Victor Fields: Blog

It's 'round midnight. I'm finally checked into my room. I had rehearsal in San Francisco tonight. I'm dead tired and I have a 4:30 AM wake up call. My flight to Dallas TX leaves at 6:25 AM so I'm shooting for the 5 AM hotel shuttle to the airport.

I drove in to the City last night with Jim Molina. Chris and the band had been rehearsing for almost an hour by the time we got there. Everybody was looking good and sounding fantastic. Chris Camozzi/Music Director; Marquinho Brasil/percussion; Cedricke Dennis/guitar; Jaimee Brewer/bass; Joel Smith/drums; Mike Blankenship/keys; Vince Lars/saxes; and vocalists Sandi Griffith and Laura Ahlstrand.

I didn't sing hard at rehearsal tonight. My throat felt a little scratchy plus I'm still a little tired from the trip back East. So Ciao fir now. Goodnight....

The name of the new CD is "Thinking of You". It took a while for me to pull the trigger. But it works. It's the title of the monster R&B/Smooth jazz ballad penned by Jeff Lorber, Chelsea Nichole Maull, & Michael Fields (no relation). It also represents my mindset when I decided to make this CD. I was thinking of you ... all my fans, friends and family. My Five-Two crew.

We're moving ahead and still on schedule for a September 26 release. Ken Lee did a fantastic mastering job as always. The CD sounds clean and cocoa crispy. I've played it on everything imaginable: iPod, boom box, car stereo. And it still sounds great! Wait til you get it home and hear on your system.

Make sure you go to PRESS/REVIEWS and read the new press release.

In September the band and I will be traveling to Dallas for a 2 hour showcase called Club R&R at the Radio and Records Convention. We'll put on a great show and hopefully, we'll encourage more than a few smooth jazz radio programmers to give us some love.

Sleeves are rolled up and we're working hard. It's like the Jamaican skit on "In Living Color". We've all got 8 jobs - smile. So I've got to get back to work, mon. But I'll be back as soon as I get a break! In the meantime hit the GUESTBOOK and holla at your boy...

Time flies when you're having fun! I'm in Sausalito, CA mixing CD#4 at the
Record Plant. This is my first and long overdue "smooth" jazz recording with special guests Rick Braun, Jeff Lorber, Chris Camozzi and Richard Elliott.

Courtesy of the Record Plant, I recorded my vocals on a U47 mic ($13,000). Absolutely a once in a lifetime treat. You can hear all the detail and overtones.

How can I describe the record? If you liked "Promise" you'll definitely feel this new joint. Like my engineer, Michael Rodriguez (Boz Scaggs, Bonnie Rait, Dionne Warrick) said: "this ain't no smooth jazz, This is dope jazz!" It's smooth jazz and R&B. A blend of "new" and "old" school. uptempofunkalicious.

The planned release is late August or early September. I'll keep you
posted.

Well, downbeat at the studio is high noon so my time is limited. Just wanted to give you the 411. Also, check out my website over the next few days.

I'll be uploading some of the images from the studio.

My first full day in the office. Got my executive hat on returning emails and phone calls. I've got the greatest fans in the world. They know that I'm competing against all odds and they constantly encourage me to keep fighting. I've got lots of pics fro the studio that I need to post. Unfortunately my computer is not cooperating this morning. Must be time for a coffee break...

finished mixing the CD last night. It's HOT. I'm spending today answering emails and returning calls. What an experience recording at the world famous Record Plant. A once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Got an email from Chris last night. He was out on the road with Michael Bolton and got home just in time for Mother's Day. Despite his crazy schedule he was able to demo four songs for me to listen to. He'll Fed Ex them today before he takes off for Canada. I should recieve tomorrow. We're both pumped up for this CD. He wrote: "Can't wait to hear YOUR voice on these songs".

