Former
Rippington's saxophonist Jeff Kashiwa had one of the biggest Smooth Jazz hits
of 2001 with infectious 'Hyde Park' or "the ah, oooh song' as it was better
known. In between mixing his new album Simple Truth in Germany, Jeff spoke to
us about leaving
the Ripps, Relaxation and really important albums in his life.
John Beaudin
- Hi Jeff, Congrats on being nominated for a National Smooth Jazz Award! The event
is another step forward for the genre.
Jeff Kashiwa
- Thanks very much. It sounds so corny, but it was truly an honor just to be nominated!
My reward came at the end of the show when I got to share the stage with all the
other nominees. It's not every day that I get to play with Kirk Whalum, Richard
Elliott and Boney James!
John -
That's got to be great. Are things getting easier for you? With the Rippingtons
you had the comfort of being part of a unit but with that comes only a percentage
of the say, the direction. Being a solo artist and being successful has to be
gratifying?
Jeff - Yes. It is what I have always
wanted. There are a lot more pressures and responsibilities, but I find the rewards
greatly outweigh any extra duties.
John -
How much say did you guys have in the Rippingtons?
Jeff
- All the songs were written and arranged by Russ. We had a lot of input
when it came to the live show. Arrangements, segues etc...
John
- What was Russ' reaction when you decided to leave? Jeff
- He was very supportive. I think he knew it all the time I was with the group.
I was very open about my goals to be a solo artist.  John
- Hyde Park to me has everything in it that's great about Smooth Jazz, it so irresistibly
catchy and its inspirational, like try being in a bad mood grooving to that song!
Jeff
- Yeah. I have to hand it to the composer, Dave Kochanski. He has an incredible
ability to come up with catchy songs! John
- You have been working with Acoustic Alchemy,
now there's a band that survived the cross-over from New Age to Smooth Jazz and
more than that, survived the death of a member (Nick Webb). Did you know Nick? Jeff
- I knew Nick only as an acquaintance. He had so much charisma! John
- What was it like touring with them? Jeff
- We had so much fun touring the US and playing in London. The guys in
the band were all so much fun and quite well read! John
- Tell me about the Guitars & Saxes ensemble,
that sounded like a great project? Jeff
- Yes, it was another memorable tour. We worked very well together as
a team. I think that the backing band which played behind Warren(Hill), Jeff(Golub),
Craig(Chaquico) and myself are to be commended for keeping the energy up for over
2 hours every night! That band consisted of Dave Kochanski, Dave Hooper, Andre
Berry, Ronnie Guitierrez and Randy Jacobs. All great musicians! John
- Was it any particular traditional Jazz Saxophone
player that hypnotized you in the beginning? Jeff
- Phil Woods, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Stan Getz then David Sanborn,
Tom Scott, Jay Beckenstein, Kenny (G)Gorelick, Wilton Felder, Chuck Mangione,
on and on... John
- Give me some of your Desert Island CD titles...Like what's you're all time top
10? Any genre.
Jeff - OK,
1. AJA (Steely Dan)
2. Kind of Blue (Miles Davis)
3. All n All (Earth Wind and Fire)
4. Live And In Living Color (Tower of Power)
5. Nightfly (Donald Fagen)
6. Heavy Weather (Weather Report)
7. Still
Life Talking (Pat Metheny Group)
8. Greenhouse (Yellow Jackets)
9. Cityscape
(Claus Ogerman featuring Michael Brecker)
10.Double Vision (Bob James &
David Sanborn) John
- Were you within earshot of the Wave in LA when
it started, did you hear them in the beginning? Jeff
- Yes, I was living in Long Beach at the time. What a joy it was to hear
the kind of music that I played on the radio! John
- Did they even play the Ripps back then? Jeff
- They played a lot from "Moonlighting". John
- I hear a lot of different angles from musicians when they do clinics what's
on your mind? Jeff
- My clinics focus a great deal on attitude, motivation, perseverance,
ego/non ego duality and clear goal setting. John
- what's the most common mistake that you see young Sax players do?
Jeff
- Playing from their minds instead of from their hearts. I wouldn't call
it a mistake, rather a phase that will be transcended. John
- Were you recording in Germany? 
Jeff - The new cd "Simple Truth" was tracked in Germany,
because of an outstanding sound engineer my manager introduced me to. The engineer's
name is Klaus Genuit and his studio is called Hans Haus in Bonn Germany. We are
now finishing a few extra parts and will mix back in Germany. John
- When things get a little crazy in your life what do you do? What's the one thing
that calms you down? Jeff
- Spend time with my family. My wife, mom, sister, brother in law, nephews,
and various cousins all live in the Northwest. Family grounds me more than anything
else. They are all very supportive. John
- A lot of my Smooth Jazz Colleagues in the US
say you're an easy guy to work with, when I talked with Carol Archer of R&R
she mentioned that she hasn't heard any horror stories about crazy egos in Smooth
Jazz, that's pretty cool that most players are pretty grounded! Jeff
- I think the small nature of the genre and the close community that it yields
keeps all of us grounded. John
- Jeff thanks so much for being part of Smooth
Jazz Now.com, Take Care of yourself! Jeff
- My pleasure!
| 
