My time recording with Jeff Bridges
Back in early 2000, my dear friend and drummer, the late Brian Zsupnik & I were members of a great band called LA Groove Mission which also featured Laura Creamer and Donna McDaniel on vocals, Danny Grenier on guitars, Jonathan Clark on bass and Jeff Ross on Keys. I initially met Brian through Jeff Porcaro, who called me when I worked for Paiste Cymbals and recommended him for an endorsement…I signed Brian shortly after that call.
Brian was a fantastic groove and feel drummer. He played with many great artists including Michael McDonald, Peter Cetera, Boz Scaggs and others. During our time together, he got a call to play on what was to be actor Jeff Bridges’ debut record, “Be Here Soon”. Jeff has always been a musician & singer/songwriter and as we all saw, he eventually turned that passion into his amazing roll in Crazy Heart, winning him the Academy Award for Best Actor. A huge influence on me, Jeff is one of my all-time favorite actors. The Cohen Brothers’ The Big Lebowski is one of my all-time favorite films…I’ve watched is so many times. So you can imagine my feelings when I got this call.
Brian recommended me to play percussion for Jeff - something I will always treasure. Jeff had a studio adjacent to his amazing home and the day prior to coming to work with him, a very wild thing happened. I was attending a Bob Dylan / Paul Simon show at the Hollywood Bowl and before it started, I went to get some drinks at the concession stand. I’m standing in line and who is standing right in front of me? Out of all those people, it was Jeff!! Crazy! I introduced myself and we both laughed at the crazy coincidence of that. When I arrived the next day, it was sort of like we knew each other, which was really nice and he’s just a great guy anyway…very down-to-earth and an avid fan of music.
I spent 2 days with him, recording percussion for his album. It was just he, his producer Chris Pelonis and me. I brought a wide range of instruments from all types of ethnic genres, which he loved. He asked me about each one, had me play them and if he dug it, we would do a take. Very spontaneous. It was so inspirational to work with him that way. For one tune, they wanted a Junkanoo type vibe - Junkanoo is a blend of mixed African origins and the music from the street parades in the Caribbean. I wanted to create an ensemble thing and needed another percussionist to get that, so I called Brad Dutz - long-time friend and amazing percussionist. Brad came in on another date, so we didn’t actually track together but we created the vibe…they loved it and ended up on the track “Circle Dance”. Brad and I played on a bunch of other tracks as well. So fun.
The album also features performances from Michael McDonald, Amy Holland and David Crosby. I’m so honored to share album credits with artists who’ve influenced my entire career. This year marks the 20th anniversary of this amazing experience.
Visit my Media Page to hear one of the tracks I played on entitled Movin’. Also check out Jeff Bridges’ website for all his original music, artwork and photographs. (click Jeff’s album cover below to visit his website)