This is our third consecutive CD together. What's unique is that Chris is also my Music Director. I think he knows my voice better than anyone else and we really have a great relationship in and out of the studio. Some of you "jazzheads" already know that Chris Camozzi is a fantastic guitarist as well and had a #1 smooth jazz hit as a recording artist. And that's our goal this time out the box: #1 baby.

But his best instruments are his ears. The songs he's sending me I really wasn't feeling at the listening session a few weeks ago. To me it's not just about recording a song. I've got to feel that I can bring something fresh and distinctive. But at the same time I've learned to keep an open mind. "Walk On By" and "And I Love Her" on my second CD, 52nd Street, are perfect examples. I wasn't feeling either track until after I heard the demos. I can't wait... I feel like a little kid on Christmas eve....

I want to wish all moms a very special day full of love and appreciation.

Talk about a "special Mother's Day", last summer super mom Phyllis Sneed asked us to pray for her daughter-in-law, Tiffany Sneed, stationed in Iraq. Shortly after that I had an interview with Armed Forces radio. At that the end of the interview I sent a message to Tiffany and all our servicemen and women. And I prayed.

Strong prayers are always answered and yesterday Tiffany arrived home safely and is reunited with her husband Ed and their children. What a blessing for the Sneed family!

So this morning I want to send a special prayer to all the moms (and grandmoms) and to their children serving our country. We are indebted to you for what you and your family have endured in the service of this great nation.

I pray that your story has a happy ending too.

And to Tiffany ... Welcome home and HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to mom and grandmom !!!!

Thank you to everyone who came out to Linen Life on Sunday evening(4/30/06). And a special thanks to those of you who took the time to leave your impressions of the concert in my GUESTBOOK.

On Sunday night I had the best seat in the house. From the stage I have a very unique perspective. When I looked out at your faces I relived so many memories. And I saw many new faces, too!

Sunday was a perfect night with a circle of friends. It was a packed house and I'm just so happy that you enjoyed yourselves. We did too!Until the next time: be safe. Peace.

I felt the magic when M/C Jim Molina introduced me to the packed house at Linen Life. As the band lit into "This Could Be Paradise" I scanned the audience. It was great to be home! I heard a voice from the back shout, "Welcome back to Oakland!". It didn't matter that we were NOT in Oakland that night. We were next door in tiny Emeryville. But Oakland was in the house 4 sheezy! and so was Chicago, and L.A. and NYC and North Carolina

I knew our "Circle of Friends" had done their thing. We asked them to bring in some new faces. I'd have to say that at least 50% of the room were folks I'd never seen before. I even saw 12 year old children with their parents and their grandparents. It was about unity and love. "Victor-style".

After the band opened with "Little Sunflower" I think everybody began to sense that this was something special. There was a buzz -- an electricity in the room.

When the band cracked open "This Could Be Paradise" it was as if we were all suddenly swept away and our synergy kept lifting us higher and higher.

I just hope that everyone had as much fun as I did. It was fun being back home playind my music with my band. I was totally in the moment and dialed in. I've read a few of the comments in the GUESTBOOK. They are truly inspiring. I feel extremely blessed when people say things from the heart like that.

Back at the hotel after the show I had a chance to relax and take everything in. How I experience the show from the stage is a totally different from what the audience experiences. So I enjoy hearing people talk about the show.

Jim Molina & Christy, and my nephew Hamin and his girlfriend Dee Dee joined my family back at the hotel. I hadn't eaten all day so I'm grubbing and they're talking about the show. When I got my first paying gig, Hamin and his sister helped me put promo flyers on car windshields parked near all the San Francisco jazz clubs. It's hard to believe that this was the first time he's seen my show. But so much of what I did were private parties that a lot of people hardly ever got to see me. On the other hand, Jim Molina usually travels with me so he's been to most of what I've done. So the concensus in the room between Jim, Hamin and my family was that this was the best show I've ever done. I know there were a lot of smiling faces at the "meet and greet" after the show. I think everybody had a great time. It felt like everything, all the components that night --even on a subtle level -- were clicking at the same time. Synergy. It's special and doesn't happen all the time. It's a blessing. My best show ever? Stay tuned. It's early. There's still a lot more music to come ....

