Q & A with Jim Stubblefield for upcoming "Guitarra Exotica" CD release:
Q: It has been 10 years since you released "Cities of Gold". Why did it take you so long to release a new solo album?
A: The main reason is Incendio. Since the band formed in August of 1999, Incendio has released 6 CDs, a DVD, and averaged about 150 gigs a year. There just was no time and almost all the material I wrote ended up being recorded by the band.
Q: Why did you name the CD "Guitarra Exotica"?
A: I felt that it was the best way I could describe my music. Music with exotic tonalities, rhythms and instruments really appeal to me.
Q: So you would not call some of it nuevo flamenco or a similar label?
A: Absolutely not. In fact, the term nuevo flamenco is incredibly misused.
Q: How so?
A: A lot of people hear a melody played on a Spanish guitar against an Andalusian cadence (Note: Paco de Lucia refers to this as a chord progression such as - Am G F E7) and immediately want to call it flamenco or nuevo flamenco. Many musicians are guilty of this as well by describing their music as flamenco or nuevo flamenco. Flamenco is a gypsy form of music from Spain; specifically from Andalucia. The music is built upon forms called palos which include names like alegrias, bulerias, tangos, fandangos, etc. The true nuevo flamenco artists are people like Tomatitio or Vicente Amigo who have a strong background in flamenco, but push the envelope harmonically and arrangement wise. They might take a bulerias for instance and add extended chords pushing the music in a jazz direction.
Q: What about Incendio’s music?
A: We have always called the music “latin guitar world fusion”. It’s a mouthful, but the industry loves labels. It is also more liberating in that it allows us to write music drawing influences from different genres. At the heart of the music, the vocal if you will, is the Spanish or latin guitar.
Q: That being said, how is your new solo album different from your work with Incendio?
A: Aside from working with different musicians, I produced and recorded the music myself in my own studio. The "Guitarra Exotica" project, to my ears, has an earthier vibe in its execution. I also went for a more ensemble sound than Incendio’s Steely Dan approach.
Q: Steely Dan approach?
A: That’s what I call it when you have a small core group (ala Donald Fagan and Walter Becker of Steely Dan) that augments various songs on a recording with a bevy of different players depending on the mood of the piece. On "Guitarra Exotica" every song features guitar, bass, percussion and viola.
Q: Speaking of the viola; there is a lot of viola playing melodies on "Guitarra Exotica".
A: That is more a function of what the song called for more than anything else. I had written some melodies that called for a long sustaining melody line which can’t be properly done on an acoustic guitar.
Q: Novi Novog, your viola player, has quite the resume.
A: Well, she has played with Prince, Jon Anderson, Toto, David Arkenstone, Seal, the list goes on. She also played that great solo on the Doobie Brothers tune Blackwater.
Q: What about the other musicians on the CD?
A: Randy Tico played some awesome acoustic and electric bass. He has played with Strunz and Farah, Flora Purim and Airto. Bryan Brock is just an amazing percussionist. He is a North Texas music school graduate who is a human clock with an incredibly musical ear. The other bassist on the CD is Ruben Ramos. Ruben is a great all around musician who really lent some fantastic ideas to the arrangements on the CD.
Q: Liza Carbe’ and Jean-Pierre Durand from Incendio mixed the CD. Why?
A: Two reasons. They are damn good mixers and it was important to have another set of ears involved before the CD went to mass production. I also had Bernie Becker, who has worked with Neil Diamond and Tenacious D among others, do the mastering.
Q: The CD overall has a nice cohesiveness to it, but still has a lot of twists and turns.
A: It is still for the most part an acoustic record. I’ve pulled influences from traditional flamenco, South American music, Middle Eastern music, gypsy jazz, and even rock and jazz, but I also tried to keep things under control.
Q: The song "Gitana Mora" has an interesting rhythm to it.
A: The rhythm is actually bulerias inspired. The melody on this song starts on beat 12 and Bryan, the percussionist, plays accents around beats 3, 6, 7(8), 10, and 12. It was a challenging piece to write, but a fun piece to see come together.
Q: You also play some electric guitar on the CD.
A: I plan to use the electric guitar on more recordings in the future. It is a great contrast to the acoustic and allows for different kind of phrasing and melodic lines. The trick is using it in such away that it does not sound out of place on a mostly acoustic recording.
Q: What inspired you to use a gypsy jazz guitar on "A Gypsy’s Kiss"?
A: I ‘m a big fan of gypsy swing and players like Django Reinhardt and Bireli Lagrene. Although this piece is not a swing tune, I felt the tonality of the guitar worked well. There is something about playing a guitar with a trapeze style bridge and zero fret which worked well in the song. It gave the piece a more rustic vibe.
Q: Are there any plans to tour behind the "Guitarra Exotica" CD?
A: I definitely plan to do shows under my own name. I will most likely be performing songs from not only "Guitarra Exotica", but pieces from older albums like "Cities of Gold" and "Rhythm of the Heart".