of the business. Jazz always had a
place in my heart. Whenever I listened to or wrote jazz as well as classical
music, it was always done for the natural or sheer joy of it. I never confused
it with it being a rock record."
In keeping with
the tone of the album I asked Trevor to discuss those guitarists who had
influenced him in regards to the idioms he explores; I cited John McLaughlin as
one who, by his own prior admission, is a major influence. "I like McLaughlin. I wouldn’t say he is
my hero, that belongs to Arnold Schoenberg. Originally Hank B. Marvin was an
influence then Johnny Fourie, Joe Pass, Barney Kessel and Herb Ellis were
significant influences as well."
During his initial residence in Los
Angeles
"I would
liked to have done it, but I was hard at work for Geffen Records," he
recalled.
In regards to
the lasting influence jazz guitarist Johnny Fourie has had on Trevor - which he
is now paying tribute to with this album – he described to me what it was like
to see Fourie play in the early 1970s with the Hennie Bekker Band at the
renowned Johannesburg jazz club The Branch Office. “Johnny was an incredible jazz player, I’d
never seen anyone who could play like him, and I didn’t have a lot of exposure
to white musicians playing live jazz until I saw the Hennie Bekker Band. The first time I saw him I thought, ‘Oh my
god, who is this guy?!’ It was a
transformative thing which happens to you, like seeing The Beatles for the
first time. He was so special, and not
many heard him.”
Jacaranda afforded Trevor
the chance to work with jazz musicians once more, such as Australian-born bass
wunderkind Tal Wilkenfeld. Her
colleague, noted jazz/rock drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, brokered an introduction
and Trevor was taken with her tonal talents, having Tal play on the track
"Anerley Road
"I simply
thought that her approach would be perfect for this piece, and I was extremely
happy with her performance," he explained. "Her style is very different from
mine. Also I believe she's one of the
greats of today."
The album also
features three excellent drummers in Lou Molino III, Vinnie Colaiuta, and
Trevor's son Ryan, and with such an embarrassment of riches to choose from, I
asked him if the assignment for each piece became a matter of expediency. The material provided some true challenges:
such as a 20/8 shuffle on "Through The Tunnel" and a 7/8 time
signature for "Me and My Boy."
"It
definitely wasn't a case of expediency.
It was a 'gut thing' that went horribly right!" he joked. "I couldn't be happier with the way the
drums turned out on the entire album.
While I didn't plan the way it turned out, it
was pretty natural how the drum takes evolved, but I thought a lot about who
would be best on each track. They're all great drummers."
Another notable
contribution came from vocalist Liz Constantine, who reprised her performance
on a reworking of the theme "Rescuing Fischer" which Trevor
originally composed for the 1996 film The Guardian. The revamped version is simply known as
"Rescue." "I had to redo
the song," he explained, "as I don't own the master from The
Guardian…but Liz did a wonderful vocal, and I obviously changed quite a
bit."
"Rescue"
and "Killarney 1 & 2" form the emotive center of the record -
appearing midway in the running order - and these two compositions spring from
very emotional places in regards to the aim of the creator. The former is actually a part of a
long-running tradition in Trevor's work of social commentary, going all the way
back to a song he wrote in 1972 during his tenure with the South African
anti-apartheid rock band Freedom's Children and continuing through the years
with other songs as well as some of his film scores. Trevor recounted to me the inspiration behind
the revision of that particular piece of music and how it reflects his thematic
sensibilities overall.
"As far as
film scores go, I do what I feel is needed for the film. Luckily a lot of what
I have done, and what I continue to do, involves a sense of triumph over
adversity. I have often directed my
lyrics towards political and human injustice. Whether it's '(Wake Up!) State of
Fear Japan
I noted that the
guitar part which begins and ends the track has a somber, almost eerie feel to
it, like the tolling of a bell, and he explained its purpose. “The chiming effect, it’s supposed to depict
life and death, the strong perception of time, which to people is a different
thing than it is to the universe as a whole.”
The lush
classical aura of "Killarney 1 & 2" - primarily a piano-based
piece - is also a beautiful surprise for listeners, and knowing Trevor was a
trophy-winning prodigy in his formative years as a classically-trained pianist,
I asked if the track was a tribute to his childhood and musical evolution.
"Yes, I
would say this is accurate, although working a lot with orchestra in film
naturally influenced 'Killarney' too, and the fact that I spend many hours
sharpening my piano chops. This kind of 'thing' has always burnt
a hole in my musical pockets, and outside of a couple of moments in film
scores, I've never recorded this vibe. But when I first wrote 'Killarney,' I
knew I was going to put it on Jacaranda. Although it took a lot of
practicing to get it right."
Originally the track was meant to have a different title, but given how
much it reminded Trevor of those hours playing Chopin and Mozart as a child,
using the name of the neighborhood where he grew up struck him as wholly
appropriate. “It pays tribute to the
music which had a certain impact in my life; when I first heard Rachmaninoff’s
Second Piano Concerto, and Schoenberg, experiencing atonal music being beautiful.”
