Debbie Deane, Red Ruby Stars, Grooving at the Intersection of Jazz and Pop
Debbie Deane, Red Ruby Stars
Grooving, at the Intersection of Jazz and Pop
By: Mike Brannon
my71mag.com
Almost from the beginning, Brooklyn-based singer, songwriter and pianist Debbie Deane was performing alongside the best young jazz musicians right out of Berklee College of Music – among them drummer Brian Blade (Norah Jones, Joni Mitchell), bassist Christopher Thomas (Norah Jones), Rodney Holmes (Santana) and guitarist Wayne Krantz (Steely Dan).
In the jazz world, who you play with says a lot about you, and for any jazz-influenced singer/songwriter, it doesn’t get any better. It’s the ultimate reference letter and experience.
Debbie has released three solo albums now with players of this caliber, the latest of which is Red Ruby Stars, where she continues her soulful lyrical explorations after a lengthy hiatus. All her albums are worth collecting, but Red Ruby Stars brings new depth well worth experiencing.
71 was fortunate to catch up with Debbie about her influences, her evolution as an artist and the creation of her latest release.
71: What is your background? How did you come to be a singer, songwriter and jazz pianist?
DD: I grew up in Brooklyn, New York, with two older brothers who had big influences on my musical taste. – mainly ‘60s and ‘70s rock and pop music. My dad was a hardworking physician. His father came over on a boat fleeing the programs of Russia, graduated eighth grade, then went straight to work. It is the classic immigrant story, where his two sons became doctors to live the American dream.
There was a definite generation gap in our house along those lines where we felt a lot of pressure to “succeed,” but we just wanted to listen to music. My parents were classical music and opera lovers, and my mom had me take piano lessons starting at age 6. My Juilliard-trained teacher was kind of scary, but she laid down good groundwork for me.
When I went to Berklee, I knew I had the instinct that I wanted to be a musician, but I felt like a beginner. I was a sponge and went to every clinic, every recital. I met so many European and Japanese students who had a huge influence on me. Just the worldliness of the environment was an education in and of itself.
I had a great connection with a piano teacher, Craig Najjar, who became my mentor. He invited me to his songwriting class. I really had no interest in songwriting. I was trying to learn how to play jazz piano without any real goal, and I was practicing five hours a day while studying with Craig. But I went anyway, and his songwriting class changed my life.
Then I holed myself up in my own world writing songs. I started my first band at Berklee, where I played and sang my own songs. There were amazing musicians who were very supportive of these fledgling songs – tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin included – and to this day, we are all dear friends and colleagues. Donny is on Red Ruby Stars, which is truly full-circle.
71: Who are your influences? I know you’re inspired by Joni Mitchell and Aretha Franklin, but who else inspires you and why?
DD: My earliest musical memories are of listening to vinyl in my two older brothers’ rooms. They had Jethro Tull and the Woodstock soundtrack album blaring. Around the same age, I remember listening to Carole King’s Tapestry alone in my room, where I would dance and sing in my mirror. I was somehow aware of the feeling of female empowerment in listening to a woman who played piano and wrote her own songs
I grew up a passionate fan of Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Led Zeppelin, Yes, Jeff Beck, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Steely Dan, Bonnie Raitt and Aritha Franklin. I heard Weather Report’s Heavy Weather when I was 10 years old, and the sonic and harmonic qualities blew my mind open. Growing up in New York City, I saw a lot of live music, which felt like magic. I saw Neil Young when I was in eighth grade at Madison Square Garden!
Going to Berklee opened up my eyes and ears. When I formed my first original band at Berklee, I would always have an improvising horn player in the band. I studied jazz. I play with jazz musicians – they are my friends and colleagues.
Joni Mitchell, in combining songwriting with jazz musicians, deeply affected me as she has affected so many others. Roy Okutani, a beloved teacher at Berklee, gave a class on Miles Davis, where we [took a deep dive] into all his recordings. The feeling of Miles’ record Nefertiti, the mood and intensity, really influenced me.
The intersection of jazz and pop has been the precipice where I sit, and as a result, my music has been hard to classify. Too jazz for pop; too pop for jazz. But I am just distilling all my influences.
71: Since your first records, you’ve had world-class talent like drummer Brian Blade, who’s also a great singer/songwriter. Choosing/assembling talent can be like orchestration – hearing their part in your music, etc. Can you talk about choosing talent for what they bring to your work?
DD: At Berklee, when I was getting my music together, I was surrounded by the most amazing musicians who supported my music. The bassist Matt Garrison was on my first 4-track demo!
In 1995, when I was thinking about which musicians for my first album, my ex-husband Terry Deane suggested his friend, the very young Brian Blade, and our friend, the bassist Sean Drabbitt, suggested Jeff Andrews. Jeff and Brian had never met. So, I must give all the credit to Terry and Sean for those amazing suggestions! Brian Blade has been such a great support and is on all three of my albums.
