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Lon Price has the distinction of being the creator of one
of the most memorable saxophone solos of the 1980s. The L.A.
based saxophonist recorded the infamous solo on Al Jarreau’s
We’re In This Love Together more than 20 years ago.
His signature alto saxophone sound can be heard on the Breaking
Away album of 1982 as well as Jarreau’s prior recording,
This Time, released in 1981. Following his stint with Jarreau,
Lon’s saxophone playing was in high demand and he was
well on his way to becoming one of “the cats”
in L.A.
“I had a good track record for playing solos that were
highly regarded in the industry. I was nominated for a Grammy
MVP award that year. Breaking Away went to #4 on the Hot 100
Billboard Charts and Al Jarreau won the Grammy that year for
Best Jazz Vocal,” he told this interviewer.
In addition to his solo work with Al Jarreau, Lon has worked
with a long list of entertainers including Barbara Streisand,
James Cotton, REO Speedwagon, Ziggly Marley, Patti LaBelle,
Aaron Neville and even The King – Elvis.
Sitting down to speak with Lon Price for this interview
was easy. We planned the interview for some months before
and the conversation just flowed. Each time I had ready my
next question for him, he would launch into another captivating
facet of his long career as a sideman. There was little need
to ask questions. The information poured out from him like
water over a damn. He has a story to tell and feels it must
be told.
Often we spoke of the business of music and the place of
the saxophonist within it. At times, the interview strayed
into more poignant issues. Discrimination, racial prejudice,
addiction and the ugly side of the music business all made
their way to the discussion table during our short time together.
He is a man who has done a lot of living and plans to do
much more. He has much to say to the younger players out there
and we ought to listen. In his own words, “Take what
you like and leave the rest.”
Interview
Lon, my first exposure to your playing
came on the 5th floor of Berklee back in 1982. My good friend
and I would constantly listen to Brecker and Sanborn as well
as your recording of “We’re In This Love Together”
with Al Jarreau. I just dug everything about it. The studio
effects, the production values – it really set the stage
for the type of playing I aspired to do at that time.
I try to be melodic in the studio. That solo
is really a paraphrase of Jarreau’s melody. It was a
comp track constructed from about six different takes. It
wasn’t one complete take. The engineer did a comp track,
pieced it together quickly right on the spot and then I played
it again.
Let me tell you something about that studio effect. That was
not a chorus effect. It was me playing the solo twice. I knew
going in that they wanted to double track it. I kept the improvised
lines simple knowing I would have to do it again. Even so,
I’m never looking to show off technically when I solo.
I really didn’t find that particular solo hard to double.
I’d have to listen to it again to
see if I could hear the punches.
Well, I can’t. I played the freaking’
thing (laughs) and I can’t even tell. The engineer would
punch mid-lick, during a legato, eighth note run and you still
couldn’t tell.
I’m sure you had no idea at the time
how popular that solo would become. Were you happy with the
results of that session? Were you content with those edits
or did you accept that it was out of your control after you
recorded?
I was happy with the result. I felt we had something
that was going to work with the song.
How did your association with Al Jarreau
originally begin?
I got the first session on This Time with Al
Jarreau through the musical director, Tom Canning. Tom was
a keyboard player I knew at North Texas. We did that first
session at the producer’s house. When I walked in, they
told me that I was their last hope. They had tried Jerry Hey,
Larry Williams and Pete Christlieb on the tune but hadn’t
gotten the solo that they wanted. I said, “Thanks for
not putting’ the pressure on me or anything.”
They already hadn’t been happy with Christlieb and these
other GREAT players. They asked if I wanted to hear what the
other guys had played but I declined and just did my thing.
Years later, some of us expatriate North Texan’s got
together for what has become sort of an annual dinner. Tom
Canning told the story of how I was called for the session.
I never knew this story for some 20-odd years. They asked
Tom if he could recommend anybody and he mentioned me. They
said, “Who’s Lon Price? We need somebody who’s
going to lend credibility to the project. He’s a nobody.”
Canning said, “If he doesn’t give you what you
want, I’ll pay his fee out of my own pocket.”
I never knew that he had put himself on the line like that
just to get me in the door. I guess I got lucky and played
what they wanted. At one point, there was a lick that I played,
(laughs) and as soon as I played it, I said, “Man, that
was lame!” They said, “We dug that. We really
like that.” (laughs) It was some sort of altered scale
that was really outside for the genre but they said, “Oh
no, we dig that.”
They called me back to play on We’re In This Love Together
and Teach Me Tonight when the Breakin’ Away project
came up.
You can find Lon Prices’ “Memoirs
of a Working Musician” on his hompage at: http://members.aol.com/txstnr
….YOU CAN READ THIS COMPLETE
INTERVIEW IN JAN/FEB 2006 ISSUE OF SAXOPHONE JOURNAL.
Contact dornpub.com for
subscription information.
Used by permission.
© 2006 by Dorn Publications, Inc.
Jan/Feb 2006 , Volume 30, No. 3
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