Daily Blog
Wednesday, 05 August 2009 11:08
Written by Berwin Song and Alana Filipovich

---

Hey, who’s that in the photo there? Why, it’s Carlton J. Smith, of course! The self-professed soul man has been bringing the funk to Shanghai since 2004, and he’s back this weekend for a tribute to Michael Jackson (also pictured), Stevie Wonder and Prince. We caught up with the effervescent Mr. Smith to get his thoughts on his musical heroes, Shanghai’s funk and the story behind the photo.

When did you start performing?
I’d say when I was about ten years old.

What inspired you to choose music as a career?
Seeing James Brown and his orchestra perform at the Apollo Theater. He walked out onstage in a royal blue ruffled shirt with matching slacks and a pair of patent leather shoes with silver buckles on them. His soul brother afro haircut was trimmed just right, the better to let everyone know that he was, in fact, just what his latest record claimed: black and proud. His diamond pinky ring sparkled all the way up to the balcony where I was sitting, and I remember thinking, even at that early age, that he was the greatest thing I’d ever seen, and that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

You’ve been performing in Shanghai since 2004 – did you play anywhere before that?
In London and at various venues in and around New York City with the rock band I was performing with at the time, The Thrill Cycle.

How does Shanghai compare to the other cities where you’ve performed?
I love it in Shanghai. There’s simply nothing like it. The love I’ve gotten from Shanghai audiences beats anything anywhere else in the world. And that’s on and off stage! I love the Chinese people and as I walk through their neighborhoods, I’m always greeted with open arms (with rare exceptions!)

What have been some of your best performance experiences here?
The best, without a doubt, always occur when I perform at Lin Dong Fu’s Club, the House of Blues and Jazz. I sing my best when I’m in that room. I love that venue.

And the worst?
Any for which I’m not using my band, because I’ve found that for all the talented musicians in Shanghai, not many of them bother to dress correctly and look presentable on stage. None of them treat it as a show, instead, everything is just another “gig,” and they can barely be bothered with rehearsals.

When it’s my band (that I’m bringing over from the States), I’ve got them rehearsed within an inch of their lives and playing with military precision. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

What do you think of the music scene here?
Well, as I said before, the musicians could be a little more serious and professional about their chosen profession. Also, they could step up their work ethic as well as their visual presentation.

Who else brings the funk?
The two greatest singers in Shanghai or anywhere are Wink the MD over at Brown Sugar and Gilbert, the lead vocalist for the Lions of Puxi – these boys can blow! I would love to produce a song with them one day. Greg at the Cotton Club – great guitar player and a very nice guy. Coco over at JZ is great because he’s so true to what he does. I enjoy Carol over at CJWS, she’s flashy and skillful. Eddie Goltz – great jazz guitarist and vocalist. And then of course there’s Ronnie Williams from the Melting Pot and Donald Jackson over at the Park Hyatt – those are two very well-dressed brothers! My favorite female vocalist will always be Anne Evenou, she’s my partner and together we really throw it down.

Who will you be performing with at the MJ tribute?
I’m working with some different cats for this tribute, as my other band all went home-except for my drummer, Joe Mahone. I refuse to step on a stage anymore without him behind me. That guy is the greatest drummer in Shanghai right now, he’s a human metronome. He’s so in the pocket, it’s ridiculous, and he inspires me to move and do my thing. I love that brother. He’s the only holdover from my band and he and I will be together forever.

I’ve started working with Mark Pummel on keys and this guy does his homework, that’s what I like him about him. He listens to the CDs I give him and prepares accordingly.

I have two Chinese cats on guitar and bass – Biahao and Chang – and let me tell you, they can damn sure hold it down with the best of them. They’re funky and soulful, proof positive of what I’ve always said: If you’ve got soul, you’ve got it. It doesn’t matter if you’re white, black or green with red breath, when you’ve got soul, you’ve got it. They’ve got it! What talent.

So tell us the story behind this photo of you and MJ – how did you run into him?
He was walking up Fifth Avenue by himself – literally by himself! I stopped him and we shook hands. He gave me an autograph and we talked for a little while.

