KAveh Rastegar

Larry Goldings | Kaveh Rastegar | Abe Rounds

The Great Pandemic of 2020 will be remembered for any number of tragic occurrences; Millions of dead, hospitals overwhelmed to their limits, a catalyst for the already toxic polarization along political lines, the delightful discovery of online grocery shopping. For musicians, the real tragedy was that Covid-19 essentially restricted their ability to congregate in the same room for the express purpose of musical expression—in other words, their primary reason for living. “When things shut down in March of 2020 I remember feeling like life as I knew it was over–not to be too hyperbolic,” remembered bassist Kaveh Rastegar. “Lots of questions and uncertainty came in. Before, I never questioned why things mattered or didn’t, and I also took so much for granted in my musical life...opportunities to play, record and tour. The venues and studios to get together and record or perform in...they were all closed,” he remembered. One of those lost playing opportunities for Rastegar was with keyboardist Larry Goldings, who, just before the pandemic, had reached out to him to make some music together. They had gotten to record and perform together with singer Colin Hay (Men at Work), and, in Goldings’ words, “soon discovered that his musicianship extended throughout many genres and skills, including songwriting, production, and a gift for putting interesting people together.” Goldings hired Rastegar to play bass for a movie he scored (“Dealin’ With Idiots,” a 2013 comedy directed by and starring comedian Jeff Garlin), and they have since collaborated on many projects. “I’ve always loved Larry’s playing. He has played with everyone, and he is everyone’s favorite musician to work with,” said Rastegar. “He can play anything and has such a love and appetite for so much different music. As many people know,” he added, “he’s also a gifted comic who is so much fun to be around.”

Abe Rounds was Goldings’ choice to be the third of this new trio. Rastegar first met Rounds through Meshell Ndegeocello, whom she had flown in from Boston to record drums on her album “Comet Come to Me” (Naïve 2014), and on which Rastegar had written a song, “Conviction.” Goldings came to know Rounds more recently, noting he seemed to be “showing up everywhere” in all walks of musical life. “One of Abe’s rare gifts is simply feel,” explained Goldings. “By bringing Abe into a session playing a tambourine, or some other single percussion instrument, any band seems to be lifted up and made more funky, more in the pocket, more joyous.” Goldings hired Rounds for the soundtrack to the 2019 Netflix limited series, “Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker.” Of Rounds’ work on that project, Goldings could not be more complimentary. “Abe’s contributions became crucial to the musical fabric of the series and made me fully aware of his production talents and overall musicianship,” he said, adding, “Abe is a quiet, and humble person who’s many rare gifts seem to keep unfolding in front of you.” Rounds had been a fan of Goldings long before they met, having listened to him on records with a variety of musicians: James Taylor, Bill Stewart, John Scofield to name a few. “I admire Larry’s ability to mix with the highest echelon of jazz musicians without sacrificing his ability to be a supportive sideman,” said Rounds. “His wealth of experience and musicianship is contagious and creates a musical elevator to lift me and others to their highest artistic selves.” Rastegar is similarly fond of Rounds for those things, saying “Abe is so well rounded and fully formed as a musician–He has such a maturity to his playing and such a sense of who he is and what is right for whatever situation he’s playing in.” The three of them had begun to trade text messages about getting together to play, with no agenda beyond trying to make some music together, when their plans, like so many other, were undone by Covid-19. It would be a full year before Goldings, making the assessment that it was possible to meet and play safely, reached out again to Rastegar and Rounds to follow through on their intentions. “Perhaps without realizing it,” mused Goldings, “I craved to be around some highly creative, positive people to offset the darkness that of the pandemic.” They booked a good number of days in a studio in the Northeast L.A. neighborhood of Eagle Rock, owned by engineer Pete Min. “Pete Min was such a huge part of this project. His studio is the perfect lab for a project like this,” said Rastegar, calling the gifted musician and engineer the “4th member of this band.” Goldings and Rounds concurred, with Goldings adding, “Pete’s studio is like a candy shop for me, with pristine analog gear everywhere, and I loved the thought of being in that environment with these great people.” It is not out of bounds to confuse the words “musician” and “magician,” for master musicians can indeed conjure something substantial out of thin air. For these three, many of the songs they created started from simply jamming together, falling into a chord progression that would become the bedrock for the many layers of sound all three players would add in ensuing overdubs. And this is where these pieces reveal their true brilliance, as super-funky vehicles for incredibly well-crafted organizations of sonic delight, a delicious display of infinite timbres and textures. Rastegar is teaching a clinic on how to play bass lines in every conceivable popular music style, from soul to funk to reggae to 60’s jazz-pop, drawing on the wealth of experience he has amassed playing with artists ranging from the progressive jazz group Kneebody and rock-immortal Ringo Starr to pop-icons John Legend and Sia. Rounds goes above and beyond basic beat-making to establish endless variations of groove, blending acoustic and electronic sounds in a meticulous gumbo of rhythmic texture, in addition to playing synths and guitar on a few tracks. But it is Goldings himself who puts forth a gushing geyser-fount of ideas in every possible way, from the references to what must be the entire world history of chordal harmony, to the multitude of distinct sounds he is able to coax out of the Hammond B-3, to the impressive (and somewhat surprising) array of electro-mechanical and analog synthesizer elements woven into the sonic fabric. Goldings utilized the many instruments in Min’s studio to the utmost. “The opportunity to really explore within the environment of analog keyboards is rare for me, especially in the context of a band,” he explained. “Playing synths and Rhodes, etc. were a big part of my childhood musical explorations and this opportunity brought me back to a very special place in my heart.” A special place that is now fully revealed for all to experience and benefit from. Larry Goldings in singular form is often more than enough, but to hear multiple versions of him simultaneously on every track here is a reward so lavish none on earth deserve, yet we greedily accept and devour.

