The mountains of East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia are home to many legendary musicians. From the Birthplace of Country Music , The Carter Fold and Dollywood, there’s a legacy of memorable players around the region and when it comes to Big Band Music, you might not guess that Kingsport is home to a legend too.
At 78 years of age, Charles Goodwin is a native son of Kingsport – a rarity whose talents include those of an arranger, performer and band leader and who’s still going strong. In the past, he’s performed with the likes of Charlie Spivak, Woody Herman and many others. The years haven’t slowed him down any either – he regularly performs with orchestras, festivals and many of the most prestigious venues and players in the region.
When Dave Carter called me a few weeks ago to tell me that Charles was going to perform live on his radio program Studio One, I immediately made the date to bring our video cameras and record this iconic musician. The thought had crossed my mind several months ago and when Dave said he was going to be bringing a quartet for this intimate setting, it was a dream come true.
“Charlie” has always been one of my inspirations as musician. One of my most enduring classes at ETSU was an improvisation class he participated in with our instructor Jim Stafford and over the years, he continues to coach me with his signature style and musical grace.
The timing couldn’t have been better for GoTriCities either. We had just hired a new videographer and unboxed a high-definition Panasonic camera and together with our Canon, we brought two cameras into the studio on Saturday, December 29th for a rare live video recording.
Dave Carter and Mike Strickland have been producing Studio One for more than two decades and in that time, they have logged live recordings that are certain to become treasured audio collectibles. You never know what you will find on the FM dial every Saturday at 1pm as Dave and Mike produce this broadcast that features local musicians and other traveling players in an intimate one-on-one live session. My most treasured moments as a musician has been the handful of recordings that I’ve been a part of and I’m sure many others agree that Studio One is a powerful voice that chronicles the musicians and their music in this area.
I drove into the back parking lot of WETS-FM a little early around 11.30 and the back door was wide open. Dave Carter’s white Prius was parked backwards in the parking lot and Jared Bentley had just arrived with our video equipment. Matthew Carroll, our new videographer showed up next and and shortly after that Mike Strickland – the WETS engineer and full-time announcer came in to prepare the studio for the Saturday session.
It was close to noon and the band still wasn’t in the studio and I think everyone was getting a bit anxious. Studio One goes on the air live at 1pm and the artists are usually there in plenty of time to setup, but it wasn’t long before Fred called on the cell phone and said they were nearby and a minutes later, Charlie entered the studio in a bright red sweater and gray slacks.
I was curious what Charlie was going to play today. He’s been known to perform with an old Wurlitzer 202 electric piano and a bounty of other portable keyboards, but when he entered the studio behind Fred he seemed a bit puzzled. He immediately walked to the old Everitt upright piano in the WETS studio and started to play. After he had played a few dazzling lines on that keyboard, he turned to everyone and said, “My piano sucks!”
Charlie was referring to his electric keyboards and he immediately followed up with an explanation that he would play the acoustic piano today and we all agreed that he made that old upright sound great.
Eddie Dalton plays drums with Charlie and came into the studio wearing a blue-tooth wireless headset on his ear and hauling his nice clean drum cases. Strickland pointed him to the drum chamber in the back and after a little small talk, he told me he had over 70 different drum kits. Like most musicians, he gets tired of tearing them up and down and has several kits at different practice pads, but this was an occasion for a nice set of Ludwigs which he immediately sat up in the back of the room.
One of the newest members of the quartet was a player by the name of Jimmy Hutsell. He seemed enamored by my Nikon D-80 that I was using to take pictures and after a polite introduction, we talked digital cameras for several minutes. After that, he unpacked a bright orange Yamaha hollow-body guitar and shared with me his background as a radio personality and musician from Morristown, TN. He had met Charlie many years ago with the big band and I was excited to hear him play.
It didn’t take long for the quartet to have all their gear ready and the sound check took a few moments as Jared and Matthew moved in and out with our cameras. I sat in the corner and was thrilled to be there to casually listen and watch Charlie perform and as the studio clock ticked down the final seconds of the 12 o’clock hour, the On-Air light came on and Dave Carter settled into his chair with his headphones and introduced The Charles Goodwin Quartet.
Charlie and the big band were playing at the elegant General Francis Marion Hotel in in Marion for New Year’s and that’s one of the reasons they were in the studio today to trump up that show. Dave talked to Charlie about the band and it wasn’t long before the quartet was performing a memorable set of up-tempo swing for the radio audience and sighed and sat back in a state of audible luxury.
All of these musicians performed with such grace that they made it look easy. Jimmy Hutsell communicated almost telepathically with Charlie and like a blood brother they exchanged nods with each before each solo. and as Charlie later explained, he has never performed with such a fine player. He was right too. I was so amazed at this guitarist and I had to step out to call my father who is also player to make sure he was listening to the show.
Eddie Dalton had his brushes out for most of the show and swooned the rhythms back and forth as Fred switched between an electric and acoustic bass, but the real treat was Charlie. His chords are lush and his melody are all in the center of the keyboard and rarely did he play one note structures. Most of his themes were very complex layers of harmony and his runs were effortless as he moved up and down the keyboard as he performed great classics from Gershwin, Jerome Kern, ‘Undecided’ and ‘It Had To Be You.’ In the midst of his complexity though, I had to smile as he seemed to carelessly look at his watch in between phrases.
I realized something extraordinary about Charlie during the interview with Dave Carter. Dave was asking him about the future of Big Band and if the form would ever return to its original acceptance and Charlie seemed skeptical. He also explained something that’s truly unique about this musician. Charlie Goodwin is a terrific pianist. He’s a great band-leader too, but what makes him truly unique is his skill as an arranger.
As he explained, “playing this type of music requires that the parts are written for the player. From the range to the ability, the arranger of the music must write the music the fits the player.” Charlie seemed to think this was a lost art and I might have to agree as most bands get together and jam and there are few situations where a arranger thinks through the music as holistically as Goodwin.
We continued to tape the entire show and also recorded a unique rendition of a song that Charlie had layered with the guitar. As he explained, Hutsell played the melody of the song and Charlie followed with his hands playing multi-layered harmonies around the him. The result was a rich, flowing symphony of notes that echoed a stately and timeless elegance from these seasoned performers.
We owe a big thank-you to Dave Carter and Mike Strickland for letting us invade the studios that morning. We had a terrific time and as usual, I learned a few more techniques watching Charlie play. He has a lush sense of harmony and continues to be one of the most prolific jazz pianists in the region.
And Studio One is a treasure too, so if you really want to treat yourself to the inner-circle of local music, tune in every Saturday afternoon from 1.00 to 2.00 for this extraordinary live radio show. Of course, if you see Charlie Goodwin’s name on the marquee, you know that something special will happen too, so be on the lookout for this living legend. In the meantime, feel free to check out our You Tube videos and we’ll have a DVD soon if you’re interested in that too.