Saxman Michael Lington has been out there performing and creating music for quite some time now.  He has played with so many outstanding musicians during his career that mentioning them would just take too long.  Michael has also had a few record labels over the years and has now found himself back where he began, with David Chackler of NuGroove Records.  SmoothViews was able to catch up with Michael to talk about his new label and his new CD, Heat.

SmoothViews:  Welcome back, Michael.  It’s great to chat with you once again.  This is our third time interviewing you.
Michael Lington:  Wow.

SV:  There are a lot of new and exciting things happening with you.
ML:  There are.

SV:  Let’s talk first about your new record label, NuGroove.  You are back with an old friend, David Chackler.  How did that come about?
ML:  Well, since my first album back in 1997, we have remained friends throughout the whole time.  He is just a wonderful individual that I have always cared a lot about.  We always found ways to sort of work together.  I did two albums with Rendezvous, which was such a great, great label.  It recently has been sold so they are not operating as Rendezvous.

SV:  Are they still using the Rendezvous name?
ML:  Well, I am out of the loop on that, but I think they will continue under that Rendezvous imprint, because there is a great catalog there.  There are some beautiful records there.  I think there are something like 30 albums there and obviously two of my records are there.  I think they are just going to continue being an imprint on this new label called Mac Avenue, I believe.  So, it came time for me to do a new album, and they were in negations, so timing-wise, it didn’t make sense for me to do another record when they didn’t know what was going to happen.  The opportunity came up, and we were talking to a few different people, and David [Chackler] really wanted this new album.  He was very aggressive, but in a good way, to make this deal happen.  Both my manager and I thought that this is such a challenging time in the music business, and it is so important to have a team that really wants it because that’s what it takes.  Really, that’s what it takes.  It takes a lot of hard work, more now than ever, to make and promote the album.  And we felt really comfortable with David.  That’s how all of that happened.

SV:  Is it easier working with someone that you have worked with before, knowing what each other expects and produces?
ML:  That’s a great question.  You know, there is a comfort factor there.  When you have known someone for over ten years, there’s a lot of stuff you can get out of the way.  You don’t have to walk on egg shells, per se. 
SV:  You can just get right down to business.
ML:  Exactly.  You can get down to business.  We all know we like each other, and that’s all good.  Now, let’s figure out what to do to get the job done.  It makes things a little more efficient and able to get to things quicker.  That would be my take on it.

SV:  Let’s talk about the new CD, Heat.  It’s about to drop on September 2nd.  I’ve been hearing great reviews on the first single.  What’s the buzz that you’ve been hearing?
ML:  So far there has been a very good indication that people like the first single.  There’s no guarantee ever, especially when it comes to art.  All you can do is make these records the way that you feel at the time.  You write the songs the way you want to write them and you hope the people like them.  Essentially, you want people to like them, right?  Don’t we all?  It’s hard with music.  So far, I must say, there is a lot of good positive feedback about the first single.  But I have to tell you, Bonnie, one of the more important things about this album was not necessarily what the first single was going to be, but was that we made an album that was special with a lot of variety, with a lot of angles, different tiers.  Do you know what I’m talking about?

SV:  Absolutely and I wanted to ask you about that.  Compared to Stay With Me, which had a theme to it, Heat takes different directions.  Not that it’s jumping around, but it goes in many directions with vocals, instrumentals and tempos.
ML:  Well, this time around we definitely used more vocals than ever.  Not sure I should be saying this, but here goes.  It came from such an interesting place, me wanting to collaborate with more vocals.  I remember doing a show, and there was a guy that sat in with me to sing.  A friend of mine was in the show, and he said to me “Hey, this guy sang so great.”  And my manager said, “He was okay, but you know what was great was the variety.  You’ve got all of the sax and instrumentals, and then the vocal.”  And it made an impact on me.  I obviously love the saxophone.  That’s a given.  But you should always make room for other things and a vocal is a nice release from the sax.  So it almost means that when the vocals give way, the sax means so much more.  Does that make sense? 

