Charlie Wood is a native of Memphis, and so it's not surprising that he took his music making to Beale Street, where his trio enjoyed a long residency with plenty of famous faces popping by and sitting in. But not all players are awarded with a Brass Note on Beale Street.
Charlie became the 136th recipient last year - a Memphis equivalent of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, it means that he now sits in an elite club also featuring B.B. King, Isaac Hayes and Al Green.
These days though, the singer-songwriter has swapped Memphis for Bedford where he resides with his wife, singer Jacqui Dankworth. The pair co-produced Charlie's current album, New Souvenirs.
On Saturday (March 28), Charlie will play a part in the inaugural Bedford and Milton Keynes Jazz Festival - with a lunchtime date at MK Gallery.
Charlie went On Track with Total MK...
The song that first awakened your musical sensesMy parents and siblings are very musical people, so I was listening to all kinds of stuff before I knew what it was. I probably couldn't differentiate between Miles Davis, Bela Bartok & Joan Baez. I just enjoyed listening & soaked them all up. I guess maybe all that exposure and variety is what awakened my musical sensibilities initially.
Physical or digital - how do you take your music?
I'd always rather hear a live performance than a recording, but that's probably just because I'm a performer. As far as digital vs. analog, I leave it up to the engineer to decide what works best. I will say that I record on magnetic tape with analogue gear whenever I can, but that's my personal preference.
The first time you thought 'Music - this is the job for me'
Can't remember a time when I didn't think that. I never thought of the "job" part, just knew music was what I wanted to do with my life.
Your best on stage memory…
Probably B.B. King sitting in with my trio, but there have been a lot of great & memorable times onstage. As long as I'm playing and singing, I'm generally a pretty happy camper.
And the worst gig you've ever done
I've certainly done a few I'd like to forget. Come to think of it, I actually have forgotten them. "What's too painful to re-meeeem-ber…."
What made you take up the piano?
My mom played and my sister played. There was always a piano at our house. Piano at my grandparents' place, too. I was fooling around with a piano before I even knew what it was, so it was a very natural direction for me to go in. I was always drawn to the piano, loved the sound it made.
Which one song by another artist do you wish you had written
I don't really wish I had written any of the songs I love, but I often wish I could write one as good as some of them. I think a lot of jazz standards are little masterpieces. I also love a lot of the pop songwriters I came up listening to - James Taylor, Paul Simon, Elvis Costello.
And one - by yourself - which holds special significance
"Lucky Charm" has very special significance to me because it's the reason I met my wife, Jacqui. I recorded it on "Southbound" (which she heard), then she recorded it on her album "As the Sun Shines Down On Me" (which I heard and loved), and that's how we came to know one another. Good song!
If you could step into the shoes of another musician, living or dead, who would it be and what would you do?
I would step into Sly Stone's shoes, because he always has fantastic shoes on.
Are there any current musical influences that you might look to
All over the place, every day. In particular I'm interested right now in a lot of the younger "jazz-crossover" style writers & performers.
I think the way people are integrating jazz harmonies and improvisation with contemporary R&B and pop is yielding some really nice results.
There are a lot of musicians and singers in their 20s and 30s right now who are taking the vocation very seriously and really putting the time and attention in. That's very encouraging and makes me look forward to listening, and learning.
And any genre of music that you simply can't stand?
I don't think there are bad genres per se, but there are certainly unsavoury intentions.
The music I like least is specifically purpose-built for commercial consumption, the kind of stuff you hear while you're standing in a queue at a convenience store.
Very empty, utterly predictable, carefully crafted to be as bland and palatable as possible, completely disposable - the musical equivalent of fast food. No thanks.
Finally, plug your MK Gallery date for us - what can we expect?
Your readers know as much about it as I do, I'm afraid. This is the first annual Bedford & Milton Keynes Jazz Festival, so I'm gonna show up and play and sing my best.
Maybe I'll get some inspiration from all the visual art on offer. Better go practice my Mussorgsky...
> Charlie will be live at MK Gallery at 12.30pm on Saturday. Admission is free (suggested donation of £5- £10)
