John Klemmer

All Music Guide:

An active composer and an innovator on the electrified saxophone (using echo effects quite effectively), John Klemmer was also a very strong Coltrane-inspired acoustic tenor saxophonist. His solo saxophone recordings preceded smooth jazz and new age and his variety of projects earned him a great deal of crossover appeal that includes his music sampled by hip-hop artists of the '90s. Over the course of his career, Klemmer collaborated with a number of jazz and pop artists and performed the albums by Steely Dan, John Lee Hooker, Lauren Wood, Roy Haynes, and Nancy Wilson, among others.

John Klemmer began playing music at a young age, starting with the guitar and switching to tenor sax by high school. In addition to private music lessons that continued up through college, he also attended Interlochen's music camp. In school, Klemmer studied a variety of arts including graphics and visual arts, writing, and puppeteering at schools that include Chicago's Institute of Art. Early on in his music career, Klemmer led his own groups at gigs around the East Coast and Midwest, and was also busy touring as a sideman with big bands. Among the people he worked with during this time are jazz musicians such as Chicago pianist Jodie Christian, tenor saxophonist Eddie Harris, rock guitarist Harvey Mandel (with whom Klemmer purportedly co-led a band for a time in the '60s), and producer James Guercio (who worked extensively with the band Chicago). Klemmer made his debut recording as a leader in 1967 and moved to Los Angeles the following year. There he became a key soloist with Don Ellis's innovative big band for the next two years, while also working with artists such as Tim Buckley and Oliver Nelson, with whom Klemmer went on a State Dept. tour of West Africa.

From this time, up through the early '70s, John Klemmer led fusion groups and recorded a number of albums, primarily for Cadet Records. After studying film composition with Albert Harris, Klemmer began recording for other labels: first Impulse, then ABC, MCA, and Elektra. He also worked as a producer for pop, jazz ,and R&B artists. Klemmer's own music gained cross-over appeal, as his work with manager's Bill Siddons (who worked with the Doors) and Gary Borman (who went on to work with Faith Hill) brought his music to a growing number of pop listeners. With his electrified horn (using an echoplex), Klemmer recorded popular albums for MCA and Elektra that were in the easy listening, pop vein from the mid-'70s through the late '80s. He enjoyed a hit record with Touch and went on to record solo sax albums such as Cry, which are considered by some to be direct predecessors of smooth jazz music.

Klemmer alternated the more pop-oriented projects with fiery efforts; his finest jazz album was the two-LP set Nexus (mostly reissued on CD), a set of duets and trios with drums and occasional bass. In 1989, Music came out on MCA and Klemmer went on sabbatical, choosing to stop touring and recording in order to focus more on composing. Although it was rumored that this sabbatical was due to health problems, this is not true; it was simply Klemmer's decision to take a break from the limelight.

John Klemmer has co-written pop songs (for other artists) with, namely, David Batteau (the two wrote the successful song "Walk in Love," made popular by Manhattan Transfer) and Danny O'Keefe; the music on Klemmer's own jazz albums is composed solo. The late '90s found Klemmer returning to the stage, often on the West Coast scene. He also returned to the studio, guesting on albums by such new age artists as 3rd Force, David Arkenstone, and Craig Chaquico. During this time, Klemmer also founded his own record label, Touch Records, on which he released the albums Simpatico and Making Love, Vol. 1 (1998). By 2000, most of John Klemmer's earlier recordings were still awaiting CD issue. His own website is at www.johnklemmer.com.

Wikipedia:

John Klemmer (born July 3, 1946) is an American saxophonist, composer, song writer and arranger.

He was born in Chicago, Illinois and began playing guitar at age 5 and alto saxophone at age 11. His other early interests included graphics and visual art, writing, dance, puppetry, painting, sculpting and poetry. He studied at schools that include The Art Institute of Chicago and began touring with various local midwest "ghost big bands" [Les Elgart, Woody Herman] as well as playing with small local jazz and rock groups. After switching to tenor saxophone in high school, Klemmer participated actively in the local Chicago jazz scene, playing with commercial small groups and big bands while leading his own groups in the Chicago area and touring.

Biography

Klemmer had extensive studies in music, taking private lessons as a youth and in college in piano, conducting, harmony, theory, composition, arranging, clarinet, flute & classical & jazz saxophone. He studied saxophone and jazz improvisation with noted Chicago saxophonist and teacher Joe Daly. He attended the prestigious Interlochen's National Music Camp. The year he graduated from high school, Klemmer was signed by producer Esmond Edwards at Cadet/Chess Records, eventually recording five albums with Cadet/Chess, including his innovative hit album, Blowin Gold [co-produced by ex-Rolling Stones producer Marshall Chess]. This album was considered by many as the first of the jazz/rock fusion genre; follow-up albums introduced innovative rock rhythms, sounds and production techniques and debuted electronic effects with the saxophone that became his now trademark "delay" sound.