SV:  Absolutely.  Listening to the CD, I truly enjoyed they way you mix it up.  You’ve got the ultimate pro, with Aaron Neville, but then you bring in some new, up-and-comers with Keeley Hawkes, and then Ace Young…wow, great choice for the old Gerry Rafferty tune, “Baker Street,”  which is not a song over-covered by artists.
ML:    It is a song that was never covered.  That’s the scary part of that.  Just because of me wanting to always try new things and go new places.  The last album was all covers, which was an interesting observation of mine.  I didn’t go into that album wanting to make a cover album.  I actually went into it wanting to make something classic, not classical, but classic.  You know, doing the whole orchestral thing.  I wanted to have a timeless piece.    But when I started to do interviews, the first question was always why did you want to do a cover album.  I realized it’s one thing to have one thing inside my head, my intentions, but it’s another thing about the perception and observation.  With that being said, it was important to me to make an original album.  I think it’s sort of been proven, and very clearly to me and to others, is that what people respond to with me is the combination of my melodies and originality.  I am flattered because I didn’t write my first song until I was 24 years old.  The fact that that is a trademark is a really spectacular thing.  It was important for me that this album was all original, but when the idea of “Baker Street” came up, and that was from David Chackler, he only sent me to a YouTube video of Gerry Rafferty doing it way back in 1978, and all of the comments were about the sax.  And the first thing I am thinking is it must have been covered a million times by sax players.  I mean, the core of the song is the sax.  It’s a sax anthem if there ever was one.  I come to realize that no one had ever covered it.  I don’t understand.  So, with that being said, it’s too great of a song to pass up.  That song was perfect to begin with but I feel we kept the original integrity.  And the original was a little more folksy while we, I think, rocked it out a little more.  It has an edge to it. 

SV:  Listening to the CD for the first time, it made me feel like you’ve found your sweet spot.  It sounded relaxed and free; very unrestrained in your playing.  Did you feel that way when recording?
ML:  That was the way I did the whole album.  It’s interesting…going out and doing live shows, fans come up to me and say, “I had such a great time tonight when you did this or you did that.  Why can’t that be an album?  Why does the album need to be such a mild version of that?”  It’s interesting because you go into the studio and always feel like everything has to be more controlled and you can’t let loose.   I don’t understand why that is.  So, I decided that when I did this album, I was going to go for it in my own way.  So, I just went for it with the rhythm section, with the songs we ended up choosing, and with my playing.  I’ll give you a perfect example of something.  There’s a song on the CD called “Ocean Drive.”  That song was one of the first songs we wrote for the album.  When we had the demo, not the final track, but a demo that one afternoon I just threw on the microphone, and not even my normal microphone.  I just decided to throw it on and lay down a melody on there.  Now, with that whole mindset of this is going to be redone anyway, so it doesn’t matter, you are so relaxed.  I tried to replay that performance with the right microphone in the right studio environment.  I recorded that song 50 times and ended up keeping the tape that I did that afternoon!  I could play it note for note, but the attitude of being relaxed can’t be duplicated.

SV:  That comes across in the entire CD.  Your playing just sounded very relaxed and having a good time with it all.
ML:  Well, that’s good to know because it’s all technical language until someone says how they feel.  You can’t argue with how people feel.  It was the same way with the last album when people were asking me why I did a cover album.  It didn’t matter what my intentions were or what I wanted to achieve.  When people feel something, you just can’t argue with that.

SV:  Were you disappointed hearing that from people?
ML:  I realized right away when asked about a cover CD, that I see what’s going to happen here.  Let’s be honest, you’re doing interviews and everyone has their own way of conducting interviews, but all want to know the same information.  I realized very quickly what I was in store for, so that became an education of what I was trying to do.  But you can’t educate about that.  If you have to put a disclaimer on a record, there’s an issue.  With that being said, it was such a planned project for me and I knew what I wanted to achieve and I felt I did it.  I am so proud of that album and I think those orchestral arrangements of those beautiful songs came out so nice.  Another interesting thing is that it is so hard to even get looked at in mainstream press and that album actually crossed some pretty interesting borders for me, where mainstream press took a look at it, listened, and liked it.

