"Lisa, you have got to listen to this jazz band that played at the Emerald Orchid last night," she said. "They are fabulous and we know you will really like them."
"I even got a copy of their CD for you. When can I get it to you?" Debbie asks impatiently and then passes the phone to Greg, "She turns me on. She is awesome and is one-of-a-kind. Every song is her own you know? She reminds me of Marcia Ball or Bonnie Raitt on keyboards," he said.
So that evening while attending a party, the CD was placed in my hands as well as a great poker hand. "Maggie Herron The Trio" is the title of the CD, that includes Paul Lindbergh (tenor sax, flute), Danny Steiner (Drums) and Maggie Herron (Keyboards, keyboard bass, vocals). My friends were right, not only did I enjoy it, I fell in love with it. My favorites: "Over the Rainbow" and "Blowin' In The Wind" -- although the song "Temptation" left me aroused in a jazzy kind of way.
I'm well aware that Herron has been around for quite some time, but this was my first time listening to the jazz diva and I'll be honest with you, I wanted more. So much so, that I gathered a few friends to meet me at the Emerald Orchid the following weekend so we could see the jazz duo live together. Alice Moon, CEO of Alice Moon & Co., Shannon Carlos, Account Executive for KHHB TV (Big Island Weekly's sister TV station) and myself, all in jazz cruise mode, soon were partaking in a few libations, pupus and a dynamic jazz performance. The set had an intensity that demanded deep listening while displaying a rare and captivating charged tension of interaction between the group. It made for quite a powerful and unforgettable evening.
BIW: So where are you originally from Maggie?
Herron: Muskegon, Michigan
BIW: My gosh, what brought you here? That must have been one hell of a cultural shock yah?
Herron: Yes. I came here in 1976 with my boyfriend who became my husband. We haven't been together for 20 years. We don't need to write about that.
BIW: Well of course we do.
Carlos: I think you should thank him for bringing you here.
BIW: You better just sit there and mind yourself. You're outnumbered Carlos.
Herron: We had some friends living here on the Big Island, and in 1976 there used to be a Travel Lodge Hotel (where Shooters is now). They had a grand piano in there that was 7 feet long and so some new friends got a hold of me and said, "Hey, will you come down and play?" So I went in, played and sang for a couple of hours and the manager came out that night and asked me if I would like a job five nights a week. I said "yes." That was the beginning of my musical career in Hawai`i.
Moon: Didn't you use to play at Rosie's Boathouse?
Herron: Yep. I played there for a couple of years.
BIW: Can you name some of the artists that you have shared the stage/bill with?
Herron: A lot of the old guys. Dave Brubeck, Jesse Colin Young, Phoebe Snow, Richie Havens, Olomana, Crusaders: I really liked that one. It was at the Shell. In those days I had a 3 1/2 octave vocal range. Larry Graham was singing and playing bass that night with the group; "One In A Million" was his personal hit song. His little daughter came out and told her daddy, "My favorite singers in the world daddy are Aretha Franklin and her." He came over and told me. Joe Sample of course was playing -- Joe Sample is a great jazz piano player, and so that was fun. Then I did Hawai`i Home Grown.
BIW: I have not a clue what you're talkin' about but it doesn't sound legal.
Herron: You don't remember that either Lisa?
BIW: No, but please feel free to clue me in.
Moon: I think that started in the 70s and they did it a few years in a row, maybe four, five, I'm not sure on that, but they were albums. Artists from the islands would submit their songs and hoped they'd be picked for the album.
Herron: In the year that I did it, there were 300 entries and they advertised that the grand prize would be a recording contract with a major label. I entered a song with my friend Peter Skrabak, who was from Czechoslovakia, illegally at the time.
BIW: So what else are you doing rather than performing?
Herron: Every Sunday morning I'm on KHBC from 6 am to 10 am. (Kona 92.1 and in Hilo 92.7) I design a show with bruddah Brad, the program director, and we pick some of his favorites, and he's merciful and lets me put on the show, the music I really dig. I don't take call-ins, but I do take emails: Maggie@KHBCradio.com.
BIW: Back to singing, how long have you been doing that?
