Interpretations: Celebrating the Music ofEarth, Wind & Fire
Visionaries in music don't come any mightier than Maurice White. As the founder of the band Earth Wind & Fire, the Memphis-born percussion master shrewdly assembled "the elements" - singers, musicians, songwriters and arrangers - that crafted a mold-shattering music machine. This aggregate was capable of creating deeply inspirational songs steeped in all the rooted tentacles of Black music yet able to penetrate the hearts and minds of cultures in every corner of the globe. With his nucleus 9-piece band and 3-piece Phenix Horns section, White delivered to the world stage a spectacle of music, magic and wonder that left audiences spellbound and other bands in the dust. From multi-platinum selling albums and SRO concert tours to international music awards of excellence, Earth Wind & Fire remains peerless in its original scope and ever-escalating levels of achievement.
Now, 37 years after Earth Wind & Fire's 1970 debut, a stellar collection of contemporary soul disciples has created a tribute to Maurice White with Interpretations: Celebrating The Music of Earth Wind & Fire - ten of "The Fire's most memorable pieces as rendered by artists who owe the group a substantial measure of debt. This auspicious project will be the inaugural release for the newly reactivated Stax Records label (via Concord Music Group) - the legendary Memphis-based recording company that was home to soul royalty such as Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Isaac Hayes, Rufus & Carla Thomas, the Bar-Kays and Albert King in the `60s and `70s.
"When we (Kalimba) took the concept to Concord," White shares, "they were very receptive and I felt confident that they would get behind the project and market it effectively." Regarding his role, White continues, "I helped match the artists to the songs. It was important that they have a connection to their piece, enabling them to pick their favorites so they could best express their creativity."
The resulting recordings are astounding. Veteran and peer Chaka Khan throws down on an extended deep funk take of the band's very first #1 hit, "Shining Star" - with one small lyrical change that reminds fans that she's still 'every woman'...and a backbone! The Minneapolis sextet Mint Condition emphasizes the cinematic jazz-pop side of the band on the heartbreaking ballad "After the Love is Gone," featuring lead singer Stokley and sax man Jeff Allen.
A rosier outlook is found on Contemporary Gospel titan Kirk Franklin's version of "September," the first single, a song that was more 'feel good' than it was about anything specific. Leading his group The Family, Franklin remolded EWF's sixth soul chart-topper into a less ambiguous lyrical interpretation of Christian faith and fortitude with the seasons as a metaphor for the sunshine and rain of life. He dedicates it to the people of New Orleans, Mississippi and Alabama struggling to get their homes in order in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Ledisi (pronounced led-uh-see), a fast-rising female singing sensation from the Bay Area underground, delivers an incomparably inspired interpretation of the prayerful "Devotion," adding a rousing closing vamp that incorporates the title of the album from which the song was originally recorded: Open Our Eyes. And neo Philly Soul crooner Musiq (pronounced music) taps his falsetto in tribute to EWF's co-lead singing star Philip Bailey on the one-night love affair 'begging' classic, "Reasons."
"Be Ever Wonderful" dynamically sung by Angie Stone, a multi-faceted artist who began her career in hip hop's first all-female group of prominence - Sugar Hill Records' The Sequence - evolving into an acclaimed R&B vocalist and songwriter, who is now signed to Concord. Though "Be Ever Wonderful" was never a single for Earth Wind & Fire, it was a powerful fan favorite, closing their 1977 album, All `n All, on a highly spiritual note.
One key to Earth Wind & Fire's success is that while their songs are kinetically uplifting, many of the lyrics are elliptical and open to listeners' own gleanings. This becomes strikingly apparent within the bold and brilliant interpretation of "Fantasy" by the mercurial MeShell NdegeOcello
(pronounced me-shell N-day-gay-o-chel-lo). A poet, multi-instrumentalist and singer in her own right, she flipped a giddily inspiring fantasia into a jarring, jagged-edged commentary on the price American soldiers are paying in Iraq to allegedly make that rainbow vision reality. Joining her in this masterpiece is former Soul II Soul vocalist Caron Wheeler. "When I first heard it," Mr. White recalls, "I was in my house and I just started screaming. I was floored!"
Earth Wind & Fire also enjoyed tremendous success with sensual odes of love, two of which sprang from the pen of one frequent contributor: the late, great Skip Scarborough. The first was "Can't Hide Love," re-imagined on Interpretations by hip hop's Randy Watson Experience featuring Bilal. Leave it to Roots leader/drummer Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson to flip the song inside out, starting with the haunting vocal lines EWF used to end their version, then returning to those chord changes at the end for a jazz samba coda spiced with sax and trumpet solos. The second is "Love's Holiday" for which Mr. White wrote the lyrics - arguably his sexiest. The new version was placed at the feet of the undeniably anointed Lalah Hathaway, daughter of Chicago soul legend Donny Hathaway whom Mr. White knew well. With a vocal instrument capable of dipping into lower registers not commonly reached by women in 'pop' music, Lalah sings in layers of octaves as if in an elastic duet with her self. "It's been my pleasure to watch Lalah evolve so nicely over all these years," Mr. White shares.
Finally, there is "That's The Way of The World" - a song of inspiration penned for a movie flop of the same name (now on DVD). The song has far surpassed that humble origin to become an anthem of hope in the face of bitter adversity. Singer Dwele (pronounced dwel-lay), whose name means "God has brought me," brings warm memories from his youth to his Afro-blues version. Reflecting on today's next generation of artists participating in a tribute such as this, White says, "I was honored. To be honest, I was not aware of all of them, but I talked to them to make sure they were on the right track. They wanted to be as original as possible. I admired them for that."
When Maurice White was embarking upon his journey in music, a school friend named Booker T. Jones (later leader of soul stalwarts Booker T & The M.G.s) was already making money as a musician at Stax Records. "I remember when they started," White shares. "I wondered how Booker got that deal so young...and how I might get in on it!" With a fire in his belly, Maurice left Memphis to study music at the prestigious Chicago Conservatory of Music. He soon landed his first professional gig as a house musician at Chess Records working with blues greats Etta James and Willie Dixon as well as producer/arrangers Richard Evans and Charles Stepney. When Chess' jazz piano star Ramsey Lewis parted ways with his original trio, Maurice was hired as the new drummer, affording him travel not only across the U.S., but Europe and Japan. That experience contributed greatly to Maurice's world view and artistic vision. Ironically, when a series of groups he led morphed to become Earth Wind & Fire, one of their earliest albums - the score for Melvin Van Peebles' Sweet Sweetback's Baadassss Song - was released on Stax.
Having lived and exuded such an inspiring existence, one might wonder if Maurice White ever considered literal priesthood vs. his shining legacy of musical ministry. "Never," he concludes. "Though I was inspired by my upbringing at home and in church, I've just always been into bringing a positive message to the people...and giving something back to the community."
Interpretations: Celebrating the Music of Earth, Wind & Fire (Concord Music Group) In stores March 27, 2007
