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Bobby Lyle
Bobby Lyle steps forward with his sixth Atlantic release, following 1994's celebrated RHYTHM STORIES album. Over the course of a musical journey that dates back to the early '60s, the vital pianist/songwriter has drawn from his expansive musical vocabulary and shaped each new project with a distinct compositional and performance style. THE POWER OF TOUCH finds Lyle further expanding on his sound to make room for a diverse array of world music influences. The origins of the album trace back to Bobby's performance last year with Wayne Henderson & the Jazz Crusaders at the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands. The opportunity to experience music from a wide cultural spectrum awakened in him a revived affinity for African-flavored sounds and Latin beats from Brazil, all of which began to creep into his writing when he'd returned to his Los Angeles home. "I'm really open about music that way," says Bobby. "That's why it's really confounding to me when people try to put labels on everything. With me, they first broke it down to my being a jazz musician, then a contemporary jazz musician. I just look at myself as a musician. That's the only way you can bring something fresh into the world." Around his trademark acoustic piano, Lyle introduces international rhythmic flavorings into a rich jazz setting defined by his strong, alluring melodies. Helping bring it all to life is a studio crew that includes such top players as label-mate and long-time sax muse Gerald Albright, saxophonist Wilton Felder of Wayne Henderson & the Jazz Crusaders, guitarist Paul Jackson, Jr., and drummer Michael White. The album also features a trio of vocalist, including: Will Downing, on a rare male vocal performance of Roberta Flack's "Feel Like Makin' Love"; Kevyn Lettau (Sergio Mendes), on the Brazilian-flavored "A Moment In Time," which she co-wrote with Bobby; and Adwin Brown, who added his unique brand of spoken urban poetry to "Checkin'." In addition, THE POWER OF TOUCH also shines the spotlight on a pair of up-and-coming sax players - Andre Roberson and Mindi Abair. "Sometimes I forget how long I've been at this because I'm always working with younger people," says Bobby. "That's one thing that keeps it exciting. It also keeps you on your toes," he adds with a laugh, "because you know some young musician is out there looking and listening." Throughout his many years of writing and playing, Lyle has also been continually inspired by the promise of renewal that music brings to his life. "Music is changing all the time," says Bobby. "The fact that I can be a part of that change, that evolution, is certainly an exciting thing to consider...it gets me going every morning." Music came early into Bobby's life. Born in Memphis to a family with six brothers and sisters, he began to take piano lessons at the age of six under the guidance of his mother, a church organist. Early influences were Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Oscar Peterson, Ahmad Jamal, Bill Evans, Erroll Garner, and Art Tatum, among others. It was after the family had moved to Minneapolis that as a teenager, Bobby made his performance debut - fronting a trio at a private club. From that moment, music became his sole obsession and, after two years of college, he decided to devote himself entirely to playing. For a period of six years, beginning in 1964, Bobby continually played in and around Minneapolis, developing his own style and a steadily growing reputation. From this foundation came a two-year engagement with Young-Holt Unlimited (whose Eldee Young and Red Holt leaders were original members of the Ramsey Lewis Trio), during which he made his recorded debut with a series of albums. In the mid- '70s Bobby moved to Los Angeles and immediately began work with Sly & The Family Stone. "Talk about a change of pace," he says smiling. "That was like a 180-degree turn." And the gigs kept coming. He appeared on Gary Wright's 1975-76 million-seller, THE DREAM WEAVER, and later contributed to gold albums by such artists as Al Jarreau (HIGH CRIME) and Ronnie Laws (FRIENDS AND STRANGERS). Work in the studio with Laws brought Lyle together with producer Wayne Henderson. The collaboration led to Bobby's solo debut recording, 1877's THE GENIE. "The music scene was changing rapidly in the late 1970's," says Bobby. "Jazz was beginning to assimilate a lot of the elements of pop and R&B music." With both THE GENIE and the subsequent NEW WARRIOR album, Lyle was breaking new artistic ground - despite feeling some heat from jazz purists. His career in full swing, Lyle went on to make guest appearances on albums by such artists as George Benson, Phyllis Hyman, and Esther Phillips. Through the early 1980s, he toured extensively with Benson and Jarreau, in addition to working as music director for Bette Midler. In 1986 - following the 1985 overseas release of the Bobby Lyle Trio's NIGHT BREEZE album - he began a stint as Anita Baker's conductor, in the process working with Atlantic Jazz saxophonist Gerald Albright, then an aspiring new solo artist. The association led to Lyle's signing with Atlantic. Over the past seven years and over the course of his five previous Atlantic Jazz releases, Lyle has solidified his reputation as one of the pre-eminent keyboardists and composers working in the contemporary field. His 1990, THE JOURNEY went on to become his first #1 jazz hit. That year, THE JOURNEY was nominated for "Jazz Album of the Year" at the Black Music Awards and Lyle thrilled to the opportunity to perform for Nelson Mandela during his landmark visit to the United States - a fitting occasion, given that Bobby had paid tribute to the South African leader with THE JOURNEY track "Viva Mandela." He continued to make creative strides with 1991's entrancing solo piano set, PIANOMAGIC, and 1992's SECRET ISLAND, which revealed the artist's skill for blending various sounds through a scintillating collection of Caribbean and South American-flavored instrumentals. The exploration carried over to 1994's RHYTHM STORIES with Bobby's mining of R&B and soul textures. Jazziz called the album "endlessly electric" while praising Lyle for his "extraordinarily live sound." Lyle and Midler were reunited in1995 with release of the gold certified BETTE OF ROSES. In addition to contributing in the studio to Midler's Arif Mardin-produced set, he performed with Bette during national television appearances on the VH1 Honors program, Late Show With David Letterman, and The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. "She's such a fun person to work with and to be around," says Bobby. "Working on her show and helping to create something that you know is going to stir such a big reaction from people is so much fun for me. That excitement doesn't wear off." Last year - in between THE POWER OF TOUCH sessions, his own worldwide concert itinerary (which included first ever dates in Korea), and both touring and recording with the Jazz Crusaders - he was back on the road with Bette for a month's worth of West Coast dates. The concerts set the course for taped performances this month in Las Vegas for a forthcoming HBO special. "It's been a pretty active year," says Lyle with a laugh and a cleansing exhale. What does he do for an encore? Only 1997 will tell. |
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