"Whole Nother World," it's eight tracks and it came out on May 28 and it hit number one on roots charts for soul/blues album, it hit number two on International Broadcasters in the UK so there was a lot that has happened and it's not just me it's the whole project. The musicians are just experts in what they do and the sound engineer; the recording was done in Baton Rouge but he resides in my area and the guy has elephant ears (laughs) and that really was the end point, the mastering was incredible."
Patti Parks is the very definition of performer. A nurse by day and a woman of the blues all of the time; Parks is the epitome of stage presence, class and gives new meaning to the term "Giving back" as she continues to make her presence felt both on stages and off.
An inductee into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame, founder of Nurs'n Blues; a program which provides blues music education for high-risk children at rehabilitation centers and high-risk women's groups in western New York, a chart topping artist, public speaker and more.
With the release of "Whole Nother World," Parks has taken her music and her career to a "Nother" level; in part because of her work with the record's producer, veteran blues man Kenny Neal.
" Working with Kenny Neal is like another world," she said with a slight chuckle. "I don't mean to be funny but what I mean by that is, he's just one cool guy who knows exactly what he is doing. He knows exactly how to bring something out of the artist that perhaps they've never done before and he does it in a very subtle way. When he picked me up at the airport, we went to a neighborhood of his old friends and it was almost like we were going back in time because a lot of his neighbors were just jamming in their garages with old equipment and I even had an opportunity to jam with them a little bit which was really awesome. Then he took me to this place where there was catfish and I really started to get the feel and the vibe of the area and I felt totally at home. Most importantly, when I went into his studio it was filled with Neal family music history and with all of this memorabilia of not only Kenny but his father who was a master harmonica player himself and just that being said; honestly, I didn't practice on tracks at home; it was live in the studio that I heard these musicians who I had never heard before or played with before and all of that set the scene for the development of the project. So, that was a really good thing for me and yet an unfamiliar scenario for me."
One doesn't just happen upon talent and tradition such as Kenny Neal, let alone get him to take one under his wing and/or produce a record, so; how did she get him to commit?
"I've sang in Memphis, either with the IBC or in the National Women In Blues showcase many times and I've also sang with a gentleman who was doing the pre-show for the BMAs and Kenny was there as well. So, he had probably heard me over time but we actually were working together; we were asked to speak at a symposium by The Blues Foundation and alongside of me was Kenny Neal and Walter Trout and his wife and the symposium was a discussion about the healing power of blues. So, that is where Kenny and I really started getting into conversations; not so much about the project at that point. Then later on our paths did cross in Memphis and after that there was a blues festival where I reside in western New York and Kenny was the headliner and I sang there as well. So, naturally I invited him and his beautiful wife Josie over for dinner and we talked about a project I had going on and I let him listen and he said; "You know what? I think I would start all over with you, I think you should come down to Baton Rouge; I have some ideas" and that's kind of how the project started. Then he sent me some material to listen to and I fell in love with it. The material that he had me listen to had been recorded about 25 years ago when Kenny was involved in a project with Bob Greenlee and a female artist named Erica Guerin and they recorded it. The problem is, the sweetheart died young and her music never really got to be heard as it should have. So, when Kenny handed me this material to listen to, I was totally blown away and honored. I decided to record it, of course in my own way but that was a big part of it as well; I think just the fact that I was kind of re-doing some of the material that he never really had a chance to bring to the forefront; you know? On the album, some of the songs were written by Bob Greenlee, one that my husband actually wrote; "I can't Think" and some originals written by others but I have a James "Jimmy" Bond tune called "It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World" also; so, yeah."
Terms such as vivacious, genuine and authentic should always be associated with Parks; her energy and ability to relate to her band and her audiences is infectious. When told that today's music seems to lack passion, emotion and a personal touch; she pulled no punches when offering an opinion.
"It's funny you say that, think about it for a minute; how is everybody communicating? Is it through a phone call? No, it's through texting. You could have a major message and you won't pick up that phone," she began with a slight rise in tone. "You choose to put it in a text and I think as we are evolving that we are falling short of what's so important and that's the connection as you said, with the human voice or the rhythm of an instrument; we're missing it because it is electronic and it's a lot of stuff that just isn't there. You just don't get the same feeling, you may like the feeling of the rhythm and you might be able to repeat it but it's not allowing you to connect with the artist as you can with the blues genre. I agree, it can be irritating at times and one of the things that Kenny is really adamant about is that there is not too much going on in the song; it's all about the vocals. They are delivering the lyric and there's a lot of songs out there with just too much stuff going on interrupting the artist from delivering the message. Sometimes you get what they call the Goosies; right? Like when you hear a note, just one note that you can feel chime right down to your bones because the vocals are an instrument and if you have too much going on and everybody is talking at the same time; how can you hear? I feel that's one of the biggest challenges. I'll be honest with you, the difference between the music that I've done prior to this album is that what I'm used to is all of these horns going on behind me and these massive things going on; I love horns, don't misunderstand me but usually musicians want to do their thing and talk while whoever is singing is doing the same and then the song goes somewhere else. People love it, people love to hear somebody go around twice and they really get into it but when you have three sets of instruments and they all want to go twice around; we forget what the song is about. I have actually turned to my band and I have a great, great rapport with my band; I've actually said, I don't think you need me because what you're doing is phenomenal but you don't need someone to sing lyrics; you need to jam and get that all out and at times it should be there, again, don't misunderstand me. I think that has to do with recordings too, if sometimes you're listening to the music and you're like, we really didn't have to have all of that; as a matter of fact, that's the difference in this album. There are short solos on this album and believe me with the talent that Kenny Neal has, everybody wants to hear more of it but he did not do that, he's just not that guy; he'd rather do more with a lesser amount."
Now that it is post-pandemic; will there be a tour? More live shows and in-person events?
"That's the next step, working as things open up. We've already done a show that was sold out in our area and I really have to get to Jersey (laughs). I've got press, I'm signed to Booga Records so, I'm sure more things will be coming as things continue to open up. I'm doing well here in New York State but I think some good opportunities are available to me in the surrounding tri-state areas too."
To discover more about Patti Parks, please visit www.thepattiparksband.com .
That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
