In Step with Kevin Paladini
Send us your questions for Craig or the band and we'll see if we can get some answers for you.
Saxman Kevin Paladini joins us in this issue for a fun and interesting introspective into what it’s like to be a member of Craig’s band. Kevin will be going into the studio with Jim Reitzel soon to cut his first CD, Craig might be a special guest on the project!
How did you get started playing the sax and was there anyone that inspired you to take it up? I started playing the sax because when I asked my dad if I could play drums, he said “Not in my house!” So, I asked him, how about the electric guitar, to which he again said, “Not in my house!” This was during a time Steely Dan was very popular and they had great sax players, so my interest was piqued about the sax and I asked dad if I could take up the saxophone and when he didn’t comment, my mom went and rented a sax and signed me up for lessons. The jazz influence in Steely Dan’s music was so strong, they had top notch sax players like Tom Scott and Wayne Shorter and I looked to their music as a model. This opened a whole world of jazz to me, it was a new musical experience, plus I was inspired by such great sax heroes like David Sanborn and Grover Washington, Jr.
How did you come to be a part of Craig’s band? I had been doing commercial work (TV ads for companies like Lexus and Del Monte, etc.) and I was playing on the west coast a bit doing gigs here and there, I remember meeting some of these guys like Dave Koz and Richard Elliot, and when Craig did Sweet Talk and Autumn Blue with Richard, things just happened. Richard also did a few gigs with Craig, plus I had worked with Jim Reitzel who had engineered some of Craig’s projects. During a conversation, Craig and the band decided they needed someone to play the sax live and my name came up and Craig said, “I know him,” and he called me and asked if I was interested so I drove up to audition for him in his studio. I walked in and the whole band was there rehearsing, it was definitely one of those wow moments, I was a big Starship fan from way back, and I can remember being in line to see their shows at the Greek, now here I was with Craig live in front of me. It was a very surreal moment! I played and ran through some songs, did some solo parts, and they loved my playing and said I sounded great. I drove home and wondered how I did, was I enough to get chosen? I was, Craig called me and asked me to join him and the guys and the rest as they say is history.
Do you have any words of advice for anyone aspiring to be a musician? Listen to and play everything you can and most of all, be flexible. One reason I’ve been able to survive in this industry is that I play everything I can…flexibility allows you to be multi-dimensional and you’re able to approach things from a different angles and perspectives, that versatility makes any musician adaptable and marketable to a variety of situations.
What is your favorite story from the road? The most interesting one will have to remain off the record, ha-ha! I do remember when we were playing in Colorado once, and a rafting trip opportunity with Art Good presented itself during a great warm summer day. There we were amidst incredible canyons and breathtaking peaceful vistas and the guide pulled the boat over and told us about a 45 foot cliff which was great for jumping off of. No one wanted to try it, but Craig said, “Ok, I’ll try it if you will,” and so this went back and forth within the group. Finally, Craig, Art and I (the brave souls or maybe the foolish ones of the group) hiked up to the jumping point, the guide told us to look across to the other canyon jump feet first but to not look down. Art went first emitting whoops of joy as he surfaced, then Craig was next to peer over then execute the perfect jump shouting how great it was once he resurfaced in the water. Finally, it was my turn, I walk over and said “I can’t do this,” but of course I didn’t want to chicken out, so jumped but made one major mistake…I looked down! Well, I found out the hard way why you shouldn’t do that, it caused me to belly flop which knocked the wind out of me, water went up my nose, I came up gasping for air, it was pretty bad and I was the butt of many jokes after that. If I were to ever do it again, I would not look down!
What is your favorite place to visit? That’s a tough one. I would say that any place I get to play music because I love performing in different settings and locations. Music lets you interact with a whole group of people on different levels, you become part of a community when you play there…folks show up to receive and enjoy what you have to bring. Of course Italy, Paris and Rome are great places, I would love to play there but haven’t yet.
Do you have a motto by which you live? Treat people the same way you would hope to be treated. When others treat you as an equal in any situation, it makes you and others know that no matter what, we’re all in this together. We all want the same things, love, comfort, shelter and family and friends around you, even when you do a belly flop jumping off a 45 foot cliff.