I'm up early this morning. My hotel balcony has a great view of the San Francisco Bay. It's a little hazy but the what little fog there is will burn off by noon. Weather today is sunny and in the high 70's.
I can see the Bay Bridge that connects Oakland and San Francsico. Off in the distance I can see the cone-shaped Transamerica Building and Twin Peaks. I don't think there's a more beautiful place in the world than the San Francsico Bay.

I'm in the room alone and I'm taking the time to run through the show in my mind. I worked with a singer who planned the entire show out in detail advance. I read somewhere that the legendary Nat King Cole worked like that leaving little chance for a slip up or for the unexpected.
This morning I'm just reading down the set list looking for "energy points". Each song has a story or an experience and brings its own energy . Tonight, the only thing that will be scripted is the set list and even that isn'tcarved in stone. We've got a packed house and I want to have fun and play off the audience energy. Knowing where the energy points are in each set can be very helpful.

Other than the prerequisite nervous stomach, I feel pretty relaxed and in the moment.
I did some vocal warmups for about an hour. Drinking lots of water to get hydrated. I never eat the day of a show and today won't be any different. I'm hungry but my stomach is always tied up in knots until the downbeat.

I got the chance to see Kobe hit the game winning shot in Game 5 overtime. A few minutes later I get a call from Chris. The band is ready for sound check. I'm only 10 minutes from the venue so I get all my clothes and notes together and I'm out the door....

It's the end of the week and all energy is focused on Sunday's show at Linen Life. We had a great rehearsal Wednesday. We haven't finalized the set list yet. I just got an email from Chris. We went into rehearsal with 16 songs and ran everything down with the band and the background singers. We decided to move "Promise" from the second set to the first set. That's all the tweaking we need to do.

I leave the personnel decisions with Chris Camozzi. He asks for my input from time to time but he makes good decisions. I am blessed to be surrounded with good people who are also extremely gifted.
New players for this show: Deszon Claiborn (drums), Dave Ellis (sax) and Eric Daniels (keys). I worked with Deszon at the Rose Bowl last summer. Deszon and Dave Ellis both recorded on my current release, "Victor". I met Eric Daniels for the first time at rehearsal. I love the way he plays. The entire band is local: "sound of the bay"! Working with backgound singers for the first time since Yoshi's (Laura Ahlstrand and Sandi Griffith) I'm super-excited about Sunday!

Effective May 1, 2006 all of three of my CD's will have international distribution. My internet distributor, CD Baby, signed an exclusive agreement with Super D, a mammoth retail distributor out of Irvine California. As soon as heard the news I called CD Baby and thanked them for extending my career another year or two!

To all my US fans and fans in Japan, the Netherlands, Breat Britain, France, Germany, Lebanon, and Brazil: my CD's are available at a store near you! Now every retailer world-wide will find my titles in their data base. It is a major victory for me and every independent artist. All we ever wanted was equal access to the market place, to the music buyers. Now with that opporunity available, we can take our careers to the next level.

Let me start by thanking my family for their unconditional love and untiring support. The life of a musician is, at times, maddening and unfortunately those closest to you are affected the most. I just want my ladies to know that I admire their strength and their determination. I appreciate their love from the bottom up. So a special thanks and big hugs to my Ginas.
This week began with the cancellation of the Springfield concert. I still can't tell you for certain what happened. Nothing like like this has ever happened to me before. We were all stunned by the decision.
I have deep respect for my fans. Those of you who follow my career know that I don't tour often. When I do, people go out of their way and make certain sacrifices to be there. I know that some fans had chartered a bus for the Springfield concert and others made arrangements to travel long distances from as far as New York. I hope that you will please accept my sincerest apology. We'll be back and, when we do, I promise that we'll make up for it!

