Gerald Albright keeps one foot firmly planted in the present while stepping back into the past -- his personal journey through the world of music.  Pushing the Envelope, his latest release on Heads Up, delivers a fresh sound while paying homage to some of Albright’s heroes, artists that he listened to as a child and as a young musician.  Known for his saxophone play, Albright also plays bass and contributes a few other elements to this project.

SmoothViews (SV): “What Would James Do?” sets the tone early with a strong flavor of funk.  
Gerald Albright (GA):  Yeah. I did a tribute to James Brown, who was one of my influences early on. Maceo Parker (Brown’s saxophonist) caught my ear at an early age.  I’ve tried to mirror his style and show how he influenced my music over the years.

SV: I wouldn’t have known the drum track was programmed if I hadn’t read it in the credits.
GA: (Laughs.) That’s the only one where we did it. I actually did the loop on that. On that particular cut, it just felt like that’s the style of drums needed to fulfill my vision.

 SV: “Get On the Floor” is one of those album cuts that rarely get covered.
 GA: That’s one of the main reasons I went for that particular tune, because nobody had covered it. It’s still a popular tune from Michael Jackson’s  Off the Wall[end ital] , which is one of his best solo recordings. That’s a particular tune that I’ve loved for many, many years. Louis Johnson (of the Brothers Johnson) did the bass on the original recording. His style of funk caught my ear, as well as Maceo on the saxophone side of things. I wanted to pay tribute to Michael. He changed the face of music production-wise, and the way he did his videos.

SV: It makes me want to get the original and play them back to back, although I’m not sure which order I’d play them.
GA: I wanted to take the song and not totally duplicate it like a lot of producers do. I wanted to make it my own. I wanted to hit at the foundation of the tune but put a different spin on it.

SV: Your daughter Selina does the vocals on that piece.  How is it working with family?  
GA: Oh it’s great. At a young age, she would sing about the house and try to mimic Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. I was surprised at her vocals early on, but as she got older, her vocal became more refined, and now she’s getting into Ella Fitzgerald and Lena Horne. She’s patient and efficient. She recorded and tracked her own vocal.

SV: “Capetown Strut” -- Is it possible to blow on a sax while smiling?  I can’t imagine you playing this without a great sense of joy.  
GA: Yes.  As I was recording it, and I know when I do it live, it will bring a smile to my face. I wanted it to be a very festive tune.  I played the Capetown Jazz Festival a couple of times. I wanted it to be urban and funky, and also very global.  That was the intent with that tune and “I Found a Klugh.”

SV: Working with Earl Klugh, was it your first time?  
GA: We’ve done some jazz festivals together, and we’re longtime friends. We haven’t done a lot of recording together. Recently, we’ve done a jazz cruise. Earl happened to be on this particular cruise, and we got to hang out and break bread. Just calling his name, this song that I wrote, I really wanted that unique acoustic guitar that only Earl could bring.

SV: When I first played “What Would James Do,” I thought of George Duke. And then I see he’s on “The Road to Peace.” Is George or his brand of funk an inspiration?  
GA: Absolutely, not only his funk but all the other styles he produces. George is to me like what a Quincy Jones is. He does every type of music known to man. His funk is unique. I call him “Papa G” because he’s like my professional father.

SV: “Highway 70” -- What inspired you to write this one?  
GA: One of my favorite, all-time major bands is Earth, Wind & Fire. I’m friends with all the guys with Earth, Wind & Fire. I just love their sound and wanted to do something that hinted at what they do, with a lot of horns.

SV: The song does have that open-road vibe.  Just get out on the highway with all the windows down.  
GA:  That’s what we were going for.  The reason I named it that, I live in the Denver area, and (Interstate) Highway 70 goes to all the ski resorts.  Imagine yourself in a convertible with the tune turned up.

SV: What would you say is the most memorable or bizarre experience in concert or in session?  
GA:   I’d say there were two.  One was my work with Phil Collins, when I went out on a tour with him. I had never been on a tour that big before. What amazed me night to night, I would look over the crowd of 60- or 70-thousand people.  All these people came to hear him sing.  It was an honor to play with Phil Collins.  I’m a longtime fan, and it was quite an honor to be on his pop tour and his big band tour.
The other experience was playing for President Clinton at his first inauguration.  Quincy Jones and Tom Scott took the effort to bring 10 renowned saxophone players to Lincoln Center.  I was abundantly honored.  I was on stage with Grover Washington, Gerry Mulligan Kenny G, Dave Koz, David Sanborn, Curtis Steigler -- gentleman I truly admire and respect.

You’re trying to not only perfect your craft.  You want to create your own brand.  There’s a plethora of saxophone players trying to do the same thing, so those who have their own style, like Cannonball Adderley and Kirk Whalum, for someone to say, “We choose you,” is quite an honor.

SV: This is your 14th release as a leader.  Of those, which is your most satisfying effort?  
GA:  Pushing the Envelope is one of the ones I feel closest.  This is the one when I sit back and listen to, I know where it came from.  Everybody who was involved in the project, to take it from a fragment to a complete vision is a fascinating process. I feel even after 14 records, I’m just getting started in the music business. To still be doing it and people still running out getting my CDs and coming to my concerts, I consider myself a blessed man.  I am very humbled.