The songs themselves are also an object lesson in variety and diversity. “Better,” the title track, is a funky, feel-good proclamation of what these gentlemen experienced as they played again for the first time. “Yeah Yeah Yeah” is a reggae-type vamp named after an utterance by composer Abe Rounds, which found its way into the arrangement. “Stockwell” is a kind of western tango, something that made Rastegar think of Dean Stockwell’s character in the David Lynch film “Blue Velvet.” 84 beats per minute is the tempo and the original working title for “Mary Lou,” an homage to the gymnast who won the gold medal in 1984. It’s a soul-inspired throwback that features some outstanding synth work by Goldings. “But Wait, There’s Les” is a funky boogaloo that reminded Rastegar of a Les McCann song. “Bob James” is a mellow soft-rock tribute to the legendary fusion keyboardist, but Goldings’ piano work on the track could have just as easily been dedicated to his one-time mentor, Keith Jarrett. “Temple Bar” features a couple of bassline grooves that originated from Rastegar’s early days in Los Angeles, when he said he played at that erstwhile club “at least four nights out of the week for at least four years.” “Reprise,” a reprise of the first track, “Better,” was ironically the Very first thing the trio did when they first got together to play, setting the tone for the entire session. The final track, “I Want to be Happy,” is the only non-original tune, the standard given a tongue-in-cheek 60s-era treatment, as if performed on an old consumer-model Lowery Organ, complete with auto-drums (but that’s certainly no amateur musician on the piano!).

The experience of making this music carries quite a bit of meaning for these three musicians. “We quickly realized how much BETTER this experience made us all feel, amidst the uncertainty and darkness of Covid,” said Goldings, “and Abe, Kaveh and Pete were my musical, creative and psychological salvation during the early days. I’m really indebted to them.” “This record was special,” said Rounds, “because it was my first in-person human musical interaction for at least a year.” Rastegar added, “Again, not to be too dramatic, but getting together with Larry and Abe and playing music reminded me that I could still play the bass–music was still a thing I could do.” These sentiments mirrored those that were near-universal among all musicians, many of whom have professed to feeling profound relief and joy at the resumption of a social artistic life.

What we all realized was getting together to make music made us feel...well, better.

-Gary Fukushima

Haunted This Way

Release Date: October 25, 2019

WORDS ON "HAUNTED THIS WAY" by Gary Fukushima
Who is Kaveh Rastegar? It depends on whom you ask. The general public might know him best as the bassist for John Legend, or as the musical director for Sia or producer and songwriter with artists like Bruno Mars, Sabrina Claudio, Ciara, De La Soul and Meshell Ndegeocello. Jazz heads know him as the low-end anchor for the Grammy-nominated group Kneebody. Yet everyone who has continued to follow Kaveh are now starting to know him as a singer-songwriter with the release of Haunted This Way, a follow-up to his debut solo album, Light of Love. This new album confirms Kaveh’s success in converting his multi-faceted abilities and his deep reservoir of musical experience into new, rock-based creative music made compelling though disciplined thematic and lyrical focus, decorated with kaleidoscopic brilliance by the excellent cast of musicians he summoned from jazz, pop, rock, country, and every other corner of the wide musical tapestry he has traversed.

Even though Haunted This Way is the later release, it was written and recorded before Light of Love, documenting the bassist’s initial serious foray into songwriting. “These songs came about over a long period of time,” says Kaveh. “I had written the music for these songs around the summer of 2011. At this point, all I had was sketches for the songs—chords and melodies.” The songs started to take shape during the initial recording sessions, with drummer Jay Bellerose and guitarist Tim Young. The lyrics came gradually, with help from songwriters Adam Levy and Amy Kuney. “I was really grateful to work with Amy and Adam,” states Kaveh. “They are incredible musicians and songwriters and I love collaborating with them.” Kaveh credits them with helping him to become a better writer. “They helped me,” he continues, “to move out of that ‘one way to write a song mindset,” something he was told to avoid by the rapper Posdnous from De La Soul. Kaveh affirms he has “written with a lot of different artists and would always ask them what their process was,” a process we see coming to fruition in Haunted This Way.

