James Chadwick’s New Album of 60s Pop Classics, Walrws
Guitarist James Chadwick releases a new album entitled Walrws – Joe Barth talked with him about making this album.
Pop and rock songs of the 1960s and 70s are making their way into the jazz Standards repertoire. Welsh guitarist James Chadwick has just released an album of some of these new Standards. Born in London, James has made Cardiff, the capital of Wales, his musical base and home for several years.
JB: On your new album, Walrws, talk about John Lennon’s “I am a Walrus” that opens the album. What is it about this great song that you would build your album around?
JC: I always found this tune so emotive, both in the melody and the added factor of the different sections that set the tone for the album. It gives the band a chance to zone into the vibe of this project and the sound we are aiming for. All the musicians lead varied musical lives, and certain tunes remind us of what we are about, and the first tune is so important for that.
JB: What drew you to some of the other Beatles’ songs?
JC: They were my favorite band when I was getting into music. I love their writing and playing their tunes is always so rewarding. The song structures and sequences always have something special in them.
JB: Ben E. King wrote “Stand By Me” for the Drifters, who passed on recording it. You do a very interesting treatment of the song. Tell us about it.
JC: I wonder if they regret that; it is such a classic with that bass line. Which we don’t use, and Aidan often threatens to play. We use it as a name this tune in the set and that would make it far too easy! While the tune is simple, this allowed me to go to town with the re-harmonization. Simply great fun to spend time trying out what works and where you can take it. My main focus was looking at chord extensions for the target melody notes, with the sequence resolving with the melody to the tonal center.
JB: You call it “Daydream,” but John Stewart’s “Daydream Believer” was the Monkees’ third and final number one hit. You feature Josh Heaton’s saxophone work on it.
JC: Such a great tune! There are a few chord changes from the original in it, which I hope brings out the melody in a different way, and the meter has changed to a waltz. With saxophone on this, I enjoyed taking the comping and backing role behind Josh, a player who deserves a wider audience!
JB: Paul Simon’s “The Sound of Silence” has been covered by a number of artists. What drew you to this great song?
JC: There’s a great simplicity to it that just draws you in, intoxicating. The instructions to the band were to imagine you’re surfing or jogging and what would you want to hear. I’ve never surfed (ha ha), but I imagine it’s great fun! On each gig leading towards the recording date, the vibe was different, and we eventually settled on this particular feel.
JB: Did you have Dylan’s or the Byrds’, or both, renditions of “Mr. Tambourine Man” in mind when you did your version?
JC: Good question, Joe! Both is the honest answer. At first, we did the Byrds intro, and I transcribed both versions when adding the tune to the set. I think now it’s more in the Bob Dylan camp, who is my go-to when hearing it.
JB: I like how you begin “God Only Knows” with the melodic figure the Beach Boys have in the middle of their version. Talk about recording that song.
JC: It’s a great riff, isn’t it! And for me the perfect introduction. The hardest part was how to structure it without losing the essence of the original. The section after the solos has a lot of contrapuntal lines in the original, and while we could have replicated that, I thought it was a great space for Mark to solo over with me playing one of the lines from the original tune. Easy to overthink, but I think it works. I re-harmonized this tune, but after a few gigs, I returned it a lot closer to the original. Sometimes changing stuff is a bad idea!
JB: What do you appreciate most about your rhythm section on the album, bassist Aidan Thorne, and drummer Liz Exell?
JC: I love their creativity and sense of fun. Their interplay is exceptional, and the importance of the music over personal ego is always there. A big plus for me when doing any project is: how do the musicians make me feel, and can I be myself with them?
JB: Talk about the musical relationship you have with pianist Mark Sambell, who plays on the record.
JC: First of all, he’s a close friend and someone I trust musically too. I don’t always want him to do the classic piano comping behind the soloist, and we’ve had to adapt our playing a little to fit in with the two chordal instruments. Listening and adapting to what we are all doing as the tune develops is a great mantra.
JB: I love how you go back and forth between the bossa and then swing feel on Burt Bacharach’s “Walk On By,” which concludes the album. Talk about saxophonist Josh Heaton’s and your musical relationship. Also, I love your solo on this tune.
JC: Thanks, Joe! I tried to use the tune as a vehicle, and as ever, develop the idea. The change of feel came from Liz and Aidan in the run-through before we did the take. One of those creative moments I mentioned earlier.
Josh graduated from the Jazz Course at the Royal Welsh College, and I booked him for a pick-up gig. He has an openness and willingness to play whatever, and I was immediately drawn to his sound, sense of melody, and, generally, his creativity. It helped that our reference points are the same in terms of who we listen to, so there’s an immediate connection. Mark couldn’t make that recording date, and I thought a change of color would only help the outcome.
