sessions

Popular culture focuses on the music star: Elton John, George Benson, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder. We know all about them, their personal and professional lives, and dissect their music - critiquing how they sound and what they've done for their genre. Behind these great names are the session musicians, supporting the vision of the artist. They are selected for their high competence on their instrument and ability to produce what's needed during the recording of the song. Nathan East, Steve Lukather, Shawn Pelton, and Greg Phillinganes may not be the guys you read about in People magazine, but they are famous within the musical community. They are the cream of the crop and everybody wants them.

Nathan East (Bassist)

A member of the contemporary jazz group Fourplay, East has recorded, performed, and co-written songs with Lionel Ritchie, Quincy Jones, Billy Preston, Anita Baker, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Enrique Iglesias, Joe Satriani, Laura Branigan, Al Jarreau, Herbie Hancock, and David Benoit. He co-wrote "Easy Lover," the hit for Phil Collins and Philip Bailey.

East decided to offer his wisdom in a must-have DVD: The Business Of Bass. All musicians can benefit from this DVD regardless of the instrument you play.

Greg Phillinganes (Keyboardist)

One time, Greg Phillinganes had to make a choice between Eric Clapton and Michael Jackson.

He has worked and toured with other notable musicians such as Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Donald Fagen, Richard Marx, and Paul McCartney. In 2005 he joined Toto and set to helping with its new album. Phillinganes now covers for David Paich when Paich is unable to tour with the rest of the band.

Phillinganes joined Stevie Wonder's Wonderlove band when he was 19 - need I say more?

Steve Lukather (Guitarist)

Five-time Grammy Award winning singer, songwriter, arranger, producer, and guitar player, Lukather is best known for his work with the rock band Toto. In addition, he has released several solo albums. As a studio session guitarist, he has arranged, composed, and recorded on over 1000 number one albums. As a writer, here is a sample of some his hits: "Physical" (Olivia Newton John), "Turn Your Love Around" (George Benson), and "She's A Beauty" and "Talk To Ya Later" (The Tubes).

A man of integrity, Lukather passed on an invitation to join Miles Davis's band because of his prior commitment to go on tour with life-long buddies in Toto.

Shawn Pelton (Drummer)

As a first call session player and drummer with the Saturday Night Live (SNL) band for the past 15 years in New York City, Pelton has worked with Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart, Bruce Springsteen, Sheryl Crow, House of Diablo, Edie Brickell, The Brecker Brothers, Buddy Guy, Joan Osborne, Hall & Oates, Peter Wolf, Shawn Colvin, Marc Cohn, Patty Larkin, Kim Richey, Celine Dion, Billy Joel, Luciano Pavarotti, Spice Girls, Loudon Wainwright, Peter Frampton, Robert Palmer, Bruce Hornsby, Adam Sandler, and Vanessa Williams. Pelton has also subbed on both the David Letterman and Conan O'Brien shows.

How old were you when you started playing your instrument? When did you do your first professional gig?

NE: I was 14 years old when I started playing the bass. I played cello for three years prior to picking up the bass. That same year I did my first professional gig. It was a session for the Patti Family singers in San Diego which including a young Sandi Patti.

GP: I was two when I started playing piano, I drifted to sax, trombone, and more formal training at six for about 10 or 11 years (around high school). I started playing professionally at 14.

SL: I was seven or eight when I started playing. I did my first professional gig at nine, the rest of the bandmembers were 13. I got paid $5. That was in 1966 or something like that.

SP: I started doing gigs in Missouri when I was in 9th grade. I remember joining the Sedalia, MO musicians' union around that time and thinking how cool the union card was!

How did you break into the session scene?

NE: Barry White used me in the studio and on the road, but since he didn't put the musicians names on the record, word of mouth was the best way to get your name around.

GP: I was getting into the studio scene while I was with Stevie [Wonder], and I got involved with Quincy [Jones] doing string and rhythm arrangements.

After I left In 1979 I made two major moves. I was 23. I got married, and later that summer I toured with George Benson. He was on FIRE!

SL: I met the Porcaros in High School. Their parents were both studio musicians. I was intrigued to see the same names on all my favourite albums. I thought what a cool thing to do - to play with a new artist every day and they're legends! I wanted to check that out.