The bassist Christopher Thomas pulled me aside a few years ago and said I should do a trio record with him and Brian. I wasn’t ready at the time, as I was raising my son, but I loved the idea, as he and Brian have a telepathic communication. (This was before they became Norah Jones’ rhythm section, and she beat me to it!)
But I was finally ready in 2018, and Christopher, Brian and I spent two days in the studio where we recorded 12 songs for my latest album, Red Ruby Stars, and they brought their instinctual magic.
Hooking up with the phenomenally talented drummer/ musician/producer Adrian Harpham to produce Red Ruby Stars was an amazing full circle. Adrian was the drummer for my first Berklee audition in 1989! We continued to play together over the years. He has known my influences all along, and it was like a homecoming working with him for this record.
I am grateful for all the wondrous musicians from all over the world who I met at Berklee and beyond. I have learned so much from them, and I am grateful to continue to work with them.
71: Everyone has their challenges and strengths as they develop. How have you dealt with the challenges? What would you tell your younger self and other songwriters coming up that you wish you had known then?
DD: I think of songwriting as therapy, and the process came at just the right time in my life. I had been a big journal writer, but I didn’t start writing songs until my early 20s. So, I was a late bloomer. I wish I had more critique of actual performance technique, but I was also so fragile. I got nodules on my vocal cords back then, so I would suggest taking voice lessons early and taking good care of your body as early as possible.
71: I’m sure no two songs are the same experience, but how do you tend to go about writing songs? What tends to come first: lyrics, line, groove, form, changes or concept?
DD: All my songs are a therapy session. I always start with the music first – laying my hands on the instrument and just letting it all happen. I never really know what the songs are, and when I get with a bass player and drummer, I am always very excited about the
groove that manifests. My songs are personal, but I try to take a right or left turn here and there to make them more universal.
Writing lyrics is a different session, but the gibberish words that come up initially can help with the thematic direction. I was an English literature major in college, so I like words, and I’m all about exploring love and relationships. I have three albums of original music released, with 12 songs on each album. I suppose it’s all about a lifetime of love and loss.
71: You took quite a hiatus before the new record. Can you talk about Red Ruby Stars – how it came to be written and what got you back into performance and production?
DD: My last album, Grove House, was released in 2007 on Ravi Coltrane’s label. I took a recording hiatus in 2008. In 2018, I finally felt that I could focus on my music again. I had a pile of songs, and I scheduled my first recording session in 14 years because it was time! The album started with two days at The Bunker Studio in Brooklyn, N.Y., with bassist Christopher Thomas and Brian Blade on drums.
The turning point was when Adrian Harpham came on board to produce. Adrian has an imprint label called Modern Icon Recordings that is distributed by Rope- adope Records. I was honored to become part of Adri- an’s label, and all of a sudden, there was urgency with a deadline, which was very helpful and motivating.
We were lucky to have all the basics down before everything shut down. Then we did overdubs from all these brilliant musicians’ home studios that they had to put together. We added parts slowly. Then we really ramped it up when we had a concrete deadline. Without a doubt, this album gave me a purpose and we were lucky to be healthy. I would take long walks and listen to tracks – each new overdub, the mixes, the mastering – on headphones in my own little cocoon. It was a joy and privilege to work on.
We had a window in the summer and fall of 2021 for when it was released and when we could perform live. I had two live album release shows. That was a gift. Of course, I want to perform more, and I want more people to hear the record!
Sonically, Adrian put the whole record through a 1/4-inch tape player and bounced it back before we mixed to give it that organic, earthy authenticity that we wanted to convey. And Adrian’s friend, Greg Calbi, mastered, which is the honor of honors.
We want the music to go deep into people, reaching those jam band lovers, too. I am proud to be a female instrumentalist who can groove, and I hope that gets across. Adrian even put in some secret sonic treats! We want people to want to get stoned and really listen!
71: Do different players cause you to play differently?
DD: It’s all about the feel and the groove, and luckily, I have been surrounded by the world’s best musicians who groove so hard! I love getting the opportunity to play with different musicians, too, as it’s a privilege to communicate in that way. My current band is Tom Guarna (Oteil & Friends) on guitar, Jim Whitney (Andy Statman) on bass and Adrian Harpham (Henry Butler, Raphael Saadiq) on drums. I just played live at The Bit- ter End in New York City. It was an honor to play at this iconic club. We also [had] three concerts in New York City in June. Creating a tour during these times is really costly.
71: True. What would you like to do that you haven’t done yet?
DD: Speaking of tours and festivals, it is my dream to be more of a part of that world. I would love to be out there performing more. I would love more people to hear what I do and spread unconditional love through the music. I would love to get these songs paired with film/TV. I release an album averaging every 10 years! So much went into this album – heart, soul, sweat and tears. I want to work it as long as possible.
As for the future, I take life one day at a time. I will con- tinue to practice voice and piano. I know that’s always there for me. And I will pray for this world and our plan- et that needs more love. These are challenging times. Hopefully my music can be a balm to some people. That’s all I can hope for.
“I Want to Spread Unconditional Love Through Music.”
Debbie Deane
