Elliot Kendall - Le Hot Show, Powerjive and Panoramic Sound
"Big Band, Rock N' Roll, Jump N' Jive, Skiffle, Swing, Cavern-Club Power-Pop, it's all here...Wow!" So says legendary Four Seasons producer Bob Crewe of Elliot Kendall's new sound.
"Everybody Jive," the first single from Kendall's debut album Le Hot Show, was recently selected for inclusion in the feature film The Effects Of Magic. The romantic comedy stars Robert Carradine, Academy Award nominated film maker Jacobo Morales, twice Academy Award nominated Melinda Dillon, Kristen Minter (from television's E.R.) and boasts a cameo appearance by David Carradine. Director Chuck Martinez and producers Belinda Casas-Wells, Lee Cohen and Michael Levin were so impressed with Kendall's work that they commissioned him to compose the music for the entire film. Kendall completed the score utilizing an impressive array of instrumentation including strings, horns, woodwinds, marimba, timpani, harp, bandon?on (a dark cousin to the accordion) and other unique instruments. The film has recently been screened at independent film festivals including Puerto Rico, Las Vegas and San Luis Obisbo.
Elliot Kendall is from Berkeley, California, where he began his guitar studies with noted mentor Juanita Oribello and later with virtuoso Joe Satriani. Elliot began playing live shows at an early age, sharing the bill with such luminaries as Huey Lewis & the News and Del Shannon.
In Los Angeles, he began developing a sound that was attracting considerable attention. Kendall combined diverse elements such as country swing and Marshall-stack rock n' roll, utilizing first-call Los Angeles musicians like David Pearlman (pedal steel guitar), Vito Colapietro (fusion jazz drummer and percussionist) and (guitar-slinger-with-an-attitude) Steve Norton. Soon after, Kendall dubbed his new sound Powerjive and has often billed his live act under the same moniker.
For his first series of live dates, Kendall put together a stellar combo that included Steve Norton and noted drummer Chris Frazier (a veteran of studio projects with Steve Vai). Elliot took Norton and Frazier (among others) into the recording studio to pursue a new direction. The sessions proved to be fruitful, providing the selections "No Romance Today" and "Paper Heart", which make their appearances in this collection. "No Romance Today" was chosen for release on Yellow Pills - Best Of American Pop Vol. 1 (Big Deal/Caroline Records) in America. The version found here on Le Hot Show has been re-mixed and re-mastered from the original session tapes.
Le Hot Show begins with the exotic "Le Hot Show Theme Pt. 1", featuring Ja mes Sitterly (currently featured on Brian Wilson recordings and recently as concertmaster for Shirley Bassey) on violin. "James really captured that bare foot, bohemian mood that we were looking for," offers Kendall. "The sound of the violin really sets the mood for the rest of the album." "Le Hot Show Theme Pt. 1" was also selected as the lead-off track for the Fall 1997 Campus Circle Magazine promo CD sampler, Music 101.
The title Le Hot Show is a playful "tip of the hat" to the legendary Djang o Reindhart & Stephane Grappelli combo Le Quintet de le Hot Club de France, or simply Le Hot Club. "I'm glad to be associated in any way with the great gypsy jazz-swing of that group," says Kendall, "they were the true masters of their artform."
"Conceptually, the album is presented as a live show featuring the Le Hot Show Orchestra," Kendall relates. "The opening selection expresses the theme of the album, lyrically and melodically. I wanted something mysterious and sensual for the ÔLe Hot Show Theme Pt. 1'. The expressive pedal steel guitar work of David Pearlman took the song in the direction I was looking for."
"Everybody Jive" is a song that I used to perform in the band Electric Cadillac," Kendall tells us. "It has two modulations (key changes), a tempo change for the bridge, and a false ending." It is an exhilarating musical ride; big band horns alternate with wailing guitar work from Kendall, Steve Norton, and David Pearlman. The recording of this selection was quite a project, utilizing no less than four recording studios and 32 tracks, on both analog and digital formats.
There are several short musical passages on Le Hot Show that link the songs together like musical suites. "I enjoy creating surprises within my work," offers Kendall, "and I try to provide an unpredictable sonic experience." Aficionados of Le Hot Show will find many hidden treasures upon repeated listenings.
To fill out the rhythm section for these sessions, Elliot chose the dynamic Freddie Johnson to handle the acoustic stand-up bass duties. "In addition to having a varied background of working with countless outstanding Jazz combos," Kendall relates, "Freddie has balanced his time as a musician with that of Program Director and morning D.J. at KPCC in Pasadena and KSCN in Northridge." On the air, on stage or in the recording studio, Freddie is equally at home and contributes his boundless energy to everything he does."
