Twice the Taylor, All the Fun and More Granada Happenings
Why would anyone choose to go to the Granada on Saturday night for Santa Barbara Records’ second annual Locals & Legends concert, “Celebrating the Music of James Taylor,” when the iconic 78-year-old singer-songwriter himself will be in town just 11 days later? Well, there’s several reasons aside from the fact that tickets to Taylor’s sold-out concert at the Santa Barbara Bowl will set you back somewhere between $200-$3,700 as of this writing.
Taylor will have a fine backing band on his May 6 concert, but then so will Saturday’s show, as LA’s James Raymond and Steve Postell are once again joined by Santa Barbara stalwarts Randy Tico on bass, David Delhomme on keys, Jesse Siedenberg on pedal steel/dobro, and Austin Beede on drums; not to mention SBR exec and guitarist Tariqh Akoni – the Santa Barbara native whose other job is Josh Groban’s longtime music director – with Miriam Dance and Lois Mahalia adding harmonies and some lead vocals. To top things off, singer-songwriter Glen Phillips (of Toad the Wet Sprocket and solo career fame) has been added as special guest.
In addition, SB Records has once again hired the Santa Barbara Symphony under maestro Nir Kabaretti to play brand new orchestrations commissioned by SBR for every single song on the show. What makes the Locals & Legends concerts so special, though, is that the SBR label artists – who this time around include Omar Velasco, Céleigh Chapman, Mendeleyev, Will Breman, and Jess Bush – not only cover a personally-selected Taylor song, including “Carolina in My Mind,” “Fire and Rain,” and “Country Road,” but also perform one of their own originals that was inspired by him.
“Getting two very different views shows the depth of their artistry,” explained Akoni. “You see where they came from and how they’re influenced. James Taylor is such a great template because he’s obviously at the pinnacle of songwriting and artistry, so he’s perfect to use as a touchstone.”
Akoni pointed to Velasco, who will sing “Something in the Way She Moves” for his cover song. “He has such a beautiful fragility in the way that he approaches the song, it almost shines a new light on the music,” he said.
The performance intersection of the Granada Theatre and a symphony orchestra provides a unique opportunity for the five artists – some of whom may never appear here again. This is part of the reason Akoni created the concerts.
“It’s very aspirational and makes you dig deeper for the concert, but also grow in your artistry so this can be a stepping-stone for your career.”
Having both their Taylor covers and original songs fully orchestrated for the symphony is another gift to the artists, Akoni said, particularly as the arrangements come from Carl Rydlund, who worked for years with Hans Zimmer and John Williams, and has composed many film soundtracks.
“At the end of the concert I love to present them with the score of their music,” he said.
Hearing the symphony in yet another pop setting, beyond its now annual concert with the Doublewide Kings, increases the community’s connection with the symphony, exposing the orchestra to potential new fans. It’s a win-win-win for everyone.
And if Saturday’s concert just whets your appetite to see Taylor in person on May 6 – nobody said you have to choose.
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Grand’s Granada Connection Continues
The folks who run the Grand on State – the piano jazz dinner club still in its soft opening phase – are no fools. They’ve been tying their weekend event into whatever’s going on at the Granada Theatre just one door down. With the James Taylor tribute show on tap at the big venue, the Grand is going with “How Sweet It Is” as the theme for the April 23-25 show, connecting to both the Taylor hit and their newly-hired Chef Marguerite Cerredo’s sweet assortment of small plates, dinners, and dessert treats.
Thursday at Grand tantalizes with two shows in one night, with singer Miriam Dance – who will be featured at the Granada tribute – joining bassist Tino Tafarella and pianist/co-owner Brian Mann for the early set, and the full Antonio Artese Trio (Artese, Tafarella and drummer Matt Perko) holding forth for the late show in the first non-Mann show at the Grand. Friday brings back vocalist Leigh Vance along with bassist Randy Tico and Mann, and adding trumpeter Phil Rodriguez, while Saturday splits things up to accommodate those heading to the Granada with the Miles Julian Trumpet Duo early, and singer-saxist Colin Richardson and bassist Jim Connolly joining Mann for the late set.
We suggest stopping in soon before the word gets out and the intimate joint gets jammed.
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