SV:  Do you think this record will cross over as well because it’s more of a pop/R&B flavor?
ML:  I don’t know.  I mean, anytime you have guys like Aaron Neville on your record, and you have real songs on there, people get it.    There is room for everybody.  There’s room for smooth jazz, straight ahead jazz…everybody.  Where we get into trouble is when people start calling something that it’s not like when people start calling smooth jazz, jazz.  That’s not what it is.  It’s its own thing and you have to respect that.  So, that’s why it’s always been tough.  I just call it music.  I try not to pay attention.  I try to make the best album I can at that moment in time.  A lot of times the songs dictate what the album becomes.  I like to take chances, like bringing in a Brazilian guitar player who added his own little things.  I called in some great friends and players and hired a rock and roll producer.

SV:  You work with some amazing people on this CD.  Michael Sembello, Nathan East, Vinnie Colaiuta. 
ML:  Did you see the name Keith Olsen on the CD?  Keith Olsen produced three songs on the album.  I would say that the records that he produced between 1978 – 1995 sold in excess of 90 to 100 million records.  He produced Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks, Lindsay Buckingham, Pat Benetar, and Whitesnake.  All those hit songs were produced by Keith.  That’s a great combination.  The way he worked with the vocalists was great.  He brought in a sheet and worked on each line on how to pronounce and what to emphasize on each line.  I hear a vocal and I like it or I don’t.  He came in with a hard had and took over!  We brought in Nathan East and Teddy Campbell.  I had never seen a producer do this before.  Normally a producer sits in the control room, but not Keith.  He was in the studio with the musicians like a general in a war with his troops in the trenches.  He was making sure everybody was on the mark.  Not listening through speakers, but from the instruments themselves.

SV:  The entire CD has a fresh, young sound to it.
ML:  Well, that’s great.

SV:  Fresh is good.
ML:  And young is good, too.  Especially since I’m getting older, you know!  (laughing)
It is a challenging time in music history and I hope this record gets its opportunity to be heard and enjoyed.

SV:  In these interesting times of radio stations flipping formats and brick and mortar stores closing their doors, how are you getting your new music out to the masses?
ML:  Well, actually I don’t know if David Chackler is a genius or what, but our pre-order for this album is larger than any other CD I’ve ever made.  Now, that’s the pre-order and we still need people to buy the CD!  That’s a good indication, though.  Typically the amount of pre-orders are based on the sales of your last CD.  So, in this case, that was completely disregarded.  I can’t tell you why the pre-orders are so high.  A lot of marketing is going digital and internet based.  I also know there will be television ads in the markets that have no radio stations.  On top of that, we’re doing a PR campaign that is in full gear right now.  In fact, I’ll be performing “Baker Street” with Ace Young on the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon over Labor Day weekend.  We also want to leverage the fact that the album does have these vocals and promote it outside of the jazz area.  So, you just do what you can to get the word out.

SV:  I know you will be one of the headliners on the Smooth Music Cruise next January.  They have an excellent lineup for that cruise.  What I find most appealing about the cruise atmosphere are the jam sessions where you never know who you’ll see performing together.  You don’t have that in other arenas.  You get the cattle call at festivals.  Do you enjoy that as much as the fans do?
ML:  Oh, yeah because that’s how we all got started.  Doing the live shows and jamming with each other and cutting our teeth.  It’s a part of our core of why we became musicians in the first place.  I like it a lot.  I think everybody likes it.  That’s what it’s all about.  I probably had it wrong for a little bit.  It’s not about being polished and being perfect.  It’s about just creating magic and collaborating and expecting the unexpected.  That’s truly what it’s all about.

