What led to you getting the call for This Is It?
I trace it back to meeting and working with Greg Phillinganes on Vibe; that led to his calling me for Michael’s 30th Anniversary Special on CBS,in 2001.From there,I did assorted studio work for Michael,some of it produced by John Barnes at Westlake,where they recorded Thriller.I imagine they might release that material at some point.This time around I got a call from keyboardist Michael Beardon,who was hired as the musical director; I had worked with him before.He said Michael asked for me.I jumped at the chance because I had no doubt he would set the world on its ear again.
Who arranged the songs?
Michael picked almost 50 songs overall and then we worked on getting about half of them ready for the London shows.Both Michael and Michael Beardon collaborated on the arrangements,but a third key element was the dancers.Whatever Michael worked out with them during the day took precedence at night.So an eight-bar intro might become 11 bars to suit the choreography— and Michael counted on us to remember that; there would be no charts of any kind allowed onstage.
How did you approach the bass lines,and how much freedom did you get?
As I say in the movie,you had to know them cold from the record because Michael knows every sound,16th-note,and inflection,and he’s a stickler about having the original part as a starting point.From there,it was a matter of finding a way to update the parts in a manner Michael liked; he definitely wanted a fresh edge to them.Obviously,you can’t change the main bass line of,say, “Billie Jean” too much,but in the bridge,which is more legato,there was room to stretch.Early on,there were times I’d take too much liberty or not enough,but as the weeks went by I’d sort of figure out what makes everybody smile.I took the most liberties with the Jackson 5 medley [“I Want You Back”/“The Love You Save”/“I’ll Be There”].It really lent itself to a modern-day Jamerson approach,and as I’ve gone through playing different genres of music,I’ve found his style has stayed with me the most.Having worked a lot with drummer Jonathan Moffett before,we had so much fun adding that sort of “modernold- school” nuance to the tunes.
What kind of bass directions would Michael give?
It was usually more performance-oriented than specific.So even on a steady,repetitive part like “Billie Jean,” he would say, “You know, Alex,it doesn’t necessarily have to feel the same at the end as it does in the intro.” In a show this big,with seven musicians,four backup vocalists,over a dozen dancers,and all the visuals onstage,you really can’t overplay.Your emotion and conviction is what it’s all about—putting a whole new energy and spirit into the parts.We would think we were playing a song great,and Michael would say we could do it even better.
Who decided what bass or keyboard you played on each song?
That was my job: to find out what was going to work best.Again,my approach was: let’s preserve what’s on the record and make it better.I’d listen to the Jackson 5 records and have my Fenders ready.I called Greg Phillinganes to find out what synth sound he used on “Thriller”; he’d say, “A Minimoog with two oscillators instead of three,” and so on.Every night at home I’d do at least an hour of programming to get the right keyboard sounds.Also,because bass and synth bass together were a key part of Michael’s sound,there were even sections of “Wanna Be Startin’ Something” and “Billie Jean” that I was playing bass and Minimoog together! I’d turn up my bass volume and really dig in with my left hand,hammering the notes,like on upright,while playing keyboard with my right hand.
On the flipside,for some songs it was decided as we went along.I was playing two synth bass parts on “The Way You Make Me Feel” and “Smooth Criminal,” but one day I happened to pick up my Jazz Bass on “Criminal”—and it sounded so much funkier,everyone stopped and said,That’s what you should play! On “Beat It,” I used a Music Man 5-string with a slap-funk vibe to keep that R&B factor; it’s a classic rock song,but it has to move,live.Michael had a term he would use a lot: Keep the rock funky and keep the funk rockin’.
How do you reflect on the experience?
It was an unbelievable blessing on every level.Musically,I learned so much from Michael’s acute state of awareness and preparedness,I feel ready to take on any gig in the world.I’m honored that he called on me over the last nine years; many of my favorite bassists worked with him,so it’s thrilling to be a part of that history and lineage.
Personally,we’re talking about someone who would come in each day and ask me if it was okay to put his towel on my keyboard rack! I was one of the last people to leave rehearsal the night before he died,and he thanked me for my love and support.The next day I started getting texts on my way to the Staples Center; I got there and waited with everyone,and when his passing was confirmed,we all lost it.A month later we were doing the memorial concert on the same stage,with the same gear.It was so sad.The only way I can describe it is we lost an angel on earth—a musical angel.
Alex Al - MJ bassist since 2001
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