Jack Za

Interview with Jack Za: Songwriter, composer, playwright, storyteller, and performer Jack Za just keeps rolling along. A professional musician since the age of 13, Jack began playing sax in a local band while he was in junior high. By graduation he was recording in Nashville and Memphis and touring across the country. He has opened for musical icons like Muddy Waters, Billy Joel, the Byrds, and the Boxtops. And he did all of this while he was still in his teens. In 1973 Jack began his yea...

Interview with Jack Za: Songwriter, composer, playwright, storyteller, and performer Jack Za just keeps rolling along. A professional musician since the age of 13, Jack began playing sax in a local band while he was in junior high. By graduation he was recording in Nashville and Memphis and touring across the country. He has opened for musical icons like Muddy Waters, Billy Joel, the Byrds, and the Boxtops. And he did all of this while he was still in his teens. In 1973 Jack began his yearly trips to L.A. in pursuit of the elusive deal from the music industry. His music always managed to generate interest, but it wasn't until 1979 when he moved out there with his partner, Lyle Lambur that his dream begin to take shape. With Lyle and other musical collaborators his stories and music were able to catch the attention of Disney, Hanna-Barbara, and Dreamworks to name a few. Jack is a song painter in every sense of the word, writing and performing his own unique version of many styles from pop to R&B, Broadway to folk. Throughout the 80’s he performed his original works either as a solo artist or partnered with Steve Cearly under the aegis of River Debris at various clubs and venues throughout the St. Louis area. In the late 90’s Jack began recording the whimsical children’s musical “Hats For The Elephants” which was drawn from his own childhood memories of the zoo. In 2000, Jack developed “Lights On The Grand Basin,” a musical based on his grandparent’s memories of the 1904 St. Louis World Fair. The musical love story offers an exquisite look at a time when folks from all over the country were saying “Meet Me In St. Louis.” In 2006, Jack received a commission to write a historical musical about one of the earliest river towns in Missouri. “Hills Above The Riverbank” covers 200 years of the history of St. Charles, a town that grew on the banks of the Missouri near the confluence of the Mississippi. Jack is currently working on a new CD release: “Old Dog Nude Tricks”. I recently had the pleasure to sit down with Jack and talk about his upcoming projects: W.C. Tell us a little about the new CD that you’re working on now? Jack: A few years ago I started working with Robert Burgert and Mountain Peak Studios and we've finished the first song, "The Girl At The Gate" with Stacy Cole and Steve Cearley. This will be a part of a six song CD release under the title of "Old Dog Nude Tricks". Also, two other songs with Becky Ward; "Hanging By My Fingertips" and "Love In The 99 House" are done, but funds are low, so I'm currently looking for financial backing to finish the project. W.C. You seem to really enjoy writing about the people and places around St. Louis and the whole history of this river town. What experiences as a child inspired you? Jack: I'd say pretty much the same as everyone else. Going to the zoo when you're a kid, spending time with the family in Forest Park, hanging around the riverfront, all the usual stuff. What I hope I can accomplish is a different slant in my stories and music about this area of the country. Of course, most of the time I feel like I imagine what Tennessee William's felt: “No matter how much you're influenced by your hometown, you can't wait to move to someplace else.” W.C. You’ve written a musical about the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair titled “Lights On The Grand Basin.” Where does the title come from and how’s it coming along? Jack: The title comes from how I imagined the Grand Basin (at the bottom of Art Hill) looked on those electrified nights of the World's Fair. The script and 13 songs were finished around 2002 after about ten years of work. Unfortunately, like "Hats For The Elephants" and "The Hills Above The Riverbank" only a few people in St. Louis have heard of any of these projects. Unlike the first part of my musical career where I was playing in bands or singing my songs with just the guitar for audiences in all types of settings, these projects are dependent upon the powers-that-be before they can become an entertainment reality for the general public, I'm sad to say. W.C. “Hats For The Elephants” was a great little musical about your experiences as a child at the zoo. Why did you decide to write part two? Jack: The story was originally developed with the idea that it would be a three-part series. Part Two incorporates some of the plot that my collaborators, Lyle Lambur and Bill