In a post discussing the idiotic anti-American drivel spouted to The Daily WankerThe Guardian by singer Rickie Lee Jones (who had her 15 minutes of fame two decades ago with "Chuck E.'s in Love"), Charles Johnson recounts his musical experience with her:
Full disclosure: years ago, I auditioned, along with several other well-known LA session musicians, for one of Rickie Lee Jones's early tours. It was a terrific band; Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, Neil Stubenhaus on bass, Bill Myers on keyboards, and me on guitar.And Rickie Lee [Jones] was a total mess. She put sheet music for her songs in front of us, then started playing completely different music and expected us to read her alleged mind. When she did play a song for which we had music, she would immediately depart from the chart, playing verses and choruses out of order and changing the chords.
The audition was a disaster, and she blamed us for it, got very nasty, and ended up pouting and sulking after yelling at us that we were trying to wreck her career. It was an extremely unpleasant experience.
We didn't get the gig, and I was relieved; working with someone like that as a sideman is one of the worst things about the music business, no matter how well they pay. They will make you miserable beyond your worst nightmares.
And it looks like she hasn't changed a bit, except now she's gone political. Aren't we fortunate to have her insights? (Not.)
Only when prompted by commenters, does Charles Johnson reveal three albums he himself played on (all of which went gold): "Reach For It" by George Duke, "School Days" by Stanley Clarke, and "Live in London" by Al Jarreau. Holy effing scat! (For those unfamiliar with jazz: that's three of the greatest jazz musicians alive.)
And yup: Charles' session experience with RLJ rings a familiar "chord" in our household. (I shall say no more.) As for me: I'm off to a CD store at the first opportunity...
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