He invited three musician friends from New York City into his South Carolina studio to create “Last Boat Home,” which drops on August 22.
Guitarist Joe Taylor’s physical and musical homes have been transitional in recent years, which is exhibited on his two latest recordings. Last year’s “Westside Chill” captured Taylor in his New York City environs where he took subways, buses, and planes to get home on a contemporary jazz-influenced album, which was reflected in the image on the album’s cover. The cover of the new “Last Boat Home,” which arrives from Moonwatcher Music on August 22, shows Taylor awaiting “the last boat” for the final transition to his new musical home - a rootsy blend of instrumental Americana blues and jazz.
During transitional moves, people often call on friends, which is exactly what Taylor did to usher in this new sound and style. He invited three of his accomplished New York City-based musician friends to embark on the transformational journey with him. Pianist Jeff Franzel (Frank Sinatra, Shawn Colvin, Mel Torme, Dianne Reeves, Sammy Davis, Jr.), bassist Paul Adamy (Freddie Hubbard, Phoebe Snow, Joan Osborne, Carly Simon), and drummer-percussionist Ray Marchica (James Brown, Roy Buchanan, Barbra Streisand, Jimmy Webb) traveled to Taylor’s Bennetts Point, South Carolina fortress to spend a week in his island studio, Salt Creek Recording. There the four friends cowrote and coproduced ten new songs for “Last Boat Home,” which required a second weeklong visit to complete.
“There are two places I have been able to call home. Having lived most of my adult life in Manhattan, it became home. The familiar neighborhoods and many wonderful people I know all over the city gave me a sense of refuge in what can be a daunting environment. My Southern home is a more natural environment, having grown up on the water down here. Upon my return, I wanted to build a place where my musical friends could comfortably stay and create, away from the pressurized atmosphere of New York City. I built the house for my wife, Stacey, and me, with a state-of-the-art recording studio with guest quarters for
our visiting friends. This has become a way to offer some creative refuge, perhaps as a way of thanking them for embracing me when I first ventured to New York,” said Taylor who introduced his “city slicker” guests to the Southern lifestyle on the water during evening hangs on the boat, shrimp dock, and at B&B Seafood’s general store.
Two tracks from “Last Boat Home,” the title cut and “Goodnight Gracie,” were issued as singles to whet the appetite of listeners. Taylor describes writing, recording, and producing the album as truly a collaborative creation.
“Rather than come in with pre-conceived compositions, we each came with snippets and threads of grooves, melodies, and colors, and fed off each other’s vibes and ideas - live and on the spot. We wanted the whole record to have that old-school rootsy feel of an ‘in the studio’ recording. Having played with these master musicians in various recording and live situations in New York City over the last thirty or so years, we all fell right into that pocket that occurs when longtime musical friends are let off the leash together,” Taylor said.
The album opens with “Last Boat Home,” on which Taylor emotes lyrically on his McGill Resonator guitar while Gary Morse adds steel guitar accents. Franzel’s piano serves as a protagonist on the emotional ballad.
Adamy wrote the gorgeous melody for “Goodnight Gracie” for his beloved dog, Gracie, while Taylor switches to an electric guitar to recall the late George Burns’s signature sign-off.
A simple and modest man, Taylor laughs when discussing the title of “Mason Jar,” another electric guitar-led tune that shuffles into Steely Dan-like territory.
“During playback while we were sitting in the control room, Paul was keeping time with a pencil on my wine glass, which is invariably a Mason jar. All my pals laugh at my inelegant use of a Mason jar when I have a glass of wine, but it comes from my grandfather, who was an actual moonshiner that served his toxic mixture in a Mason jar.”
On “I See A Spider,” Taylor’s electric guitar slinks along deliberately, winding its way into a call and response banter with Franzel’s genteel piano. Taylor’s Bennetts Point home is nestled in the middle of the ACE Basin Wildlife Preserve. His big city guests anticipated seeing various forms of wildlife during their stay, but the spider that entered the recording studio was the only wildlife they encountered.
Veering off into the exotic, “Bumba Meu Boi” has a Brazilian jazz feel providing Marchica with the opportunity to show off his formidable percussion skills.
Taylor pulls from another unexpected source on “Burnin’ Daylight.”
“I stole the opening lick from the Luther Vandross tune ‘Never Too Much’ in fond remembrance. I got to hang with Luther a little bit at Sony Studios in New York when I was recording my album ‘Spellbound’ and Luther was in the next studio over. One night, I walked in, and he had ordered bags and bags of Mrs. Fields’ chocolate chip cookies that were spread out all over the credenza with gallons of milk for everyone. He was a kind and lovely man,” recalled Taylor fondly.
“Melba” is a cozy and affectionate tune penned for Franzel’s late mother who used to come watch her son and Taylor play gigs in New York City nightclubs.
Dancing to a distinctly New Orleans rhythm, “Royal Street” is named for Taylor’s favorite part of the French Quarter.
“We always stay at the Cornstalk Inn on Royal Street. On our last trip, our beloved bloodhound, Ida Mae, was with us, and she loved NOLA, too. Great memory of her lying at the door of Preservation Hall listening to the music. She was a true aficionado and had been on the tour bus and on stages with us all over the country,” shared Taylor.
Adamy constructed a fun bassline for the groovy “Well, I Reckon,” while his funky bass groove on the album closer, “Kinda Greasy,” sets a Memphis soul vibe.
Taylor will reunite with Franzel, Adamy, and Marchica for four upcoming concert dates to launch “Last Boat Home.” They have a pair of Michigan shows slated for August 20 and 21 in Elk Rapids and Glen Arbor respectively, followed by a pair of South Carolina dates on September 5 in Charleston and in Camden on September 6.
Taylor’s 1988 solo debut album, “Mystery Walk,” led to a record deal with RCA/Victor for 1995’s “Spellbound.” His releases consistently landed on the Billboard contemporary jazz albums charts. An in-demand session musician and record producer, Taylor has collaborated with a wide array of artists such as Dave Koz, Donna Summer, Nile Rodgers, Al B. Sure!, and Andrew Lloyd-Webber. Composing music for other media, his television and film resume includes “Stephen King's Golden Years,” Discovery Channel's “SpyTek” with Roger Moore, ABC Television's “Turning Point,” and A&E's “Spies.”
The “Last Boat Home” album contains the following songs:
“Last Boat Home”
“Goodnight Gracie”
“Mason Jar”
“I See A Spider”
“Bumba Meu Boi”
“Burnin’ Daylight”
“Melba”
“Royal Street”
“Well, I Reckon”
“Kinda Greasy”
To pre-save “Last Boat Home,” please go to https://orcd.co/lastboathomealbum.
For more information, visit http://www.joetaylormusic.com.
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