PARIS IN PARADISE
When Karl Malden did his commercials for American Express, he must have had Jeff Paris in mind. His is the face you think you recognize but can’t name. He’s co-authored a lot of tunes over the years for people you hum along to on the radio, or play air guitar with in the privacy of your room.
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PARIS IN PARADISE
Karen Troupe
When Karl Malden did his commercials for American Express, he must have had Jeff Paris in mind.
His is the face you think you recognize but can’t name. He’s co-authored a lot of tunes over the years for people you hum along to on the radio, or play air guitar with in the privacy of your room. Despite the lack of recognition, he's put his best foot (and guitar) forward and has released Race To Paradise, his first solo album. To him, it’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the music.
“I think the secret of that is, if you love it enough to do it in the first place, it’s going to be in the music. It’s perceived.”
He should know. Here’s a man who has spent a good 10 years performing, touring and doing session work with the most diverse artists possible, from Dan Fogleberg, Y&T, Lita Ford and Jeff Lorber.
"I first started back in 1980 when I had a deal with United Artists. As a result, the exposure I got from that first deal,” he remembers fondly, “led to a lot of things.”
At times he sounds like an ordinary mortal who’s had his wish of meeting with his idols granted. It’s easy to misinterpret this as being rather naive (”lt’s amazing; I’ve been working with all these stars, and you don’t know what happens behind the scenes until it happens to you”), but it’s just raging enthusiasm, a joy he’s possessed all these years of transforming ideas into music.
It might also be his way of expressing relief, since this is his first stab at being head man of his own project, rather than just another face in the studio.
“Yeah, well, I’ve never depended on sessions exclusively,” Jeff confides. “I like to tour and be in front of people. If you have something that’s recordable it’ll be in demand, whether you’re a hermit or a social butterfly. But there are many talented and technically proficient players who never take the plunge.”
His debut album features the same philosophy. It’s an interesting collection of personal influences and tastes which transcend his years in the business. Considering the fact that the album almost got delayed for a year, due to his obligations to Y&T (for their In Rock We Trust) it was a minor miracle it got released on time.
“That Y&T thing was supposed to be just a little two or three week assignment, but I almost joined the band! I told those guys, ‘Man, you’d better hire me!’
"Dave Meneketti and I wrote a track that wasn’t used on that album, called ‘Hot And Heavy.’ The group Hurricane recently picked up the song, however.”
Jeff was picky in selecting a good, solid line-up of players for Race To Paradise. “My drummer’s Pat Torpey. He has been in and out of a lot of bands. He recently went out ofi the road with John Parr. Bassist Roger Fiets was on the record. And I hope Lita forgives me, but I stole Bobby Dinotti, my guitar player, from her band. He and I share the same musical direction: Hendrix, Beck, Clapton. All those great guys. We’ve got a great vocabulary.”
Speaking of Lita (whom he helped co-write “Dancin’ On The Edge”), how was it to work with the lady?
“She’s out of her mind! But in a positive way. What you see is what you get. I don’t think she does a lot of collaborating with anyone. She’s not a put-on. She doesn’t put pink rollers in her hair and walk around in a bathrobe all day. She’s like the pictures you print, 24 hours a day.
“When she walks into a room, itJs an experience. One time, I went into this room whfch had all these instrument!'already plugged in, so we just went at it. But I think we had four or five fights in the first eight hours. At one point she says, ‘Ah, I’m not into this.
I wanna leave.’ So I grabbed her and shoved her back down into a chair and made her understand we weren’t going to move until we finished the song. Turned out to be the biggest song of her career. Gotta fight fire with fire, you know?”
Brave man. Last of his breed. Did this episode have anything to do with his choice of the album’s title?
“It’s about taking a shot. The rest of my album’s story, if you listen closely, is what happens on the road while taking the ride. I guess you could say the album’s my baby, and the songs are my kids.”
At least he doesn’t have to get up in the middle of the night to feed them.