SP: Getting the gig at SNL was a huge break for me. The fortunate thing about that gig is it allows you to stay in town, which is really helpful for establishing a career in the studio. If you're always in and out of town on the road, it can be tough for people to know if you're around. Being consistently available is important for setting roots into the day-to-day kind of session work. So staying in town really helped. This was back in 1992. It's interesting how, in many ways, the session scene in New York is so fragmented and small compared to the reality of the session world before MIDI and home studios. The amount of commercial work done by real players has decreased dramatically.

There was a time before drum machines when almost every piece of music needed to be done with real cats in a room together. I think it's really important for young musicians to understand the golden era of the session musician is gone. There are still opportunities and there will always be a need for great musicians, but the next generation of session musicians will need to adjust its outlook and reinvent opportunities for the future.

What would you say all the great artists that you have played with have in common with each other?

NE: They are all great people. Their music reflects their nature and they also perform at very high levels.

GP: One common element all these artists have is that they are a little crazy. Most of them are great to work with. They push the envelope.

SL: They ask us to do things that are impossible and we have to come with the goods - they are a little crazy in a good way.

How are you able to play all the different musical genres?

NE: When I was growing up, I listened to music from different genres, from Miles to Santana, Motown to the Beatles, classical, rock, folk, you name it.

GP: From 1975-1979 I was with Stevie Wonder. I learned so many nuances, so many intangibles. I learned how to grasp the essence of different genres, character certain elements to playing: reggae, Latin, afro-Cuban, jazz, rock, pop... Each genre has its own set of personalities and elements. Once you understand that, you can make the genre sound authentic instead of playing at it.

What are your thoughts on the Internet and file sharing?

NE: I've come to terms with the reality of it. Now we need to figure out how to use the Internet to our advantage.

GP: Say you work at McDonald's flipping burgers and someone comes in to say you're fantastic - we love the way you flip them, but you can go home now, come back tomorrow and do the same thing - but we still won't be paying you. We love your burger but we will share them and really enjoy them for free.

SL: Pandora's box is open, you can't put the clown back in the box. The record companies fucked up 10 years ago; they should have figured out how to deal with it. Now it is what it is. In a couple more years there won't be a record business - everything will be done through the Internet. Records will be tools for promotion for live touring.

It's a shame for us songwriters. If you're a plumber and if everyone can get their plumbing done for free you're out of a job, right?

And there are people that think records should be given away for free. These aren't the people making their living from record sales.

Massive transition tech is overwhelming; you have to hang on to see where it's going to end up. Those of us that are in classic rock bands are thriving people - people in our age group want to go see real players play.

SP: The home studio recording revolution is one of the most exciting things to happen for musicians in a long time. Having the ability to roll out of bed and start cutting tracks is a dream I've had for a long time. Getting great-sounding drum tracks in a home studio environment always seemed out of reach, but with the recent innovations in home recording gear and increasingly powerful computer setups, tracking at home is now a reality. I never thought I would be able to get major label tracks out of my bedroom studio in Manhattan. It's turned out better than I had ever hoped and I'm really thrilled with the sound one can get in a home recording environment. To be able to send tracks around the world and work with file sharing through the Internet is here to stay.

What is playing in your iPod now?

NE: Actually, lots of recordings of my kids either singing, talking, or playing piano. Also, Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker.

GP: The entire Stevie library, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Stravinsky, Bulgarian state female Choir, Prince.

SL: Old Miles, classic rock, Pink Floyd.

What is your main gear?

NE: My Yamaha BBNE2 Signature 5-string bass, Aguilar db750 amp, Korg rack tuner, Avalon U5.

SL: MusicMan signature model guitar amps. I use ISP Technologies's subwoofer system along with Bob Bradshaw custom electronics. Bob goes on the road with me.

SP: DW drums and hardware.

What is your practice routine?

NE: I'm embarrassed to admit that although I play every day, I don't have a specific practice routine. I tend to practice whatever I'm working on at the moment.

SL: I still practice every day - rock music is boring these days, there is only chord melodies. Jazz improvisation - the more I learn, more I realize I know nothing.

