Close Encounter With a Genius: Gino Vannelli

I was still in high-school in 1979 when Gino Vannelli's big break-through album "Brother To Brother" was released. At the time, my friends and I were very puzzled by the extreme production quality of the album, both in terms of technical quality of the recording itself as well as the awesome performances by the album's cast of musicians, who were all unknown at the time but later became famous of course, in part due to their exposure on this groundbreaking record. At that time, we were used to taking it for granted that any great new album coming out always would have the top most famous players, producers and engineers on it. But here out of the blue comes an - at the time - totally unknown newcomer from Montreal with an Italian sounding name who blew everyone's mind. Incredible vocals, songwriting, arrangements, performances, recording, mixing and mastering. Everything just over the top. (Luckily it became a well-deserved hit record and sold in the millions). The album not only blew our minds, it was also a great mystery to us how this newcomer could all of a sudden appear out of nowhere and be so utterly amazing. But I was later to find out exactly how big of a genius Gino is - and what components constitute such a genius and made him capable of creating such musical miracles.

Most Gino fans, like myself, usually become die-hard Gino fans. Especially as a musician, you can appreciate all of his talents on deeper levels, which go way beyond the surface of just the voice and the song. I met Gino for the first time when he guest appeared on my 1997 "Doky Brothers 2" album and subsequent tour. He also wrote amazing lyrics to the song of mine that he appeared with on that album, "Tender Lies" (a song that was later also recorded by other artists including Lisa Nilsson and Debbie Sledge). 

By the end of the 1990s I was signed to Universal Music and the head of the Danish division of the company at the time, Jens Otto Palludan, had recently produced the company's global top seller, the album "Aquarium" released in 1997 by the Danish pop group Aqua. That album sold 27 million copies worldwide and earned the company very large amounts of money and as a result Jens Otto had a lot of power and influence within the label. Coincidentally Jens Otto was also a big Gino fan and when heard that I was friends with Gino he instantly suggested that I ask Gino to produce by my next album following the success of my "Asian Sessions" album released on Universal's Emarcy label in 1999. I called Gino the same day and he agreed right away and the next day we started planning the project to be named "Haitek Haiku". Jens Otto provided a big recording budget and during the year 2000 we spent a total of 7 months in the studio full time, at Gino's own studio in Portland, Oregon "Inka Productions" and finally at Bernie Grundman's mastering studio in Los Angeles to finish the record. During this process I experienced pure genius at work on a level that I at that time did not yet know existed. 

Aside from being a virtuoso vocalist with a deeply personal style and approach, Gino also turned out to be an equally great virtuoso as a composer, arranger and recording engineer. Plus he plays great piano, drums, percussion and guitar. Massive creative energy and ideas just flowed out of him in unlimited abundance at all times - like a tap of water that goes on at full volume at anytime you turn it on, and stays that way until you choose to turn it off. This was amazing to witness on a daily basis during all those months in Portland. And with the large cast of musicians, singers, programmers and other personnel coming and going, in and out of the studio during the production, I also discovered what made Gino such a genius of a producer: no matter who walked in the door and regardless of their mindset, skills or experience - Gino was able to get them all, without exception, to go WAY beyond themselves and reach levels of artistry that they did not know they had in them. And that happened to me too. Gino pushed my out of my comfort zone and made me play and phrase in ways I had never done before. It was a great transformational experience that I often think about and for which I will be forever grateful. Suddenly I understood the reasons why Gino could produce a masterpiece like Brother To Brother in 1979, seemingly out of the blue. But no. It was a result of pure genius right underneath the surface.

Before the release of the Haitek Haiku album in the Spring of 2001 Gino and I were invited to the Vatican to perform one of the songs from the forthcoming Haitek Haiku album at the Pope's annual Christmas concert televised to all the Catholic countries around the world.  Here we performed as part of a stellar cast show that also included performances by Bryan Adams, Dionne Warwick, Dee Dee Bridgewater and others. And we were even invited to meet Pope Jean-Paul II's in person in his private quarters deep inside the Vatican. This project was really a big deal and working with Gino was a big turning point for me as a musician. Just as powerful as when I first worked with Thad Jones at age 15.

I think that my musicianship can be divided into two sections, one before and one after having worked with Gino on the Haitek Haiku album. I feel very blessed for this incredible experience and the privilege of having been in a studio full time for 7 months full time with such an outstanding musical genius and working on just one album and digging into the deepest subliminal layers of the music. One of the tracks on the album had not less than 99 individual tracks. The level of detail that Gino likes to explore in the music is mind-blowing. He can go on forever diving deeper and deeper into it. There is never an end to it and where and when to stop is a choice. I remember Gino telling me  "I don't finish albums, I abandon them." The magnitude of the Haitek Haiku album was unprecedented (and still unparalleled) for an album production by any instrumental jazz artist and I am deeply grateful for having had this rare and unique opportunity.  When I returned home from Portland, musicians friends of mine who are also Gino fans, looked at me strangely and made me feel like I was an astronaut returning from a trip to the moon. 

Photo Credit: Eddie Michel Azoulay

By 2001 when the album was released, the CD market had started its decline (towards its eventual final death years later) and radio had become more formatted than ever so it was becoming very difficult for record labels to market hybrid records, which the Haitek Haiku album was, with its blend of 5 genres:  jazz, pop, world, classical and electronica. The album was not a big commercial success upon its release but did garner some new and very devoted fans for me. Coincidentally and ironically, on my return home from this 7 months studio marathon in the US, I recorded a simple jazz trio album for the Japanese market called "Café En Pein Air" (later re-released under the title "French Ballads"). This album was recorded direct-to-2-track-stereo, in just one single day at Studio Ferbert in Paris.  On its release in Japan, this trio album had great commercial success and actually outsold the Haitek Haiku album. Improvisation, spontaneity and live interaction are strengths in jazz that can sometimes compensate greatly for the lack of attention to detail and predictability that is generally considered virtues in pop music. I love both approaches thought, I don't have a preference. It's all good.