Solo guitar virtuoso Laurence Juber, a two-time Grammy-winning former member of Paul McCartney and Wings, is not one to rest on those laurels. In fact, he’ll be crisscrossing the nation this spring, performing everywhere from California to North Carolina, from Washington to Georgia.
In between, Juber is at work on a new album — something he says “is more of a late night-themed record” — contributing to ongoing productions of the Gilligan’s Island musical, holding guitar workshops, transcribing guitar arrangements and continuing his celebrated career as a studio musician. For instance, Juber appeared backing Jeff Beck and Seal (“Like a Rolling Stone”) and Evan Rachel Wood (“I’d Have You Anytime”) on the recent Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International, a benefit collection of 72 track in a four-CD boxed set.
Juber collaborated with his wife Hope Schwartz Juber on the 19-song score for “Gilligan’s Island: The Musical,” a family affair that was written by the late Sherwood Schwartz (the creator of the iconic original TV series, and Hope’s father) and Lloyd Schwartz (Hope’s brother, and Sherwood’s son). “The two most important mentors in my life have been Paul McCartney in my life have been Paul McCartney and Sherwood Schwartz,” Juber told us. “I ended up in this weird nexus of pop culture — coming from Wings, and the British Invasion, and then arriving in America and becoming part of this TV royalty. When we work together, it fuses those two things.”
[SOMETHING ELSE! INTERVIEW: Former Wings lead guitarist Laurence Juber talks about graduating from “McCartney University” – and then transitioning into his ongoing role as a solo guitar virtuoso.]
As for his forthcoming album, the working title is The Other Side of Midnight, Juber said. A ragtime project is to follow, continuing in a series of themed albums for the talented instrumentalist — who has constructed solo reimaginings of both the Beatles and Wings already. “I’ve been getting into more of that lately,” Juber said. “Rather than being eclectic, as I have been, I’m getting more into themed stuff. It’s driven, in part, by the shows. I’ve done 19 albums already, and I’d like to be able to say to people: ‘This is the jazz blues, this is the ragtime, this is the pretty stuff,’ that way it kind of defines it more clearly.”
[ONE TRACK MIND: Laurence Juber discusses key songs from his tenure with Paul McCartney and Wings, along with favorite sides from his solo career and Al Stewart projects.]
After each album, Juber painstakingly records the arrangements, something Juber describes as “a bit of a labor of love — because of the amount of work it takes to do something like that is never commiserate with the amount of money you make. But its part of the legacy, and it also allows me to have a core repertoire for teaching purposes.”
A rigorous concert schedule means Juber won’t be settling into classroom work any time soon.
“All of these things work together,” he told us. “I’ve become something of an ambassador for the guitar. Eventually, I plan to ramp down and do more teaching, but right now, I am doing a lot of touring.”
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Here’s a look at Laurence Juber’s upcoming concert dates …
March 9: Swallow Hill Music Hall, Denver, Colorado
March 10: Stargazers Theatre, Colorado Springs, Colorado
March 16: Dana Point Community House, Dana Point, California
March 17: Mission Viejo Civic Center, Mission Viejo, California
March 18: Anthology, San Diego, California
March 23: The Anchor Pub, Everett, Washington
March 24: Dusty Strings, Seattle, Washington
March 25: Harrison Medical Center Gateway Fellowship, Poulsbo, Washington
April 3: Lucy’s 51, Toluca Lake, California
April 20: Randy Wood Guitars, Bloomingdale, Georgia
April 21: Unitarian Universalist Metro, Roswell, Georgia
April 22: The Altamont Theatre, Asheville, North Carolina
April 24: Kentucky Coffeetree Cafe, Frankfort, Kentucky
April 26: Taffy’s, Eaton, Ohio
April 27-30: Fur Peace Ranch, Pomeroy, Ohio
May 1: Wellmont Centre for the Arts, Blountville, Tennessee
May 2: Trinity Ecumenical Parish, Monets, Virginia
May 3: Evening Muse, Charlotte, North Carolina
For more, go to Laurence Juber’s Web site: http://laurencejuber.com/concerts.html
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