Upper Lake >> One holiday season in the early 1960s, 10-year-old Paul Kemp’s mother went out to the shops for a new winter coat. She came home with an organ instead.
For around nine dollars a month, she rented the then-popular instrument, which came with ten free lessons. When she had Kemp sit down at the organ he took a shining to it, much to his surprise. By the age of ten, he hadn’t found his niche in sports or school, but music was another thing altogether. “I was amazed by what you could do with a little bit of time and practice,” he explained. “I was really fortunate that that happened when I was 10.”
Though Kemp grew up listening to the standards — singers like Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett — and he was certainly aware of the British Invasion, all of which provided plenty of material, it was a TV Show that really inspired him. “The Lawrence Welk Show” was the most popular program on television for a number of years. Kemp sat down each Sunday evening to watch the variety show, which brought in family-friendly, professional music artists. “Every time they would have a feature of an organ or piano player, I got really excited about that,” Kemp said. “People would make fun of me for watching it, but it was a great time to be with the family.”
After those initial organ lessons, Kemp played the instrument with his church and took up classical piano lessons. Later, during his undergrad years at Iowa’s University of Dubuque, he studied both classical piano and classical organ. He also had the opportunity to sit in as the rehearsal piano player for the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra.
Although the piano doesn’t look like the easiest thing to play, to a non-musician at least, Kemp insists the keys don’t present a huge challenge, at least compared to other instruments. A guitar requires complicated hand placements and wind instruments need special mouth positions. “It’s a lot more to learn and remember than just plunking your hand down and sounds come out,” Kemp said. “I think the piano is the easiest instrument to play. It’s only got thirteen notes, they just repeat themselves all up and down the keyboard.”
But perhaps Kemp is just modest. He admitted he still believes he has much more to learn and he continues to practice the piano, despite 53 years of experience behind the keyboard.
The organ, on the other hand, is one thing Kemp does feel accomplished at. He recalled a party he once attended, where there happened to be a showroom condition organ. Just moments after sitting down to play – with both his hands and his feet – the party host ran into the room, and with an expression of awe he asked Kemp what he was playing. Kemp responded simply, “I’m playing the base pedals.”
Kemp’s piano gigs aren’t without difficulty though. When he sits down at the keyboard, he always strives to bring his own arrangements to classic tunes. Ensuring the crowd enjoys what they’re hearing is where the challenge comes in.
Performing as an accompanying pianist also presents it’s own hurdles. “Being a support for another musician is a whole other type of artistry,” Kemp said.
For years now, Kemp has been experiencing just what that artistry entails through his jazz duo, Majide, with vocalist Machiko Shimada. The two met in the late ‘70s, but it wasn’t until the mid-‘90s, when Kemp was teaching a recording studio class at Mendocino College, that he discovered Shimada could sing. She came into Kemp’s studio, told him she used to perform when she lived in Japan, and said she was interested in picking up singing again. She stepped into the booth, put on a pair of headphones and belted out a tune, with Kemp accompanying on piano. Immediately, the two realized their combined musical talents could be something special.
Eventually, Majide landed a brunch gig at Upper Lake’s Blue Wing Saloon. Their music was received well, and they began performing at the venue more and more often, until Bernie Butcher, the restaurant’s owner, offered them a weekly slot. Going on four years now, Kemp and Shimada have been soothing the Sunday night dinner crowd with their renditions of jazz standards. According to Kemp, it’s the longest running jazz gig in the county.
Don’t be put off by their genre, Kemp urged. While some jazz could certainly be described as avant garde, wacky even, Kemp insists Majide’s music is just the opposite. “People get a bad idea about jazz because there’s different forms of jazz,” he explained, adding that some styles “are not as structured or as beautiful as what we do.”
Just look to their inspirations: Diana Krall, Billie Holiday, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Anita O’Day and Henry Butler. They’re classical jazz singers and pianists, much like Majide.
The first Sunday of every month, they invite a guest musician to join them during the last hour of the show. While Kemp experimented with a live music show during that time, they weren’t able to secure an affordable signal which reached from Upper Lake to Lakeport. Though Kemp admitted the station’s fading in and out had its charm – it was reminiscent of an old time radio broadcast – it wasn’t realistic for 2015. So while the show is no longer live every first Sunday, Kemp does record the performance, and KNTI plays it back the following Monday night.
This Sunday, Steve Baird on bass and horns will join Majide.
Kemp said he and Shimada feel fortunate they have a regular show at the Blue Wing Saloon. Without it, they wouldn’t have the opportunity to explore their passions nearly as often. “I hope that there’s a thousand other places just like Upper Lake and Lakeport and Kelseyville that have music every night a week,” Kemp said. “It makes a difference for the artist to have an audience that appreciates them. That’s what we live for, just the applause and the appreciation that we’re doing something that they like to hear.”
Though most musicians don’t rake in the cash, Kemp doesn’t mind. He plays for the love of the song, and an emotional response. “We don’t know why music moves people but it really does. It’s really powerful,” he said.
As such, he hopes his and Shimada’s gig at the Blue Wing will continue for years to come. “I’ve got millions of more notes for me to play and I’m going to play them,” he promised.
Majide perform every Sunday night, 6 p.m. -8 p.m. at Upper Lake’s Blue Wing Saloon. There’s no cover charge. Call 275-2233 for reservations.
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached at 900-2019.
