Last summer jazz bassist Kyle Eastwood and his quintet settled into the Hi Ball Lounge in San Francisco's North Beach district for an evening of tunes from his debut Columbia CD From There to Here. His dad, actor Clint Eastwood, in town working on a new film, slipped into the club (which used to house the legendary Jazz Workshop) just before showtime and cheered his son on. "It's a great thrill to see Kyle play, especially here where I used to come see lots of jazz greats," said the elder Eastwood between sets. In addition to his proud father, Eastwood also made quite an impression on Jeff Levenson, the VP of Jazz for Columbia Records. "We're excited about Kyle's potential to cross into a number of different markets. He's a true eclectic whose music is informed by jazz, pop and, of course, film music."
Earlier in the day, former news anchor Dina Ruiz Eastwood conducted an interview with her stepson.
DINA RUIZ EASTWOOD: In speaking with your dad earlier today, obviously about jazz, he recalled that you got turned on to jazz during the filming of Honky Tonk Man.
KYLE EASTWOOD: It got me into playing because I had to play the guitar. But some of my earliest memories of music are of jazz. My parents took me to the Monterey Jazz Festival a lot when I was a little kid. One advantage of having a famous father was I got to go backstage. I met a lot of artists, greats like Dizzy Gillespie and Sarah Vaughan. Looking back on that, I can see how much the musicians I met there influenced my career.
DRE: When did you start playing?
KE: When I was 18, I started jamming with friends just for the fun of it. It wasn't until a couple of years later that I really decided that music was what I wanted to do. I played in a lot of different bands, with pop singers, in orchestras for film score music. But I'd say primarily I'm a jazz musician because that's the music I like the most. It's what I love to play.
DRE: What are some of the freedoms you get as a jazz musician that you don't get when you're playing pop or other genres?
KE: Primarily there's the room for improvisation. All the instrumentalists get a chance to solo. That's what I like doing the most. I love performing live. The audience, depending on how responsive it is, can bring you to another level.
DRE: You primarily stick to instrumental music, but you've included three great vocalists on your album.
KE: Yeah, Joni Mitchell, Diana King and Julia Fordham. Joni sings on "Trouble Man," which is a Marvin Gaye tune I wanted to do. Originally I was going to do it instrumentally, but it turned out she's a big Marvin Gaye fan and was interested in singing it. Julia Fordham is someone I've been following for years. Larry Klein, who produced my record, had produced one of hers, so he arranged her contribution.
DRE: In what other ways did Larry help with the album?
KE: It was a good match working with him. We have a lot of musical background in common, including a love of the Miles Davis-Gil Evans collaborations, which accounts for some of the orchestrated pieces on my record.
DRE: Do you have a favorite track on the album?
KE: I don't really have one per se, but "Da Da Ba Ba Nu Nu" is special. I like "Solace," which Matt McGuire the pianist in my old Los Angeles band wrote, because Vince Mendoza arranged it for a 20-piece brass and woodwind orchestra. I used to play it with my quartet, but Vince took it to a whole other level. I'm also very happy with the way "Trouble Man" came out. That's the tune Joni sings. It's like nothing I've heard her sing before. I think a lot of people will be surprised.
DRE: Overall, are you pleased with your debut?
KE: Very pleased. I've started to write a few more pieces for the next one, but at the moment I'm just enjoying the response to the first one, taking it one step at a time.
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