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June 6, 2003James & Klugh togetherJazz greats do concert to benefit Opera HouseByRecord-Eagle staff writer INTERLOCHEN - Jazz greats Bob James and Earl Klugh have been friends and collaborators for a quarter of a century. But this summer will mark the first time they've ever worked together on an opera project. On Friday, June 13, the Grammy Award-winning keyboard player and guitarist will play a special benefit concert at Interlochen's Corson Auditorium to raise funds for the restoration of the Traverse City Opera House. Dubbed "Restoration Recherche," the concert will help finance the ongoing $8.5 million restoration of the opulent Victorian-era hall.
James, who recently released his newest album, "Morning, Noon & Night," keeps a fast-paced schedule between recording, touring, promoting his artwork and perhaps his favorite pastime - spending time with 1-year-old granddaughter Ava. But he and his wife Judy are long-time Traverse City area residents who own a home on Long Lake, and he decided it was important to be a part of the Opera House project. "This is a wonderful chance to give something back to the city that has become a refuge for me, a place where I come to relax and rejuvenate," said James. "One of the things that has always impressed me the most was how this city has maintained such a strong interest in the arts." Once the decision was made, inviting Earl Klugh to participate seemed like a natural decision, he added. "Actually I'd spoken many times to Earl about coming to visit me in TC when he lived in Detroit, but somehow we never got the schedules to work out," said James. "Then last year - ironically, after he had moved from Detroit to Atlanta - he was asking me if I still spent time in TC. It was the perfect time to bring up the concept of doing a concert together." Probably the world's best-known composer and performer of what's come to be known as jazz fusion (and its more recent incarnation, "smooth jazz"), James has been playing, writing and producing music since the early 1960s. Former music director for Sarah Vaughan, he's produced dozens of albums and hundreds of tunes - including his signature theme and score for the TV show "Taxi" - as a solo artists and as a member of the group Fourplay. But he's achieved some of his biggest successes as a collaborator with other solo artists such as Earl Klugh; their 1980 LP "One on One" won that year's Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance." In 1986, he won another Grammy for Best Jazz Fusion Performance, with "Double Vision," a duet with saxophonist David Sanborn and his 1996 "Joined at the Hip" with sax player Kirk Whalum was nominated for a third Grammy. Like James and Sanborn, Earl Klugh had decided on a smoother, acoustic approach to jazz long before the recording studios and radio stations decided to create a format around it, and he's continued down the same path with each of the nearly 30 albums he's recorded since his debut LP in 1976. A native of Detroit, he played with George Benson's touring band and Chick Corea's Return to Forever before launching his solo career. James and Klugh first began working together in 1978, and the next year they recorded the groundbreaking "One on One." In 1981, they got together again for "Two of A Kind," and in 1992 they recorded a third album together, "Cool." They've also performed live together on several occasions, including a double-bill tour of Japan and a number of musical festivals. And since they're frequently invited to play the same festivals, they and their families continue to be good friends. "They'll be spending a couple of days with me before the event, and I'll be hoping for good weather so we can get out on the lake, and also explore a little around the area," said James. "I'd like to show him the peninsula where my in-laws the Carlsons live. Who knows - maybe they'll end up wanting a vacation getaway home up here too!" In their Interlochen concert, James and Klugh will be playing tunes familiar to many of their fans, both from their solo careers and their work together. Joining them will be Dave McMurray on sax and flute, Al Turner on bass, and Ron Otis on drums. All three are Detroiters who've worked regularly with both James and Klugh. There will also be a guest appearance by James' daughter, vocalist Hilary James. She and her father collaborated on an album, "Flesh and Blood," which was produced in 1995. They also occasionally tour and perform together. For tickets and further information about the Restoration Recherche concert call 941-8082.
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