Trevor’s
childhood was also defined by the absence of a medium which many of his
generation take for granted: television.
Broadcast television was not introduced to South Africa until 1975, and
I asked him if music became that much more of a guiding force due to a lack of the
influence and distractions of television.
“It’s like they
say,” he related, “you have to use your imagination. As kids we used to make up games and stories,
it’s a whole different way of growing up.
All that time wasn’t wasted.
Music was definitely a stronger focus for me.”
The album starts
off with the fleet-fingered "Spider Boogie," a rare one-take moment
for a man who has a serious reputation as a perfectionist: "I was actually
exploring sounds on a new amp I was using," he explained. "And the body of the piece came straight
out of me messing with the amp. It
started with me checking it out, and liking what was happening."
I commented to
Trevor that the sheer range of styles and textures on the album was quite
surprising to fans and critics alike, and I imagined mixing must have presented
a challenge, given the number of layers involved and instruments featured. "Every sound, every part, was arranged
so as to best allow the ear to follow the path of the song," he told me.
"Although the hope is that with every listen, different layers and
dimensions would become more 'visible,' as the ear became more familiar
with the song." Trevor recalled his
original impetus in becoming an engineer, coming up in the 1970s as a session
musician: "In the very early years of
doing session work, I used to go into the control room to listen to playback,
and often I would be disappointed that it sounded worse than it did in my
headphones while doing the take. I decided then that I would get into
engineering so there would be an unbroken thread from the start to the final.
And when I'm working with engineers, it gives me the vocabulary to converse
properly."
This led me to
comment on Trevor's status as a producer/engineer, and how - when working with
outside producers in the past - it sometimes led to a clash in regards to
roles. But as the auteur on this record
I wondered if he ever felt the need to step back and seek external guidance and
opinions. "I always enjoy advice
from people with good ears," he replied. "Although sometimes I get
frustrated when people speak too early."
The merging and
melding of styles on Jacaranda is one of the album's primary charms and
I wondered if his use of bluegrass and roots idioms on various soundtracks over
the years led to his musical vocabulary being further enhanced by those
experiences and thus his writing for the album.
"Also
accurate, that's a good point," he
observed. "I've always loved the sound and
musicality of bluegrass, and have gone there a lot on some of the scores. But I
felt there was no reason not to see what happened when attempting to merge a
number of styles together. The merging of styles was very important to me on
the album, it’s part of what made this album exciting for me."
I pointed out
that one of the reviews for the album noted the tracks were more concise and
structured than a typical fusion-based recording would be, and inquired if that
was a purposeful agenda in regards to his compositional aims, or just the
result of the process entire. "I
think both," he replied. "I had a lot to say, and while I could have
spent more time improvising, I think the balance musically is precisely what I
was going for. It's a result of
the process, although there were areas where the solos were longer, but I felt
that the final edits were right."
Yet Trevor's orientation also lay firmly in another role he has
long-held, that of arranger. The
limitations of film scoring, of writing to picture, did not hamper him in the
composition for this project. "It's
all part of thinking as an arranger. I was never into a mindless wall of sound
providing an 'apparent' grandness, with little thought to intricacy. It
was different, as I made a reasonably concerted effort to record only ‘real’
instruments, and leave traditional orchestra out of the equation." The multitude of textures was not dictated by
the choice of instruments so much as the desire to write in the same way Trevor
composes a score, using a classical model of creation. “It’s about colors, how you manipulate the
colors, textures and voicings,” he said.
Noting that even
as it is an instrumental record there are some vocal moments in Jacaranda,
I asked if the work itself dictated those particular choices. "I never intended for there to be any
vocals," Trevor stated, "but 'Rescue' changed that. I also did little
backing vocals on 'Gazania,' but it was purely arrangement-inspired, the small amount of my voice was purely a
function of texture."
As there is such
an abundance of moods and styles I wondered what sorts of ideas might have been
left out of the finished work, and Trevor's focus appears to have been honed in
on the primary goal from beginning to end: "I think I had a pretty good
idea of what I wanted throughout the project. One of the main things I wanted
was to let things flow, and let things come to me without forcing it."
***
It is well-known
that Trevor is the product of an artistic family, one which has produced a
number of musicians in each generation, and just as his father Godfrey - a
violinist who performed for many years in the Johannesburg Symphony - played on
some of the records he recorded in South Africa, Trevor continues the family
tradition with his son Ryan contributing to two tracks on Jacaranda. I asked him if he believed there were any
parallels in regards to the trajectory of their careers, given that his father
had been a guiding influence for the direction Trevor followed.
"The
journey of being a musician is always different for everyone," he noted.
"I think Ryan’s love for music is no different than mine though his
journey is different. He’s a phenomenal drummer in a successful band; he’s a
great producer, engineer and songwriter."
In
regards to his own professional journey, Trevor acknowledges that his abilities
have strengthened since his days in Yes.
"My judgment I hope is objective," he commented.
