KENNY KIRKLAND, interview by Gert-Peter BRUCH (3)

Kenny at the Sunset Jazz Club in Paris

K : I’ m not so much into show-business. I’m not like that. As I told you, I’m not very aggressive, I’m not very flashy. I’m not into being under limelights. I don’t like being in the front so much. I could never be like Sting. This is not for me. I like being behind. I don’t like people to make a fuss on me, I like to just be there like a regular person, not as Sting keyboard player. I like to go to places where nobody knows who I am. Some people only get around me because they know I play with Sting...

It’s funny that I’m in show-business cause I really don’t have a big ego. I’m not really into show-business, I’m into music. If I was a very rich man with millions of dollars, I would just have my piano, my studio... I wouldn’t have to try to make a record and sell it. I wouldn’t even care if people know who I am. That’s how I am. It is not in my goal to be famous. I just want to be good and dedicated. I don’t need the audience to play music, I can do it home.. Of course the energy of the audience will help you play but I always try to do the best I can. I never took advantage of the fact that I play with Sting. I never to a club and say « yeah, I play with Sting, you should let me in ». I’d rather go to a club where nobody knows me. If I go there and they say « you can’t come in », I just walk away.

G : When you’re on stage, are you a different person ?

K : I guess a little sometimes, but basically no. I try just to be myself. When you play with Sting, you have to be visual and I’m not into being visual. When Sting used to do the tour, everybody was doing dance steps. I’m against that, I don’t want to do that (he laughs), it’s not in my character. Sting is cool with that, he accepts that. Sometimes when I play with Sting, I feel like out of place... I feel more home playing with Branford. With Sting, I play in a territory that is not totally mine.
Branford don’t have the same opinions about his way of playing music. He's more... star ! He likes that. He wants to be famous. He’s ambitious... but he’s a great musician.

G : What is the difference whether you play with Sting or Branford Marsalis ?

K : With Branford the music is much more open, much more creative and... involved. Sting’s music is involved too and is creative also but jazz music is at a very very high level... to me. Playing with Branford is like more what I do for real. Sometimes with Sting, I feel like an outsider. But I’m lucky he likes that, so it’s OK. With Branford, we’ve just did a new record ; it’s coming out in September. I’m also doing my own record now, from GRP records. This is my first record and it’s only instrumental music. It’s not a commercial record but a jazz one. This will be pretty different than Branford’s records. In my record there are many influences : jazz, classical music, latino style...

G : Thank you very much Kenny, see you next time for more good music.