SV:  It’s interesting to hear you say that and use the word polished.  When you were on the last cruise, you joined in on some jam sessions.  A lot of people said they were surprised to hear how terrific you were when you could just cut loose.  No set list, no time constraints.  You just played unrestrained.  And that’s what I hear the new CD allowing you to do.
ML:  Right.  I think we all learn and develop and figure out what we want to achieve.  No one ever tells you these things.  You don’t really see it unless they tell you.  You know the people that like it because they express it.  Everybody else is polite and don’t say anything.  No one wants to hurt anyone’s feelings.  Sometimes you just have to figure things out.  It’s a fine balance.  Completely out of control and not structured at all, I’m not sure if that’s the way to go either.  When we talk about a live performance, if you have a good time out there, are relaxed and comfortable, I think everything just follows.  It’s so interesting to observe that the magic of a live show doesn’t happen when you play.  It happens in between.  It’s the little moments when you talk to somebody, or a little thing happens and you laugh about it instead of trying to hide it.  Or a story you may talk about.  Those moments make it special.  It’s the connection that people feel.  If they want to just hear music up and down, they can sit at home and listen to a CD.  I don’t think that’s what people want.  They want to feel a part of it.  To further apply that to an album is an important part, too.  Maybe I’m getting better at it…I don’t know!  (laughing)  I would hope so with my sixth album!

SV:  Well, that ties right in with another question.  What do you feel has been the greatest success of your career and what has been your greatest challenge?
ML:  Thanks for asking good questions.  My greatest success has to be that I am still making albums.  That in itself is a miracle. Honestly I think, taking it one step further that my greatest success is just doing what I love to do.  My biggest challenge was to figure out what I was about, perhaps.  It’s like, what is that I have to say?  What’s so great about me?  What is it that you want to say that hasn’t already been said?  Figuring that out is a pretty tall order.

SV:  Do you feel you’ve gotten to that point where you’ve figured it out?
ML:  No.  I think I’m figuring it out, but that’s a lot better than not knowing. 

SV:  What would you be doing today if you weren’t making music?
ML:  You know, I have gotten that question before and I hope it’s something I never really have to answer because I really love what I do.  This is why I, and all musicians, put up with the struggles!  You’ll always do the best at things that you are passionate about.  It sounds weird to people who don’t have relationships, but I like cigars.  I am passionate about them. I don’t know why, but I love them.  It’s a piece of art to me because there are really good ones and really bad ones.  I would probably do a lot more with my cigar company.  It’s hard to really go for it because I am so focused on my music.  It’s a hobby to me right now.  I would do more with that.  You know, if I were to start from scratch, I would probably study film scoring.  I have some pretty good basics of music and orchestration and writing, but when you have to write the music in a limited amount of time because you have to write it for a particular scene, that’s very different.  You don’t write about how you feel; you write about what you see.   I would have to study that, but I could see myself doing that.  That’s a hard nut to crack though and I think the best way to get into it might be to get an internship with a composer, but a 40 year old intern…not sure who would want that!!!

SV:  Is there anything else on the horizon that you can share with our readers?
ML:  I’d love for everyone to check out my cigars, which has a whole new line.  One thing that was pretty exciting was that last year around this time I performed for the troops in Guantanamo Bay.  The folks there ended up liking my cigars so much, that they got rid of everything they had in their clubs and restaurants and restocked them with Michael Lington Cigars.  In Cuba, no less…okay American soil in Cuba, but that was exciting and I hope everyone checks out my cigar line at Michaellingtoncigars.com.  Also, my website, michaellington.com is being redone to coincide with the new CD.  And I hope the Smooth Music Cruise is successful and we all get to do it again!

SV:  Well, Michael.  I want to thank you for taking the time to talk with SmoothViews and keep our readers informed about what’s happening with you and the new CD.

ML:  Thanks so much, Bonnie