Trombonist Michael Davis gets satisfaction from solo
CDHere is my interview with Michael Davis, trombonist for the Rolling Stones, promoting his visit to Cleveland. It ran Dec. 3, 1999.
Trombonist Michael Davis gets satisfaction from solo
CDBy ROBERT LEBZELTER
Special Sections Editor
You can't say Michael Davis doesn't have a diverse musical life.
A few years ago he was playing with the late, great Frank Sinatra.
Then in 1994 he hooked up with none other than the Rolling Stones
for the first of three tours with Mick and the boys.
Don't forget gigs with the likes of Paul Simon, Tony Bennett,
Aretha Franklin, Harry Connick Jr., Liza Minelli, Frank Sinatra
Jr., Sheryl Crow, Sting, Sarah Vaughan, Aerosmith, Buddy Rich
and, well, you get the idea.
With the Stones touring ending this past summer, Davis has his
own band, his own CD, Bonetown, his own tour. It stops tonight
at 10 at the Cleveland Bop Shop at 1216 W. 6th St. There will
be two shows, with tickets at $8. And his CD is available at larger
stores or through Cdnow.
He's also hosting a workshop at the Cleveland Institute of Music
for aspiring high school and college trombonists this afternoon.
"We will be covering basic brass fundamentals, jazz, things
like that," he said during a recent phone interview while
on the road.
"I'll talk about being a professional musician and how to
get started, play a few pieces, go in any directions the kids
want to talk," he said.
Davis started playing on the piano, then drums, base and tuba
before finding his niche with the trombone.
Indeed, Davis didn't wake up one day playing for the likes of
the Stones and Sinatra. He was a bando in high school, performing
at halftime attractions for his now defunct Santa Clara, Calif.,
alma mater.
Stones drummer Charlie Watts says "it is essential to have
Michael Davis around."
Watts himself has a jazz band he plays with when the Stones are
on break. Davis says his music is a bit different than Watts'.
"Music I write relates to people like Pat Metheny and the
Yellow Jackets. We do some swing stuff. It's not exactly stuff
like Charlie Watts, although I like what Charlie does."
While not the Stones, Davis says his band is worth seeing.
"We have a terrific band, with Bill Reichenbach of New York
and a rhythm section that kicks butt," Davis said with pride.
The latest tour started Nov. 12 in Chicago and ends Jan. 30 in
Vancouver. Not exactly the two-year stints he had with the Stones.
These days he's playing small joints. Not the same as his most
recent Cleveland visit, April 1 at the Gund with the Stones.
If Davis looks like he has fun on stage with the Stones, it's
because he does. "It's been fantastic," he says of life
with the Stones. "They are the greatest guys to work for.
They treat you like a million bucks."
When the Stones recorded their "Voodoo Lounge" CD in
1994 and decided to tour, they needed a trombonist for their horn
section. Davis was playing with Paul Simon when a friend told
him about auditions with the Stones.
"I did a couple of auditions and got the gig. I really didn't
know the Stones work that well. I knew their really big hits,
of course. I had to do some quick homework. I had a couple of
Stones-intensive days," Davis said in preparation.
When "Voodoo Lounge" was over, he was called again two
years later for "Bridges to Babylon" and continued with
the band's "No Security" tour.
And yes, Davis finds the Stones a dream job.
"We rehearse a lot before a leg of a tour, like North America.
Maybe a week or two weeks. That's pretty much it," he said.
The Stones have a hug catalog of material and know it all, Davis
said. And on the road, the band assures sound checks and other
necessities are kept mercifully short. "They save their energy
for the show," he said.
"They are really great at mixing up their shows. Always changing.
They really have freshness in the way they play, the way it comes
out. They never get tired."
He's heard the jokes about guitarist Keith Richards, a former
drug addict, whose life can be read on his face. But he says,
"Keith is as strong as they come. He has a good constitution.
I wouldn't want to tangle with him."
He also gives similar kudos to the other Stones, including Mick
Jagger's lean physique for a man in his 50s and Ronnie Wood's
talent on various instruments, as well as his painting.
And while there's differences between playing with Sinatra and
the Stones, there are similarities as well.
"These are guys at the highest level of their craft, it's
just a different kind of music, a different personal style from
two different generations."
Rubbing elbows with the rich and famous have their funny sides
too. He and other members of the backup band, plus Stones accountants
and other crew members, often reserve time on local golf courses
while on tour. The Stones themselves don't golf.
The result is lots of people showing up to get a glimpse of Jagger
and company on the links.
"They'd ask if Mick is coming later," Davis said.
Perhaps the most famous of the Stones' backup crew is saxophonist
Bobby Keyes. "He is hysterical, a great guy, very lovable.
He has a million really funny Texas sayings, "Davis said.
There's a big difference jetting all over the world with the Stones
and having his own band.
"It's as different as different can be. Being on one's own
playing your own music can be wonderfully satisfying. It's really
the essence of being a musician. But it's much, much more work.
I have to deal with clubs, schools, rental cars, hotels. Working
with the Rolling Stones is a primo organization. All your needs
are handled, private planes and all."
Each musician and band he's worked with is different. "Nothing
is as long lasting and intimate as the Stones. They are very interesting
and most of the time, a lot of fun."
Which brings up the question, will the Stones, who started back
in 1963, tour in the new millennium?
Davis has heard the rumors the band may be out in force again
in 2001. In fact, Thursday night while in Toronto, he was supposed
to hook up with Stones promoter Michael Cohl and hoped to hear
more about a tour then.
Would he drop everything for the opportunity to play "Brown
Sugar" and "Jumpin Jack Flash" again?
"I would welcome any opportunity to play with those guys,"
he said.
Former bassist Bill Wyman at the Rock Hall of Fame