When it was time to record the live horn section, Elliot looked to his friend Tommy Dunbar, a member of The Rubinoos and Vox Pop. Kendall: "Tommy has a great sensibility for pop, rock n' roll, and big band swing, and a Ôhigh speed pencil' when it comes to writing charts. It was important to find someone who understands the hybrid styles that I had in mind, and Tommy immediately tapped into the excitement." The big band orchestrations were recorded at noted San Francisco studio Coast Recorders, and members of the brass section are veterans of Huey Lewis' band and the S.R.O. group. All four of The Rubinoos make cameo appearances on Le Hot Show, contributing backing vocals that were recorded at the legendary Virginia Street Studios in Berkeley, California.
Los Angeles pop icons Darian Sahanaja (Wondermints) and Kyle Vincent also made significant contributions to Le Hot Show. Darian produced the bonus tracks "Honda Bike" (a Gary Usher/Buzz Cason penned classic), and the Kendall original "Symphony For A Sunset," in addition to mixing several other selections. Kyle Vincent produced another bonus track, "Keep It Inside Tonigh t," in addition to handling programming chores for that selection. "It's great to count these talents among my friends," Kendall tells us, "and to be involved with them in a creative situation is truly an added bonus."
Never one to go the traditional route, Kendall recently performed at the 1998 INTERNATIONAL POP OVERTHROW festival in Los Angeles with a string quartet and percussionist (including dramatic flourishes of timpani drums). Many new selections were performed from the free-flowing pen of Mr. Kendall and his unique approach earned him an encore (unusual for the IPO shows as all sets were limited to 20 minutes), along with praiseworthy ink from BAM Magazine's Jim Freek in his Nightbeat column. Further enthusiasm for Kendall's performance came soon after on Alan Haber's Pure Pop music website.
Kendall recently recorded a contemporary vocal/orchestral version of the Ritch ie Valens' classic ballad "Donna," for DEL-FI Records' 40th Anniversary Collection DELPHONIC SOUNDS TODAY! Upon hearing the richly arranged version with Kendall's breezy vocals, DEL-FI President (and original Valens producer) Bob Keane exclaimed, "Man, that really cooks!" Kendall himself describes the track as "Slow burn, high drama," with an agreeable wink. DELPHONIC SOUNDS TODAY! Was released in May 1999 and also features Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Liquor Giants, Man Or Astroman?, Russell Scott & his Red Hots, Los Straitjackets, Deke Dickerson and other contemporary notables.
For the release party of DELPHONIC SOUNDS TODAY!, Kendall was joined on his first number by 77-year old DEL-FI President Bob Keane on clarinet. "I couldn't pass up the opportunity to rock with Bob," Kendall reflects.. "He took over the Artie Shaw Big Band in 1951 and has been rockin' ever since!" The remainder of Kendall's set list was filled with DEL-FI hits and obscurities, much to the delight of the usually tough Los Angeles denizens in the crowd that evening.
In mid-1999, Kendall completed two new tracks for the DEL-FI compilations INTE RNATIONAL POP OVERTHROW Volume Two and SURF MONSTERS. The original and melodic "Everybody's World" was included on I.P.O. Volume Two (two CD set), the release of which coincided with the I.P.O. festival in Los Angeles during the summer of 1999. Kendall's live date for I.P.O. was Monday, August 2, 9:30 at Jack's Sugar Shack. His original selection "Surf Session at Sunset" was chosen for inclusion on the various artists' collection SURF MONSTERS (rel ease date: June 1, 1999) alongside surf combos Man Or Astroman?, The Bomboras, Huevos Rancheros, Satan's Pilgrims, The Space Cossacks and others. Kendall's track appears on this collection listed as Powerjive.
Elliot is currently in pre-production as the leader and guitarist of "The Wrecking Crew" for an upcoming made-for-TV film about The Beach Boys, entitled THE BEACH BOYS - AN AMERICAN FAMILY, an ABC/Columbia/Tri-Star release. In addition to booking all the musicians for "The Wrecking Crew," Kendall also cast musicians to portray members of The Sunrays for this production. It will be a two-part mini-series airing in May, 2000.
In closing, Kendall adds, "I've always felt that a swinging horn section emanates a great feeling of optimism and truth, and the sound of a tight, melodic rock n' roll unit embodies power and strength." Not to mention more eclectic instrumentation that Kendall's been utilizing lately such as accordion, timpani, solo French horn and a full string section. Recent yet-to-be recorded compositions like "Panoramic Sound," "Jumpin' With The Big Band," "Slither On Down Like The Snake I Am" and "This Business Called Show" reflect Elliot's open-minded philosophy: "I plan to continue combining diverse elements and hope that the results will always be something special and exciting."
© Panoramic Sound/Le Hot Show Music
