Sunday, June 15, 2008
Quick, A+E, Music, Q&A

Groovin’ with Earl Klugh

A Quick Q&A

After more than 30 years in the music industry, one Grammy award (and 11 nominations) and numerous appearances on Billboard’s Top 10 Jazz Album Chart, contemporary jazz artist and Atlanta resident Earl Klugh is still riding high. His newest recording, “The Spice of Life,” reached the No. 1 jazz album spot on iTunes immediately after its release in April. The Sunday Paper caught up with Klugh to chat about the album, his career and life in Atlanta.—Gray Chapman

Q How does it feel to see another one of your albums at the top of the charts?
A Well, I’ll tell you, I’m really excited about this record. I’ve had a lot of years in the business and I’ve made a lot of records, but I kind of drew back from the recording end of things a little bit over the past nine years or so. So, outside of the solo album, which came out in 2005, this is really my first record in nine years. It’s very satisfying—I didn’t know what to expect from being out of the mainstream for that long. I was very excited about the fact that the record had taken off as well as it has. It’s very reaffirming, and it really means a lot to me.

What were some of the challenges or interesting aspects of working on the album?
Well, there certainly were a lot of those. One of the things that was different from the last time I made a big record is that I moved to Atlanta. I’ve been in Atlanta for about seven years, but most of my band is still located in the Detroit area. So there was quite a bit of movin around and coordinating schedules. The record was really, the way I look at it, like separate pieces of a puzzle. The electric stuff was my band, since I’m always acoustic. I also wanted to do something that was on a larger scale, so I recorded with a full orchestra with a trio—that was another big piece of the puzzle. … It’s really important to have something that you can feel is a good piece of music, with a lot of variety and a lot of sounds you like. When I buy records and hear artists doing things you don’t normally hear them do, I always like that. I try to incorporate that; I hope I’m doing that.

What brought you to Atlanta?
Well, I was pretty content in Michigan, and I lived there my whole life. After living in the Detroit area for a while, Denise [his wife and manager] and I decided, “Well, we’ll try somewhere else.” And we both have mutual friends who live here, so it worked out very well. It’s probably one of the best cities in the country. The people are really nice, the weather’s great, and I really love it. It’s quite a special place.

What are some of your favorite things to do here?
Well, I eat at Aria a lot, and there are certainly a lot of other great places. I go to Pricci quite often. I’ve been to most of the places here and in the Vinings area—it’s a good dining city, that’s for sure. SP