STAYING THE COURSE
Piano man Jim Brickman celebrates 20 years on his own musical terms
Piano man, songwriter singer and raconteur
Jim Brickman heads back to the Paramount Theatre in Aurora on Saturday— joined by two frequent collaborators, singer Anne
Cochran and electric violin master Tracy Silverman. The performance will be a celebration by the Grammy nominee — something he’s callng “The Platinum Tour: Celebrating 20 Years.” That number represents the two decades the musician has been bringing his own brand of emotion-packed songs, as seen in such Brickman hits as “Valentine,” “Rocket to the Moon,” “Love of My Life” and “If You Believe.”
Brickman recently called to talk about his upcoming show and his new album, “On a Winter’s Night,” a collection of holiday favorites available exclusively on Amazon. Asked what has him most excited about the new CD, Brickman didn’t hesitate. “I have to say the collaboration with Kenny Rogers,” who sings the Brickman- written song “That Silent Night.”
Brickman explained that he’s “dabbled in country music over the years and with a number of different partners. Whether it’s Lady Antebellum or Martina McBride or Sara Evans, I’ve always felt like country singers tell a story. They’re storytellers, and that’s what most of my songs are about— love stories.”
As for another collaborator, John Oates, Brickman laughed as he explained, “I’m a huge fan of John’s and I like to do things that are unexpected. Most people immeditately think Hall & Oates, but I know that John is incredibly talented in his own right.”
When asked how he thinks his approach to performing has changed over the past 20 years, Brickman thought a moment and said it boiled down to developing more confidence.
“I was very naive in the beginning and tended to listen to advice from others on what I should do. Now I’m very confident in my choices. Because I’ve been through so much, that experience has taught me to trust my instincts, because I’ve done so many things. Back in the beginning, I would have thought, ‘ Kenny Rogers doesn’t know who I am. Why even try?’ But now, I just try everything. You just don’t know what’s going to happen. And it won’t happen if you don’t make the effort and try it.”
Brickman now has a very clear concept of who he is as a man, a performer and musician.
“Today, I’m more optimistic about my ambition of doing new things. It’s all about honing in on what you really believe in, knowing what matters to you and what doesn’t matter to you. I love live performing. I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t absolutely love it, because it’s way too hard to tour if you didn’t just love every minute of it.”