 Although George Benson was the one packing seats and commanding center stage at the Sovereign Performing Arts Center in Reading, Pennsylvania, on March 13th, it was hard to keep eyes and ears off keyboardist/musical director/band cheerleader David Garfield.
Garfield's appearance at the 14th Annual FirstEnergy Berks Jazz Fest - one of approximately 50 dates he does yearly with Benson - added frenetic energy and real jazz chops to a memorable, smoothjazz opening weekend. Whether he was running lightning-fast piano solos (bebop style on 'Mambo Inn', tropical-Latin on the 10-minute show-stopper 'On Broadway'), scampering back toward the percussion and drum kits while playing tambourine, calling out changes with a wave of his arm, or encouraging the crowd to clap along, Garfield stayed in motion. He put a fresh spin on well-known routines - he's four years into a second term as Benson's musical director, after an original run from 1986 through 1990.
The pace continued in the lobby after the show, as he stuck around to sign copies of his just-released solo CD, Giving Back, an eclectic mix of the smooth stuff, fusion, and R&B-tinged vocals, featuring an impressive lineup of L.A.- based musical talent: The Brecker Brothers, Lee Ritenour, Paul Jackson, Jr., Airto Moreira, Eric Marienthal, Michael O'Neill (his Benson bandmate), and Toto guitarist Steve Lukather, who also plays with Garfield in the L.A. club band Los Lobotomys.
© 2004 - Jazziz Magazine
The week Giving Back was released, Garfield was gearing up for this year's dates with Benson. The album's first single, 'Desert Hideaway', featuring Gerald Albright and June Kuramoto, was the most added smooth-jazz single that week. And that's just the tip of the iceberg this year for his independent label, Creatchy Records. Garfield not only runs the company but also produces the artists he signs, including a new ensemble called Potato Salad, whom he discovered because they'd been promoting themselves as a 'David Garfield cover band'. The group's debut album, partially recorded live at The Baked Potato in North Hollywood, will be released this year.
The Creatchy catalog currently has 20 releases. 'Running the label myself takes a lot of work, and it's increasingly more difficult to find time to practice and write songs', says Garfield, who moved to L.A. from St. Louis 30 years ago, while in his late teens. 'There's not always a lot of creative time when you're taking care of business, but I'm very committed to our success. Even though it looks like a lot of hard work when I'm up there with George, I actually like the break it gives me from being totally in charge. I can enjoy being in a supporting role and the different level of responsibility that brings'.
Garfield's handful of '80s recordings as a solo artist were so popular in Japan that a big conglomerate there gave him money to start Creatchy Productions and to make CDs for other artists. Garfield produced eight projects for Karizma, Phil Perry, Los Lobotomys, Michael Landau, and Brandon Fields. Although he didn't make another solo album for years, when he did, it was a doozy. Tribute to Jeff; a Quincy Jones-like all-star affair dedicated to the music and memory of late drummer Jeff Porcaro, featured nearly 80 musicians, including pop rockers Don Henley, Eddie Van Halen, Michael McDonald, and Richard Marx. To date, more than 50.000 copies have been sold worldwide. Currently, Garfield is remixing the album for a re-release entitled 'Tribute to Jeff Revisited', with additional vocals by Perry and Alex Ligertwood.
'Everything in the Creatchy catalog is still selling around the world, including those records I did in the '80s. And that's proof that American jazz is a great form of expression,' he says. 'We're now a fullfledged record company, not just a label - the difference being that I'm responsible for all the manufacturing and marketing. I'm always learning more about the business end of music, but the best thing has always been getting to work with my heroes, like Chick Corea, Horace Silver, and, of course, George. I love listening to their stories and learning from them. One thing I know after all these years is, you never stop learning'.
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