[Click the link to the right for a large version of this image with a caption ID'ing all the celebs. Scroll down for video of Eric Daniels talking to Keyboard senior editor Michael Gallant. -Ed.]
Whatever your politics, there’s no denying
that the Inauguration of the 44th President of the United States was a truly historic musical event, as well as a political one. Imagine
getting the call to be one of the key musicians. What does it take to prepare for and do a gig of this magnitude? What’s it like to
look out over one keyboard stack at an endless crowd, and over another at the President? How do you accompany one major star
after another, when keeping just one happy is no small feat? How do you reach a level where this could happen to you? Keyboard
talked with three master players who know firsthand: Michael Bearden (below), Ray Chew, and Eric Daniels.
As a glance at his credits proves, Michael
Bearden was the guy every keyboardist
wants to be, even before he got the call to
play in the house band for the pre-inaugural
We Are One concert that aired on HBO.
MICHAEL BEARDEN
Big Break Hired to play with Whitney
Houston in 1990.
Past Gigs Sting, Ray Charles, Queen,
Aretha Franklin, Rod Stewart,
Mary J. Blige, Usher, Brian
McKnight, Lionel Richie, John
Mayer, Liza Minelli, Ricky Martin,
Boz Scaggs, Christina
Aguilera, Herbie Hancock.
Has been musical director for
D’Angelo, Jennifer Lopez,
and Madonna.
Current Gig Just hired as musical director
for Michael Jackson.
Role at
Inauguration Keyboardist for HBO’s We
Are One concert at the
Lincoln Memorial.
Webpage myspace.com/michaelbearden
Tell us about your training and discovery
of music.
Michael Bearden: I started playing piano
around age five and drums not long after. I
attended conservatories and had extensive
classical instruction coming up, but most of
my training is on-the-job. Some of my earliest
mentors include Ramsey Lewis, Herbie
Hancock, and Stevie Wonder, all of whom I
met or worked with while still a teenager.
Growing up on the south side of Chicago
was great. We listened to and played everything
from the Jackson Five to Curtis Mayfield
to Led Zeppelin to Elton John to the Doobie
Brothers — it was all just music to us. I had
no idea I was being trained for the eclectic
mix of gigs I would do later in life.
How did you get the inaugural gig?
For the last seven years or so, I’ve
performed at the Kennedy Center Honors. I
also play the annual “Christmas In Washington”
telecast in DC. Those two shows are
produced by George and Michael Stevens.
In the green room at “Christmas In Washington,”
I happened to ask Michael, “Are you
guys doing anything for the Inauguration?”
At the time, there were a million rumors, but
everything early on was secretive. Michael
told me to wait by the phone for a few days,
but couldn’t say anything more. Turns out
he and George were producing We Are
One. Sure enough, when I got home to L.A.
a few days later, I got a call from Rob
Mathes. He said, “Are you sitting down? I’ve
been asked to direct the show at the Lincoln
Memorial. Please tell me you’re available
so I can breathe a little easier.” I said,
“Absolutely, whatever you need!”
What did he look for in hiring
musicians?
As for most televised gigs, you need to be
able to play any style at a moment’s notice.
However, the main and sometimes
overlooked issue is simple: Are you a team
player? Are you fun or a drag to be around in
a pressure-filled situation? The MD is already
under tremendous pressure to bring many
elements of the show together:
arrangements, key changes for different
artists, timings for TV, several choirs, sound
for the broadcast truck, front-of-house sound,
lighting cues, gear, egos, entourages, and
everything that goes with a big show.
Is reading music mandatory?
Yes, for every musician, no way around it. In
my opinion, though, the biggest commodity
is big ears. You have to listen very actively
to everything around you. Even stars get
nervous, even top musicians forget, even
good gear malfunctions, and things always
change. There are no do-overs in a live situation,
so always remember — it’s not the
mistake, it’s the recovery!
Did you get charts, or just basic mixes
to learn the songs for all the stars you
played with that day?
Rob did most of the arranging and had two
great copyists/arrangers, Mike Casteel and
Jamsheid Sharif. We didn’t see any sheet
music until the first day of rehearsal, which
was also a day of making pre-recordings
for the artists and director to work from.
This great Pro Tools engineer, Dave
O’Donnell, was with us at every moment.
All of the songs chosen for this event had a
common theme: America as the unity of
different kinds of people. Since we all knew
these songs, we didn’t have basic mixes to
learn from. We just added our soul to
Rob’s new arrangement.
You and the house band played live,
but what about the orchestra? Some
of the violinists were wearing gloves.