Herron: Since I was a very, very young girl. I studied classical music, both vocal and piano, from the time I was about 6. And I was the church organist by the time I was age 9.
Moon: So wait a minute, I've had a margarita and a quarter, but I want to hear the end of that story regarding Hawai`i Home Grown.
BIW: Oh yes...we did get off track a bit didn't we. Yes, do enlighten us Maggie. Tell us about Hawai`i Home Grown?
Herron: Oh, well we won first prize, but the station didn't come through with the prize. Literally they tried....... oh gosh I don't think you should write this . . . but literally they tried to intimidate me into just dropping it. We were supposed to have a recording contract with a major label and they just plain didn't want to do it. No one from the contest contacted me to say Peter and I had won. People were calling me from Honolulu telling me "you won, you won." First prize and we were all on television, the 13 people on the album, we each had a video, we all had TV and radio air play. This was the last Home Grown album they did. A friend of mine, who was a lawyer, called and offered to represent me, since the station completely dropped their promise for the "grand prize." So I had to take a deposition to establish that I indeed was a serious musician. Peter and I settled out of court for a little bit of money. We thought that was okay at the time.
Moon: I vaguely remember that.
Herron: That was a long time ago, Alice.
BIW: Stop it ladies, you're showing your age.
Herron: Well Lisa we're going to get together again another time, is that right?
BIW: No. This is it.
Herron: Is this what we had imagined on doing tonight - cause I still have a few sets to perform.
BIW: Then go perform. We are here for you all night.
Moon: You have to admit Lisa your interviewing style is a little unorthodox.
BIW: By the way can we buy you a drink up there?
Herron: Oh no. I don't drink when I perform. I'm a pro. This is work, it's my passion. I'm playing bass with my left hand and comping chords or soloing with my right and singing on top of that. If I had a drink, I might as well go home. Same goes for the players I work with.
BIW: Do you have any other albums out?
Herron: I did two albums in the 70s and 80s. And I did a few CDs during my years on the island of Lana`i. I was playing solo there at Manele Bay for 12 years. I sold the CDs only locally then. I kept a very low profile during that phase of my life. Prior to that, I spent a few years in California - some serious pavement pounding, performing five to seven nights a week and raising my two kids. In many ways it was a very difficult time. And the best part of coming back here to the Big Island a few years ago is that I stopped playing solo and started playing with an ensemble. Paul and Danny have been my main partners over this last year and I've played with a number of different drummers, guitar players, bass and trumpet players.
BIW: So we may see you perform someplace different and you may have different back-up artists then?
Herron: I would say that one of the most consistent things you will see is me playing with Paul because he works as hard and is as dedicated as I am. He writes beautiful lines on the sax or flute to compliment the songs and he works with me on my originals. I rotate drummers. I've played with Danny Steiner the most, and sometimes Bruce David or Alan Shapiro. And I recently played with Garin Poliahu.
BIW: And you write your own music?
Herron: I write a lot of music that I don't perform yet live, but I'm working on incorporating them into our performances. I want to be ready to record the next CD by next spring.
BIW: Well, your new CD is absolutely fab. You recorded it in Hilo and how long did it take you?
Herron: Two days. We played live. We went in those two days and I called about 16 songs, and we played each song two or three times. After listening back to all of those I picked my favorites. We did very few fixes. A couple of solos were redone, and a few vocal spots where I thought my pitch was a little off . So I would say that about 85 percent of it is live and untouched. Paul was in one room with no visibility. Danny was in another room with no visibility, and the same for me; so the three of us had headphones onS relying completely on feel, very intense and challenging.
BIW: And where can we find your CD?
Herron: You can purchase them at Borders, or at any of my gigs. And Keaau Natural Health Food Store always carries a few for me. And I'm selling them for $10 to encourage more sales. I would rather have everybody buy one and not have any left over.
BIW: And if they want to book you?
Herron: Definitely do it. We predominately like doing private parties. I can be reached by email at maggieherron@yahoo.com. And you can also go to maggieherron.com to visit my MySpace page.
Maggie Herron The Trio is simply sultry, steamy and sure to satisfy even the most demanding taste -- a must have to any CD collection.
