Klyde Jones – Waltz of the Wild Rose With the long-awaited release of his debut solo album Waltz of the Wild Rose, singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Klyde Jones is finally coming into his own after years of dedicated service to some of the most stalwart survivors in the music world - Daryl Hall & John Oates, Carly Simon and, most recently, nearly a decade touring and recording with the legendary Average White Band (AWB). He is a most valuable player in that he excels on bass, guitar and keyboards, is a great lead and background singer, and a strong songwriter. That Klyde is exceptionally proficient in all three endeavors is a testament to his musical roots. He brings a mountain of soul, experience and dedication to everything he touches. Waltz of the Wild Rose showcases the seasoned versatility and musical sensitivity of a man who has been making music most of his life. While it is most certainly a soul album, it is also informed by broad ranging pop sensibility, generous swaths of jazz sophistication, deep funk in the pockets, soft rock vibrations on the periphery, and an unbridled approach to vocalization that reflects his roots in the church. That it is such an accomplished first effort reflects that Klyde took his time, absorbed a plethora of grade A singing, songwriting and playing influences, and was able to hand-pick from astounding cache of over 100 self-penned songs through the years to put his best foot forward. “This album was technically two years in the making,” Klyde shares, “but it’s really taken me all my life to shape. I love to play and I love to write, so this first album emphasizes that along with my singing. It’s very special to me. Some of the stuff stretches all the way back to the very beginning of my career, the oldest pieces being ‘Could it Be’ (with its heart-on-sleeve jazz scat swing) and ‘The Best of Me’ (which beats to a lightly Latin pulse with lush string counterpoint). None of my music is fictitious – there’s not one fabricated note. Musically I try to take myself somewhere I haven’t been. Growing up in the ‘80s, Prince was big, but I loved Marvin Gaye, John Scofield and George Benson just as equally. This album encompasses all of that. I feel I have something to say as a songwriter and producer.” Following a layered vocal introduction, the CD opens with the bittersweet romantic reflection “Out of Time.” “I was thinking of the ‘70s band Switch when I wrote that,” he confesses, “smooth tunes with aggressive bass lines. It came very quickly to me. I wrote it on the piano and once I started producing the track, all my Stevie Wonder influences came pouring out!” Klyde’s sensitivity is on ample display on the light reggae love song of goodbye “The Last Time,” and particularly the thoughtful “What is Forever For.” “I was attending a wedding. Someone was giving a toast to the couple I was only halfway paying attention to, but the guy concluded his speech saying, ‘If it’s not forever, what is forever for?’ That phrase lingered in my mind the rest of the day and inspired me to write the song that evening.” An unshakable hook of another sort informs the catchy funk bomb “Nothing Like the Something.” “As I got close to finishing the CD, I felt like I needed a song with some edge to it, so I pulled this one from my stash! This is what I sound like when I just start playing without thinking.” And he tells a story that new fathers will be able to relate to with the tender album closer “Hey Mrs. Jones.” “That one is, obviously, dedicated to my wife,” he chuckles. “It represents the selfish side of men - when we realize we’ve become secondary to the kid. It’s me saying, ‘Knock-Knock – do you have a minute for me…for we? I want my woman back…’” The title track is a very personal song written in the ¾ time signature that is the trademark of Klyde’s favorite keyboardist, Russell Ferrante of the jazz fusion quartet The Yellowjackets. “I was completely blown away by their Four Corners CD,” Klyde enthuses. “Some of their stuff was so sophisticated I couldn’t even count it, but it never stopped me from grooving to it. I wanted to share that aspect of my musical appreciation by having something like that on my CD. Lyrically, I also wanted to share my feelings about what it felt like to finally be doing my album. ‘What once was a dream has come to pass / ‘Cuz I made it through the storm at last…’ I wanted it to be encouraging, even though people told me my road would be hard. A wild rose is one that grows in unexpected places... That represents Saginaw and imagery from my growing up. My father was the sole breadwinner so we couldn’t afford a lot of luxuries. My mother was my shining light…and from her nurturing a rose grew out of the darkness.” Among the most revealing and autobiographical compositions on Klyde Jones’ soulfully triumphant and captivating solo debut Waltz of the Wild Rose is “Leaves.” “I wrote that one in ’94,” he states. “I would get the best feedback from the public when I performed it in clubs back then, so I decided to record a kicked back version for the album. That song is about my journey from Saginaw to New York, and staying the course of being unique - never following trends.” “People always told me, ‘You can’t sell records doing that,’” Klyde concludes. “But I can’t imagine doing my music any other way.” A. Scott Galloway Summer 2009 Klyde Jones’ debut CD, “Waltz Of The Wild Rose” is available at www.klydejones.com