Booker T. revs up for festival
Booker T. Jones is coming back to Monterey. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame musician, who rose to national prominence as the writer of the hits “Green Onions” and “Born Under a Bad Sign,” first played the fairgrounds with his 1960s soul group Booker T. & the MG’s. This week he returns as one of the performers at the 57th annual Monterey Jazz Festival, which includes headliners Herbie Hancock, Gary Clark Jr. and the Roots. We spoke with Jones, 69, by phone. Q: Itwas 52 years ago this month that “Green Onions” peaked at No. 3 on the charts. Did you think at that time you would have such a long run?
A: I was hoping I would still be making music. I thought I would be writing symphonic music or teaching or something, but I would not have dreamt “Green Onions” would still be on the radio. Q: As one of the last men standing from the Stax era, do you feel a responsibility to carry a torch for the Memphis sound?
A: In some ways. But I’m not by myself. I’ve got friends in so many areas of music — like Gary Clark Jr. He’s like an original blues player who played with the old guys.
57th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival: 6 p.m. Friday, 11:30 a.m. Saturday-next Sunday. $20-$335. Monterey County Fairgrounds, 2000 Fairground Road, Monterey. (831) 373-3366. www.montereyjazzfestival.org.
My son, who plays in my band, is a good disciple, too. I do feel like a teacher. We want to keep playing the blues the way it was originally done. Q: The thing is, no one could replicate your experience, studying classical theory at Indiana University while playing with the house band at Stax.
A: I was fortunate. For my graduation, I scored a Bach fugue, and then another day I would be in the studio writing lead sheets for Otis Redding and Sam and Dave. Q: When you played the Monterey Pop festival in 1967, your band wore matching chartreuse suits. It would be great if you could break those out again.
A: Yeah, we were pretty attached to those — they were made of silk and custom tailored for us. Q: When you play these big festivals, do you still walk onstage looking for approval?
A: That’s a very good question. The honest answer is, no. I learned at such an early age I’m going to make so many mistakes and there’s no way around it. I’ve let myself off the hook. I just want to enjoy it. I don’t want to be uptight and play all the notes right. I get nervous before a show, but I give myself a certain number of mistakes. My band, too. A