Relling, contributed after I wrote Part One. Part Two is about a big-time developer, Mr. Rump, who convinces the city to build the new highway right through the middle of the zoo instead of through his expensive land holdings. This leads the animals at the zoo to take their fate into their own hands, or should I say into their own paws and hooves. The executive producers on "Hats For The Elephants, Part One", Steve Ashurst and Chuck Ramsay, suggested that I start Part Two after we had released the first CD in 2004. W.C. You like to write about everyday life and surroundings. What inspires you to write? What is your muse? Jack: All of the women that I used to be close to in the past and all of the women that I hope to be close to in the future. W.C. You play a number of different instruments. Do you have a favorite? Why? Jack: My favorite instrument is the voice. To me, the voice is where all that emotion pours out in its own unique and individual style. W.C. You’ve spent a lot of time touring, a lot of time on the road. What was your most unusual experience or the most interesting person that you met? Jack: Whoa, I have so many stories after 45 years I could easily fill a book, but one of my first recording experiences in Nashville is worthy of a mention, I think. I was seventeen and the band I was in, The Cautions, had a chance to record at Columbia Studios in Nashville. After we were in the studio for about a half hour I noticed there was a mic setup with a music stand with lyrics on it and an acoustic guitar leaning against a chair and all of it was bathed in this single spotlight from above. I casually asked the recording engineer if that was setup for anyone in particular and he said, "Oh yeah, Bob Dylan." Well, the moment was not lost on me. I didn't know whether to act cool like no-big-deal or crawl over there on my hands and knees and bow to the lyrics and guitar repeating, "I am not worthy" over and over again. W.C. Wasn't that the session where you recorded "Mister Soul"? The song that made it on two Lime Spiders albums. Could you tell us that story? Jack: In all of my 45 years in music I believe this is the weirdest set of circumstances I have ever been through. It all started when I was on the computer at the library about three years ago and I googled my legal name and much to my surprise what should pop up but an album credit with my name and my songwriting partner during that time, Chuck Ramsay. It was for the song "Mister Soul", the very same song that was recorded at the Nashville session that I previously mentioned. So, here it is 37 years later and we just find out that an Australian band, The Lime Spiders on Virgin Records recorded a version of "Mister Soul" and put it on one of their albums in 1987 and again on a 'best of' album in 1988. After I picked myself off of the library floor (because what songwriter hasn't dreamed of getting one of their songs recorded by a well-known group) I made copies of their website and got in touch with my lawyer the next day. Long story short, we did have a copyright on the song when we recorded it, but the events that transpired after a year or so went something like this: After our Nashville session, the band did acquire a manager who negotiated some recording sessions in Memphis for Hi Records. They never released the songs but in the process our manager forged my name and Chuck's name on a publishing contract, which we were completely in the dark about. As time went by, this Memphis publishing company merged with another publishing company and so on until the song ended up in some publisher's catalog where I assume the Lime Spiders pulled it from. To this day I don't know the exact set of circumstances because all of the lawyers that I spoke with (from the States to Australia and back) wanted too much money to pursue this state of affairs. The final irony is that regardless of having the copyright and having our names listed on their album credits the "Mister Soul" that they actually recorded was Neil Young's song from the time when he was with Buffalo Springfield. So, the real question is how did the Lime Spiders get a mechanical license to record the song and if there were any royalties, whom did they go to? W.C. Look into your crystal ball for a second. What does the future hold for Jack Za? Do you plan on playing anywhere around St. Louis in the future? Jack: Well, first off, I'll play anywhere anyone asks me to. You can reach me at jzamusic@yahoo.com for more information. As far as my musical future goes I will continue to create music while living my life to that Robert Browning quote, 'Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for.' W.C. Where can people get your CD’s? Jack: At Vintage Vinyl www.vintagevinyl.com to purchase "Hats For The Elephants". You can also find out more about my music on my Myspace site: www.myspace.com/jackza or Facebook. Interview by Walt Crocker.