What were you doing in New York at the time?
I was working around the corner at Arista Records and at the time a group called the Bay City Rollers were signed to the label. Their fans were camped out in front of the building all the time with cameras and things. I ran around the corner and grabbed a fan who I knew always had a camera, went back around the corner and Michael actually smiled at seeing me again. He was more than happy to take the picture- in fact, he put his arm around me and was just so gracious. After a few minutes of talking with me, he was suddenly swarmed by people who recognized him.

Why not just devote a tribute night to only MJ? Why throw Stevie Wonder and Prince into the mix as well? (After all, they’re still around!)
Well, I didn’t want to seem clichéd and make it all about Michael due to his untimely passing. I also wanted to honor some other giants of music who don’t necessarily get their just due here in Shanghai.

What songs are you going to be performing?
I can’t tell you that! You have to come and see the show – I guarantee you’ll sing along.

What are your top five favorite songs to perform (including your own compositions)?
"A Man’s Gotta Do What A Man’s Gotta Do", "I Can Only Be Me", "You’ve Got the Power" – three of my songs – “Let’s Get It On" (my version) – Marvin Gaye, "Sunday Morning" – Maroon Five. But none of these sounds right if I don’t have Joe Mahone on the drums and Anne Evenou singing the background.

Do you have a preference between playing your own songs and covering other people’s?
I do. I’d much rather sing my songs because due to writing all the material, I have quite an emotional investment in my songs. Singing “Hotel California” or “Mustang Sally” means nothing to me – aside from the joy the audience derives from hearing those songs, and that’s what’s important to me.

Do you have any new projects on the horizon?
I’m writing a one-man play about the evolution of black music through the years from gospel, to blues, to jazz, to rock and roll, to rhythm and blues, to soul music, to funk, to disco, to rap. Through the usage of archival footage, my band on stage with me, and my narration, I plan to trace the lineage and show the one constant thread throughout each of these different genres. It will be opening in Helsinki sometime next year and I hope to bring it to Shanghai if I can get the right theater connections. Also, there’s some very good music that I’m recording – I’ve categorized it as “Hot Soul.”

Also, I officially start at the Park Hyatt on August 24 and I’ll be there until February – every night!

So do you have other photos of you and other famous people?
Yes, I do, and I’ll be sure to send them to you. [ed. note: he sure did – we've posted some of them below!] I have all of my musical heroes’ names tattooed down both of my arms. Their music means that much to me. James Brown’s name is first and he always got a kick out of seeing it!

One day I have to tell you my James Brown stories – I played him in a movie called Liberty Heights [by Barry Levinson], [and when he passed away, on Christmas Day] I along with Chaka Khan had to take his place and perform for him at B.B. King’s club on New Year’s Eve. Saddest show I ever had to do, but still a happy moment because I got to represent the Godfather of Soul.

So who else do you have on there?
The right arm: James Brown, Al Green, Bobby Womack, Sly and the Family Stone, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Johnny Taylor, Joe Tex, Tom Waits.

The left arm: The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Teddy Pendergrass, D.J. Rogers, Willie Hutch, Michael Henderson, Glen Goins, Ray Charles.

These are the guys I wanted to sound like – these are the guys I wanted to be! My father passed when I was a little boy and these guys are the ones who raised me through their music and lyrics. They taught me how to be a man, how to treat women, how to be proud of who and what I am – in spite of their many flaws, they were everything a young black boy growing up in the ghetto needed.

What have you been listening to lately – any recommendations?
All my rhythm and blues heroes. The last record I dug that I thought had any soul was Duffy’s “Have Mercy.” The ever wonderful Laura Guzman suggested that I listen to it as it was a great tune, and she was right. You can never go wrong if you pour yourself a glass of wine, light some candles and listen to Al Green’s “I’m Still in Love with You,” or Jimmy Scott’s “Day by Day.” Lord have mercy!

Carlton J. Smith performs a tribute to Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Prince on August 8 at JZ Club (6431 0269). 9pm.

 

< Prev		Next >