SP: I wish I actually had the time to practice. It's interesting that if you're working a lot, you end up focusing on a lot of things beyond what people traditionally practice. Things like getting a great sound in the studio, the ability to come up with parts, which is a huge creative asset in the studio that one can learn from listening and transcribing great records. These are skills that have a lot to do with making records. Also keeping up with technology - having the ability to incorporate loops and programming with live drumming on a session took a tremendous amount of invested time, and is a totally different headspace than practicing a samba at 300bpm in 7/8.

How do you balance life with your career?

NE: Balance is very important. I try to prioritize my family and spend as much quality time as I can with them. I also try to include them in as many of my musical activities as possible.

SL: It's very hard. I have two grown children and a baby on a way ... if I thought about it a lot it would freak me out. During a week off I go to bed early and get up early; play with my dog; watch tv; and hang with friends. Eventually people find out I'm home and they start calling me to work!

What is your advice to someone that wants get into the music business?

NE: Don't! Just kidding. Pursue it from from a business standpoint and realize that it's most important to be passionate, to be diligent, and to enjoy the process. Know that there is a lot of hard work ahead and move to a place where there is a lot of music going on. That's why I moved to Los Angeles 27 years ago, so that I could be close to the music scene.

GP: Have some integrity, learn your craft, and be the best at what you do.

SL: They have made it way too easy to be a rock star these days. When I was a kid, you had to be a really great player to make it. It wasn't how you looked, it was how you played. Now, you bang out one catchy tune and if you look the part, all of a sudden you'll have a three-year run and a double platinum record. Then it's over 'cause you're not good enough to carry on as a real musican. One hit, and they are washed up when they're 27 years old with nothing to show for it except the double platinum record which costs $5 to make, and they will never have that experience again!

Half of the people on the show cribs don't own their home. These mega-pads are rented. No one makes that much money from one hit. I'm sorry - I've been doing this shit for too long and I can smell bullshit a mile away and there is a ton of it. Maybe one out of a hundred actually own their house - it's bells and whistles. Don't beleve anything you see on MTV, the worst thing that happened for the music business.

I was in the last heyday of the recording scene; everyone was working everyday. It's a different world now. You have to be prepared to play anything, anywhere. Not everyone can be a rock'n roll star; people can be journeyman musicians, blue collar musicians - there is nothing wrong with that. If you're making a living playing guitar, God bless you, it's not a bad job!

SP: Getting gigs has always been about word of mouth and people recommending you. It is so important to get out and meet people and work in as many situations as possible. Developing a great feel, showing up on time, being prepared, having a good attitude, and having the ability to put yourself in the shoes of the person you are working for are also important things to remember. Having a career as a sideman means working in lots of different situations with all kinds of personalities. Really, having the ability to take direction without freaking out and a sense of humour doesn't hurt either. Hang in there, a drumming career doesn't happen overnight. Any successful drummer that you look up to has worked hard to get there.

What do you attribute your success to?

NE: Hard work, a bit of talent, and a positive disposition. I try to bring good energy to whatever situation I am involved with and be prepared for anything.

GP: I bring a certain level of quality, heart, integrity, authenticity, and originality.

SL: The Luke factor. I've never thought about it before -1 was in the right place at the right time and I struck a nerve. I was versatile and I got the job done fast - and I'm a funny motherfucker!

What is coming up for you in the future?

NE: Fourplay will record a new CD and I am currently on tour with the Herbie Hancock Quartet which is BIG FUN!

GP: In my career, I have backed the artists in Toto, Toto is the star ... I wasn't trying to tour anymore. The last tour I did was in 2001, and I thought that was it. I've been blessed. I always wanted to be a rock star and here I am!

SL: More touring with Toto and a solo album coming out with my son Trevor as special guest.

SP: Man, I just hope to keep working and making music. I have my own project called House of Diablo that's a lot of fun. It's a wild, greasy mixture of organic groove stuff with the whole noise/ abstract loop thing. You know it's a wild time to be a drummer with so much programming and machines heard on the radio today, but there will always be a place for the human touch, excitement, and soul of a great-feeling live drummer. Sheryl Crow's C'mon C'mon.

[Author Affiliation]

Levon Ichkhanian is a Toronto-based guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. Check him out at www.levonmusic.com