Since something always goes a bit differently
than rehearsed, playing live lets us
react more quickly to mistakes. Besides,
unless you’re doing shows like Top Of The
Pops or Soul Train, playing to a track looks
ridiculous, and I felt that Obama deserved
the very best show we could give him.
On the other hand, pre-recordings
were necessary for the orchestra. Most
orchestras won’t perform outside if it’s
below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Their
instruments are rare and vintage, the cold
affects the tuning, and insurance doesn’t
cover cold-related damage. They were
provided some futuristic-looking graphite
instruments to mime what they’d
recorded at this big hall at Fort Meyers
Army Base. They recorded and mimed
each arrangement flawlessly!
How does it work when you’re in that
kind of cold for that long?
Cold isn’t the word — more like Arctic!
Bassist Nathan East and guitarists Shane
Fontayne and Keith Robinson had it the
worst — bare fingers on strings in minustwo-
degree wind chill as we rehearsed for
camera blocking. The rest of us could at
least try to play with gloves on. Some horns
froze up to the point of being unplayable.
Bono of U2 told me he’d never been that
cold in his life!
It was an honor to be there, though, so
we got through it. I had the crew install
heaters from Target around my rig — a trick I
borrowed from Paul Shaffer. One for the B-3,
one for the Leslie, one by my Motif/NeKo
stand to warm the keys and my hands, one
for my feet, and one near the keyboard
bench. It was still
freezing. I had to swap out the B-3 onstage
for the one in the tent because the cold put
the tonewheel generator out of tune. The
orchestra got heaters as well, and we had
to add an extra AC circuit just for all the
heaters. Thankfully, show day madeit into
the upper 30s — it felt like Hawaii!
What issues that affect musicians
would you like to see Obama’s
administration address?
Quincy Jones has distributed a petition to
send to congress and the President,
encouraging the creation of a position
called Secretary of Arts and Culture. A lot
of countries have something similar, so why
not us? He has the ear of quite a few representatives
and senators, and assures
me something is brewing. [View and sign
this petition at petitiononline.com/esnyc/petition.html. –Ed.]
If you were in that position, what issue
would you tackle first?
Music and art should be on equal footing
with math, science, reading, and other fundamentals.
It shouldn’t be just some afterschool
activity for a privileged few. Music
education is the main reason I’ve accomplished
everything in my life. If music can
take a kid like me from the south side of
Chicago to performing at the Inauguration
of the President, it can do something just
as profound for every kid who’s serious
about making it. I am not special. We just
have to make sure the same opportunities
are there for all who wish to pursue them.
What was it like to play with . . .
James Taylor: A few days before he was to be in DC with us for rehearsal,
he had a fall that busted up his left eye pretty badly and required stitches, but
he was determined to be at the Inauguration. He sounded amazing, and he’s a
consummate professional. I don’t think there’s a nicer human being on the
planet than James.
Stevie Wonder: After we worked out this syncopated ending for “Higher
Ground,” Stevie was satisfied, so we started jamming. A few of us had played
with Stevie before, so we know that he loves to break into Coltrane’s “Giant
Steps.” He also treated us to a song nobody ever heard before. We jammed
along as best we could with the amazing changes on this bossa nova-like tune
he was singing. Everyone was trying to figure out which album it was from.
Later, we found out he’d just made it up. That kind of stuff is priceless!
Herbie Hancock: I was influenced by Herbie from a very young age. I had his
album covers taped to my wall. Working with him is akin to an alto sax player
working with Charlie Parker. Herbie’s influence is more than just musical. He always says that you’re a human being in the world
first, and you just happen to play music.
Garth Brooks: We rehearsed a medley of three songs, “American Pie,” “Shout,” and “We Shall Be Free,” in a heated tent. There
was a big choir and the band all packed in there, then Garth comes in with enough energy to heat DC. The way he works is to
have you put yourself into the songs the way you feel them — he dictates nothing.
Bruce Springsteen: Bruce originally wanted to add the full band to “The Rising” about mid-song. But as he worked with just the
choir and his acoustic guitar, magic happened. We never rehearsed it or played it onstage, because Bruce loved the version they’d
created. I don’t know if the producers envisioned this huge show opening with an acoustic/vocal arrangement, but Bruce made a
smart move if you ask me. I don’t think he wanted people to see a bunch of A-list “ringers” up there with him instead of the band
that’s been with him his whole career. Plus, musically, it worked! Michael Bearden
RAY
CHEW
Big Break Became musical director for
Ashford and Simpson at
age 19.