"When I listen to previous moments that I thought were the best moments
from Yes I realize that I’ve grown, that's about all. The moments in Yes which
I am very proud of I still am. I just feel (and hope) people who are serious
about their craft will advance. I feel I have." But concerning his writing, the same sense of
the unknown which has defined his process continues to do so. "I never know when it’s going to hit. I
never know where it’s coming from. The only thing I can do is go into the
studio and decide I’m going in there to write and to create. If something hits
me I’m in luck and if it doesn’t I come back another time." However, his reputation for being a proponent
of the technological cutting edge appears to have shifted focus, his
preferences now reside in the basics:
"At the end of the day, that's irrelevant...the important things
are the ideas, the piano, my guitar, pencil and paper."
***
Prior to the
release of Jacaranda, though Trevor had largely been out of the public
eye for a number of years, his career has continued unabated but in a new
identity: that of a film scorer.
However, it was a desire he had long possessed, beginning in 1976 with a
score for the South African crime drama Death of a Snowman, and so his
decision to pursue it full-time was a return to form exactly twenty years
later, in a barter of sorts which led to him scoring the Steven Seagal action
film The Glimmer Man. Hollywood
In addition to
his musical abilities, Trevor possesses a talent for graphic arts as a painter,
and more recently has developed an interest in photography and filmmaking. This allowed him to add yet another dimension
to his auteur focus for the album.
"I was having discussions about doing the video for a song on the
album," he related, "and decided I know exactly what I want to do on
this. Rather than explain it would be easier to learn what I need to know in
order to do it. I spent a significant amount of time learning about
photography, lighting, software and the video will be available soon." (Author’s
note: the video for “Anerley Road” was released on August 1st and
Trevor has also filmed a video for “Rescue” which will be released in future.) The promotional aspect led me to inquire
regarding his plans for touring, as Trevor has commented in other recent interviews
he does desire to tour for the album and would make it a priority if the
opportunity arose. I asked if he has
considered a format in regards to the performances, commenting that fan
discussion appears to be in favor of two sets: one instrumental, one
vocal. "Not really;" he
responded. "I'm very busy promoting
the album, making videos, but obviously I love to play so I'm certainly not
ruling it out."
Talk of
promotion leads to considerations of distribution, which has changed greatly in
the 21st Century in regards to the worldwide reach of the online world. Although Trevor chose a traditional method of
releasing the record I asked if any of the new business models had influenced
his thinking in that regard.
"The
way I create and approach it is no different," he asserted. "I
think with regard to writing music when I think I’ve got something I can put
forward that’s interesting that I’d like people to hear it gets distributed.
Today it’s a different way of distributing than it was before but it hasn’t
changed my outlook on how I do things. In today’s new world distribution one of
the sad issues for me is the culture of pirating from the internet and
downloads being an acceptable thing to do. Ultimately it robs the world of the
ability of people to look at music as being an avenue as a career because the
more it is depleted by theft the less people will have the desire to enter the
business."
***
Jacaranda presents a
unique opportunity for Trevor to be considered as a consummate artist in a
context which includes his known abilities and yet lies outside of his previous
identities. In relating the overall
process, Trevor is not particularly worried in regards to the collective
mindset of his potential audience.
"I
don't think about this much," he admitted. "You can never determine
what reviews will be on a project, sometimes they're good, sometimes bad. I'm very happy that so far the reviews on Jacaranda
have been very positive. It's unfortunate
that many musicians, actors, painters, etcetera, get pigeonholed for what they
might have succeeded in. I think this album is the first time I feel
fulfilled as far as presenting a piece of art, and representing who I am as a
performer."
When
expressing his thoughts regarding the creative experience entire, Trevor drew a
parallel with the composers of yore:
"When one talks of the old classical composers, one doesn't talk a
lot about arrangements...because the arrangement was always a part of the
writing, and I firmly believe that the arrangement is part of the composition.
On my film scores, all arrangements are concluded before ever sending the music
to be prepared for orchestra. So to me, the arrangement is part of what I do,
and I believe, part of the art of writing. I was always so excited to get back
to the studio on Jacaranda, to continue even when I was having
difficulty, and I never got tired of the process. Many days I would go in at
midday, and at 11pm I would say to myself 'Wow, I'm hungry!'"
In further
acknowledgement of the enjoyment he experienced in its creation, I asked if Trevor would share with readers
some of the great moments involved with the making of Jacaranda, and he
immediately named two: "I think the first sense that I was onto something
I was going to enjoy doing, was the early stages of 'Market Street.' It felt right, and I think I'll remember the
moment. And watching Ryan perform on 'Me
and My Boy' will forever put a smile on my face."
As
a whole, the musical statement of
Jacaranda reveals Trevor’s strong commitment to his artistry and the proud
regard he has for the result. I asked if
creating something so deeply affecting from a personal standpoint had a
life-changing effect on him: “Absolutely.
I don’t think I could ever make a record now like I did before. I don't believe I've ever experienced more
natural flow and ease than on this album and I love this project more than any
other."