The new CD has gotten some really great reviews in the last month. A special thanks to Nina Goodrich for an absolutely wonderful review JazzReview.com. Click "Press/Reviews" button in the menu bar and check it out!

Every once in a while you experience something or someone unique. I'm talking about Rachelle Bivens and the staff at "Abyss Jazz Magazine". They are truly exceptional people. They gave me lots of love (feature and a review) in the February issue of their magazine. I'll have it posted soon. In the meantime, visit www.abyssjazz.com and make sure to support them with a subscription. It's a must magazine for music lovers who want to keep up with what's new and fresh on the music scene. Abyss ... you're the best!

I'm realizing how difficult it is for me to get to the website and write in my "journal". You see, I've been busy multi-tasking. There are a lot of exciting things on the horizon and I'm trying to stay on point. I'll be back soon...

I was at a club in Oakland, California with some friends a few years back when suddenly there was a big commotion at the entrance. After a few minutes it was announced from the stage: "Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Lou Rawls is in the house!". And sure enough, there he was. Shaking hands and hugging folks as he made his way to the bar. After a few sips on his drink people started chanting: "C'mon Lou. Sing somethin'." "Sing Tobacco Road!"

Now Oakland is a blues town. And Lou knew that. He walked up on that stage and commenced to throw down on "I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water Than Sleep In A Hollow Log". Pin-striped suit and open collar shirt. You could see he was having fun singing the blues to some blues people. And they responded in kind - dancin', shoutin' and just having the time of their life!

I still had a full-time job and had come around the corner from my office to sit in with the house band. I had met Mr. Rawls a few months earlier backstage at one of his shows and just as I was getting up to go over and re-introduce myself, another announcement came from the stage: "Well let's get on with the show. The next singer up is Victor Fields. Victor would you come up to the stage?". Lou Rawls had just melted the paint off the wall 10 minutes ago, man. NO No.No No. Nooooooooo ....

If I could have snuck out of that club at that very moment I would have. But it was too late... When I stepped up to the stage I was so freeked I called the song to the band but suddenly I couldn't remember the key I sang it in. Spasticly, I blurted out " 'When Sunny Gets Blue' in F". It was a whole step too low. My key is the key of "G". But no matter now. The band was rolling.

Ten minutes before that, folks were yelling and dancing and hooting. Now here I am breaking out with a ballad. Once I got through the first line: "When Sunny gets blue/ her eyes get gray and cloudy..", I just closed my eyes and floated along on the melody. "When Sunny Gets Blue" is a jazz standard but it's blue. And it's a beautiful beautiful song. At the end I sang an octave above the written ending to sweeten things up. Finally the song was over. Then nothing. Dead silence.

My eyes were still closed and I'm thinking to myself: okay. just walk straight out the front door. Don't even stop or look around. Just walk. And don't show your face around here for a long long time." Then I heard someone say, "the man with the golden voice." It was Lou Rawls. Mr. Silk. I opened my eyes and he was standing there with that big toothy smile. The applause that followed felt great!

I thanked Mr. Rawls before he left that evening . He remembered meeting me a few months before and he'd even taken the time to listen to the demo tape I had given him. Although my confidence level went through the roof that night, I didn't quit my day job.

I treasure that evening more than ever now that he is gone. I'll always be grateful for his encouragement. He was a warm person and a gracious elder statesman.

That's how I'll always remember Lou Rawls. "Yeah Buddy" ...

It was a long shot but, I still went to the Grammy website hoping my name was there. It wasn't. But the excitement and the anticipation. What a rush! From the bottom of my heart, thank you for all the emails. I read every one. I could feel your love and support. Thank you, thank you. I love you back. Congratulations to all the Grammy nominees!

Katurah Bryant "representin" New Haven, CT. Thank you for the love and a special "shout out" to all my CT fans. Love you bunches. See you in '06.

A heartfelt welcome to Rick Scott and GreatScott P.R.oductions! For more info visit CONTACTS.