Past Gigs Donnie Hathaway, Roberta
Flack, Melba Moore, Diana
Ross, Chaka Khan, Saturday
Night Live band, BET, The
Singing Bee on NBC, Miss
Universe pageant, and the
2008 Democratic National
Convention.
Current Gig Musical director and producer
at the Apollo Theater.
Role at
Inauguration Musical director of
Neighborhood Ball.
Webpage raychew.com
After the swearing-in, the Neighborhood
Ball made history for being open to the
public, unlike almost every past inaugural
gala. As with the We Are One concert,
logistics required paring down to a single
house band, as opposed to the full bands
of the different headlining artists. Ray
Chew was the lucky guy who got to keep
all those stars happy.
How did you get into music?
Ray Chew: My formal training came from
every musical institution in New York City!
[Laughs.] Starting at age five, then La Guardia
High School of Music and Art, then Manhattan
School of Music. I had great mentors such as
Merl Saunders and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson.
When I was a kid, Merl would take me
around to his gigs with Miles Davis and Lionel
Hampton. I even got to sit in with Hamp on
vibes! Perk would be around cats like Max
Roach and Dizzy Gillespie. I was “that kid” —
always hanging around, waiting to play.
As MD, did you get to handpick who
was in the Neighborhood Ball band?
I usually decide on all of the people on my
team: musicians, arrangers, copyists,
assistants, coordinators, and contractors.
In this case, the producers and the inaugural
staff requested the same personnel I’d
picked for the Democratic Convention,
because they liked the results, and everyone
had already been cleared by the
Secret Service.
What qualities did you look for in hiring
musicians?
Reading music is essential, because we
have a lot to learn in a short time. Also, the
standards are those of artists such as Sting,
Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige, and Mariah Carey.
Musicians like these are used to their own
bands and everything being just right, so I
need to deliver the same level of comfort. I
look for a high skill level on your instrument,
and an overall professional presentation of
yourself. A good personality can carry you a
long way in this business.
How did you meet the varied expectations
of so many star performers?
Lots of preparation! It started with several
conference calls with producers and
artists’ managers, to determine the final
song choices. I then talked with the artists
themselves to go over their personal
wishes for the performance, keys of songs,
and arrangements.
Did you do the charts yourself?
I’m an arranger by craft, but with all of the
artist relations and managerial tasks that
are part of my MD job, I don’t have time to
write all of the charts. So, top-notch
arrangers and copyists are the MVPs of
my music prep team. The arrangers are
“take-down” specialists who’ll dissect a
recording note-for-note, and sometimes
contribute their own ideas.
Keyboardists always seem to be the
ones who interface with the audio
guys to get the sound right. What was
that like at this gig?
As to the politics of dealing with audio
guys, I tell them what I’m looking for, then
let them do their job without me stepping
on toes or micro-managing. Fortunately, the
cats who worked the Ball are the best in
the business. I show respect to all technicians,
because we all have the same goal:
a great show.
What gear were you playing?
A Yamaha Motif ES8 and a Korg Triton,
plus a rackmount Motif. There was lot to
pay attention to in the production, so my
setup needed to be simple. In my in-ear
monitors, I had the artists, musicians, and
backup singers, plus the director calling
cues to me. So I had to “partition” my
brain to concentrate on playing the
music, being mindful of the artist onstage,
watching the stage manager, and operating
my keyboard rig.
Any advice for musicians who want to
reach your level?
Do whatever’s necessary to be ready for
anything when your time comes. Preparation
is the constant, opportunity is the variable,
and preparation plus opportunity
equals success. I define success as
achieving short-term goals over a lifetime
span of pursuing your dreams.
ERIC DANIELS
Big Break Became touring keyboardist
for funk legends Graham
Central Station at age 18.
Past Gigs Janet Jackson, Boney James,
Backstreet Boys, George
Duke, Brandy, TLC, Michael
Bolton, Rachelle Ferrelle, The
Gap Band, ConFunkShun,
Ray Parker Jr., Live 8 in London,
American Idol, Oprah,
48th Grammy Awards.
Current Gig Keyboardist and musical
director for Mariah Carey.
Role at
Inauguration Pianist as Carey sang “Hero”
for the First Couple.
Webpage ericdanielsmusic.com
The world is watching. Mariah Carey is
about to sing a huge hit for the President
and First Lady. Sitting at a grand piano,
you’re only a little less front-and-center than
she is, and you’ve run the tune with the
house band just three times. No pressure!
Here's Eric describing what it was like, all in his own words . . .
The Song
“Hero” is a classic pop piano ballad with
major chords throughout. For this event, I
kept it simple, staying true to [writer] Walter
Afanasieff’s original form, and chose
specific spots to add my own touch.