Klemmer led his own groups touring the U.S. using the cream of the Chicago sideman such as Jodie Foster, William Campbell & Cleveland Eaton, while occasionally performing in tandem with good friends such as jazz artist Eddie Harris & Oscar Brashear, arranger Les Hooper & rock artists such as James William Guercio [later to produce Blood, Sweat & Tears and Chicago] and various rock artists such as guitarist Harvey Mandel. He did his first PBS special for WTTW TV Chicago. He was also a busy sideman exploring every genre of Music. He then moved to Los Angeles the following year and for a very brief time was a key soloist & arranger with The Don Ellis's innovative big band touring Europe & toured Africa with Oliver Nelson for the State Dept. while also working with such diverse Artists of a variety of musical genres such as Tim Buckley etc. He studied film scoring with Albert Harris & vocal lessons with Seth Riggs. Continuing always through the events described, Klemmer continuously lead his own small groups touring across the U.S. further developing his unique sound, style and concepts. He primarily focused on his jazz rock fusion styles returning briefly to more traditional jazz & then switching to a more "intense" so-called "coltraneish" approach upon leaving Chess Records & signing with & recording five albums with Impulse! records.

He performed at Newport & Monterey Jazz Festivals, Antibes Jazz Festival, Carnegie Hall, Tanglewood, & Montreux Jazz Festival plus TV shows Midnight Special & Rock Concert. Klemmer has composed all songs for his many albums, amassing a large & valuable publishing catalog, but he has also collaborated & co-written musically & as lyricist with many pop songwriters, such as David Batteau, with the UK hit "Walk in Love", recorded by The Manhattan Transfer, and Danny O'Keefe, Clint Holmes, Pamela Oland & many others. After another of his many controversial sabbaticals, he again changed musical direction by then moving to ABC/MCA Records briefly returning to his early R&B & pop roots. Klemmer then went on to earn massive crossover appeal with his now landmark series of the classic "Touch" recordings. Klemmer & the "Touch" Series of recordings are regarded by many as paving the way & being "the founder" of the current "Smooth Jazz" genre some anointing him "The Ambassador of Cool". His continuous fast changing of musical directions throughout his career created some controversy, confusion & false speculative motivational assumptions & judgments from his primarily earlier jazz purist audience, primarily, with the now historic "Touch" series of recordings. His managerial associations with noted former Doors manager, Bill Siddons and with Faith Hill, Keith Urban & James Taylor manager, Gary Borman, helped Klemmer exposed his music to a growing number of pop, rock, R&B & adult contemporary audiences. He toured extensively as headliner and with "package tours" with George Benson & Herbie Hancock plus numerous TV appearances arranged by the William Morris Agency. He expanded his musical palette to include, kalimba, flutes, keyboards, percussion & solo vocal.

At this time he further developed his innovative Solo Sax Concept resulting in the now landmark & classic recording of Cry ushering in, thought by many, the "New Age Music Spiritual" genre, with some now calling him the "Sax God". He briefly returned to his earlier jazz roots recording the "straight ahead jazz" 2 CD offering, Nexus for Duo & Trio, now considered by many a classic, at personal request of Clive Davis for former Arista/Bluebird/RCA Records, followed by occasional special recording projects such as duo recordings with Joe Sample & Oscar-Castro-Neves. Following another of his sabbaticals he then, upon personal urging of legendary pop and rock music mogul Joe Smith, moved to Elektra Records, recording five albums. After another brief sabbatical he then returned to GRP & Verve for Universal Records where his primary vast catalog of recordings reside. Klemmer then took his longest & most controversial sabbatical causing a number of numerous false & untrue rumors of personal & health problems as he continued writing, recording & working with the massive new digital technologies plus returning to vocal studies with noted Macy Grey & Brandi vocal teacher, Roger Burnley. He then returned recording as guest soloist with such New Age artists as 3rd Force, David Arkenstone, and Craig Chaquico while returning to his performing, touring & recording.

Klemmer founded his own record label, Touch Records, for "special projects & releases only" with the CD & digital releases of Making Love, Vol. 1 & Rio Vol. 1 & 2 as an adjunct to his major label releases such as the Universal/Verve/GRP Records release of The Very Best of John Klemmer including newly recorded bonus tracks from his next new releases. Klemmer's music has been sampled by a large number of Hip-Hop, Rap & DJ Artists primarily focused on his early Chess record recordings.