With this release, Kaveh moves into new musical territory as the lead singer for all the songs on the album. Where Light of Lovehad multiple guest singers and many extended moments of instrumental music, Haunted This Way features Kaveh as the first-person protagonist of the stories he has written. He confirms, “My goal as a musician these days has been able to collect songs and play them in different settings no matter how formal or informal. My singing has helped to serve that function.” Kaveh acknowledges that he is “so lucky to have been able to play with incredible singers over the years,” suggesting that he doesn’t put himself in their category. “For me,” he says, “I want my singing to serve the songs—I have so many limitations with my voice that it creates some boundaries and a pallet that can be fun and challenging to work with. All things aside, Kaveh’s raw and honest singing is effective (and affective) as a powerful storytelling device.

Assisting Kaveh on Haunted This Way is a self-described “dream team” of Western all-star musicians. “Every one of these musicians means so much to me,” says Kaveh. “I consider them all some of the best musicians in the world as well as some of my closest friends. Jay Bellerose (and) I had just begun a friendship with when we recorded this. I knew him through my old friend (and producer) Keefus Ciancia who is a Denver friend. Tim Young and I have had a band together since 2003 with Matt Chamberlain(Thruster). They are both incredible. (Organist) Larry Goldings is a legend and one of the funniest and most generous and brilliant musicians. (Keyboardist) Jeff Babko is a dream collaborator and one of my closest friends. (Drummer) Abe Rounds I met through Meshell Ndegeocello and is brilliant. (Guitarist) Josh Lopez and I have known each other since we were 15. (Keyboardist) Jose Fiorilli is a wonderful person and played keyboards with Luciano Ligabue who was an Italian artist I used to play with. With the exception of Jose, all of these musicians are LA based—I guess (keyboardist and Kneebody bandmate) Adam is in Reno now (as well). This city is such a vibrant place for music making. Everyone lives here.

Other collaborators include drummer Gene Coye, guitarist Chris Bruce, vocalist Sarah Dugas, mixing engineer Pete Min (whom Kaveh credits as a “key player in the making of this album”), and mastering engineer (and Kneebody drummer) Nate Wood.

Consistent with his previous album is Kaveh’s vision on how to put musical ideas together in an engaging, non-formulaic narrative. “I’ve always loved to make things,” Kaveh admits. “As a kid and into adulthood I would draw. When I started on the bass, I learned by writing things—making things up and exploring on the instrument that way.” He continues, “I think that this album is a snapshot of my songwriting and producing. Making an album is always a wonderful lesson in creating and finishing an idea.”

Indeed, the songs are all complete, contrasting, poignant vignettes. From the upbeat, driving pulse of “The Hand That Holds My Heart” to the slow power waltz of the title track, “Haunted This Way”, to the rubato-rock intro to the ethereal “Atlantis”, the tempos and grooves are wonderfully varied throughout, weaving their own dramas around the lyrics, which give way at times to pleasant surprises, like an a cappella chorus at the end of “Black and Red” or an epic closer of an organ solo by Goldings on “Easy To Please”.

It might seem odd that Kaveh decided to make an entirely different album before presenting these songs in his follow up release, but it was all part of a master plan to transition listeners to a place where they could acknowledge the bassist as also a songwriter and a singer. It was suggested to Kaveh that his debut album reflect his known identity, and Light of Love was just that, a “bass album” where many of the songs began as improvised bass and drum grooves. “I feel like sometimes you need to point listeners in the direction that you're going,” says Kaveh. “You might see your own evolution plain as day but for people to come for the ride or to believe it, they need to see where it came from.” He elaborates, “the songs in Haunted this Way don't have a lot to do with my identity as a bass player. I play bass on the album but there are some songs that don't have bass at all and instead have synth bass...I guess I made Light of Love as a link to this album.”

Juxtaposing Kaveh’s two albums also create a study in lyric contrast, as the titles might suggest. Haunted This Way trends darker than its more carefree, wide-ranging sibling, exploring constant themes of unhealthy, broken relationships, losing loved ones, and regret over mistakes made. “These songs are all very personal to me but they’re not all biographical,” says Kaveh. “Some of these songs might feel heavy to listeners but I want them to know that a lot of times, these songs are about characters—characters in relationships and love.

“And hopefully above all, the music speaks to them.” 

Light Of Love

release date: august 10, 2018