A lot of my musician friends ask me,
“Why do you play so simply?” Or more
often, “How do musicians know you’re
really good if you’re playing like that?”
Sure, I could play rings around the original
arrangement to prove I’m an ultra-bad
mofo. That’d ruin the vibe, upstage the
artist, and most likely, lose me the gig.
The Day Before
We arrive at the Washington Convention
Center for the rehearsal as Mary J. Blige is
wrapping up her segment; Beyoncé is up
next. I ask Mike McKnight to print the
“Hero” charts I’d just finished. (I use
Sibelius software for notation, which has
always been flexible and intuitive for me.)
I think we’ll get to run “Hero” a couple
times before Mariah arrives. I’m wrong! She
shows up almost immediately and wants to
run it to nail down camera blocking, lighting,
and other important cues. Who can
blame her? Ray Chew and I
have a quick huddle. I check with Mike,
who’s on headset with Mariah. A minute
later we count off the song. We play it all
the way through with Mariah singing.
After she answers some technical
questions for the director, Mariah says very
nicely that she notices some “unfamiliar
chords and notes.” That’s a diplomatic way
of saying, “Play it right!” I don’t think she
knew that the band and I were playing
together for the first time. I pass out the
charts, and it sounds much better the second
time. The guys are on it — the drummer
even catches the ritard at the end of
the bridge perfectly. She has no comment
after this pass. Yes!
Mariah leaves, we run it once more, and
that’s it. After playing it just three times, we’d
perform it on worldwide broadcast the next day.
Inauguration Day
I wake up to inaugural coverage on every
channel, which adds to my anticipation of
performing for the new President and First
Lady that night. We leave at 9 A.M. to beat
the massive traffic that’ll be coming into
DC. We arrive at the Convention Center to
a tight security screening courtesy of the
Secret Service.
In dress rehearsal, there’s rarely the
opportunity to perform your segment twice,
so it’s your last chance to get it right.
Because MOTU Digital Performer is running
additional orchestral tracks, I wear in-ear
monitors and play to a click. The count-in
and click are loud enough for rehearsal, but
add the microphone ambience of a screaming
crowd, and it’ll bury the click. So after
our run, I have the monitor engineer crank it
up somewhere between an extra 2dB and
“Ouch!” Mike McKnight, whose count-in
voice is recorded in DP, gives me an additional
4dB boost. At such an historic gig, I
sure don’t want to be remembered as the
dude who didn’t come in on time!
Showtime
We’re ushered upstairs to a dimly-lit and
unusually large curtained area, where all the
celebrities and their bands wait together for
their cue to go on. Unlike awards shows
where everyone would be off in their separate
dressing rooms, this is a great time to
meet people from other bands and run into
old friends. You can feel the electricity.
Before we go on, I tell Mariah I actually
have “butterflies.” Not stage fright, but a
physical sense of anticipation and wanting
to get it right. I’ve only had them one other
time — at my very first big concert, also in
DC, in front of 19,000 people, some 20
years ago! Believe me, once you hear the
screams of a large crowd, the nervous
feeling just evaporates and you’ll most likely
give them everything they came for and more.
While Maroon 5 plays on the other
stage, production rolls my Yamaha grand
onto our stage; Alicia Keys would play it
later. I walk on, acknowledge Ray and our
band with handshakes and nods, settle
onto the piano bench, adjust my clothes,
and put in my in-ear monitors.
Mariah walks to her mic looking stunning.
We wait for the stage manager’s
countdown for coming back from commercial
break. Actor/rapper Nick Cannon [also
Mariah’s husband], who was the MC and
DJ, introduces her.
The next moment is the most difficult for
me. In my ears I hear Nick’s voice, the stage
manager’s countdown for the cameras, and
the click and count-in for the song. Think
about it: One voice is counting forward,
another is counting backward, and there’s
dialogue mixed in — all at once! Lose it here,
and there’s no fixing it. Man, I love my job.
I mentally zero in on Mike McKnight’s
count-in and try to relax into its rhythm. I
don’t know how I manage this. I just do. . . .
I nail the intro and continue into the song.
All along I’m listening to Mariah and the
click and keeping my dance between the
two invisible to the audience. I’m absorbing
every facet of the performance now; the
bass and drums are my secondary focus as
Mariah is the first. It’s flowing beautifully and
I relax more. We reach the bridge and I’m in
fifth gear. We reach the outro and I’m as
relaxed as ever. The band and backup
singers are flawless. I hit the final arpeggio
and smile like a kid who just got handed an
ice cream cone.