Adam Falcon Press/Blog

January/Febuary 2012 - The Hook

2012-01-24T14:22:00.000-08:00

Guitarist Adam Falcon flies in to play live! (Video Performance)

2012-01-19T08:38:00.000-08:00

Published on January 12th, 2012 by Bob Andelman in artists, Bob Andelman, Florida, interviews, live performances, Mr. Media, music, musician, musicians, rock band, rock n roll, singer, songwriter

Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of Marvel Comics characters from Steve Rogers and Sam “Snap” Wilson to those colorful guys in KISS… in the NEW new media capital of the world, St. Petersburg, Florida!

By Bob Andelman

Mr. Media® Radio Network • Email • Twitter • Facebook • LinkedIn • YouTube • Free Mr. Media Android App • Stitcher
In my head, the introduction to today’s show with blues/rock/jazz guitarist Adam Falcon goes something like this:
Blah, blah, blah – including live performances by Adam – blah, blah, blah!
You can LISTEN to this interview with guitarist ADAM FALCON by clicking the audio player above!

And then out loud I would say:
The first time Adam Falcon was on the show was a lot of fun. I love his music, his guitar style and his general approach to life. He recently got in touch to say he’d be coming to Florida – Miami, to be exact, and he offered to play a few songs live for us to help promote his shows on January 13 and 14 as part of Art Deco Weekend 2012.

How could I say no to that?

Adam Falcon Website • Twitter • Facebook • MySpace • YouTube • Order Bohemian 959

ADAM FALCON audio excerpt: “Just continue to practice and enjoy what you’re doing.”

Order Adam Falcon's CD 'Bohemian 959' by clicking the photo above!

On Mr. Cornell Dupree

2011-10-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

"Take your time, take your time..."

Those instructions were directed towards me and the other musicians at Electric Lady studios, seconds before the tape was about to roll. More like words of wisdom preached from the late great guitarist and studio musician extraordinaire CORNELL DUPREE.

When thinking about Cornell Dupree, what comes to mind is his trademark Fender Telecaster guitar and pipe; which makes me wonder how ironic if the latter contributed to his passing due to emphysema. Also a Fender Telecaster player at the time, thanks to Mr. Dupree, I asked why he switched and favored a Yamaha guitar over Fender. Cornell, somewhat of comedic person, said he was currently endorsing Yamaha guitars. Continuing he added, the company had guitar spies making sure he played their instrument exclusively or he could never go back to Japan, ever. I just cracked up listening to him explain this with a straight face.

I remember seeing a PBS broadcast of the Montreux jazz festival with King Curtis and Champion Jack Dupree performing. There's also a GREAT live recording available (Blues At Montreux). I own a copy on vinyl somewhere at home. Watching the guitarist, I remember thinking to myself; how cool is this guy? At 18 I knew music was pivotal in my life but still focused on how to turn it into a living. Fame and fortune are great but as far as I was concerned fame and fortune could have been two people who lived next door. I guess being an earth sign kept my head out of the clouds (sometimes). Also, I had to do something after college...but what? "Ladies and gentleman Cornell Dupree." With my eyes clued to the TV, his performance summed up everything.

In my estimation Cornell Dupree had it all. Here was this man looking ultra cool on stage, television and most important, yes playing the guitar. I'd like that job any day. Researching, I needed to learn if this new discovery would be my latest "guitar hero."

At one point this man played on just about every hit record on the radio and on records that became staples in music history. It's harder to name artist's he didn't record with than those he did. In naming a few you'll have Aretha Franklin, Joe Cocker, Paul Simon, Bonnie Raitt, Chaka Khan, Roberta Flack, Mariah Carey, Bill Withers, Donny Hathaway, Miles Davis and Lena Horn you get the point. Cornell Dupree was the star behind the stars. I inquire who he'd like to play for, his face now beaming he replies Ray Charles. I know on the record Aretha Franklin Live at Fillmore west Cornell is part of the backing band when Ray Charles makes a cameo appearance. Other than this I'm not sure he ever recorded with Ray Charles but I know he wanted to.

Steve Jordan, drummer and producer, introduced me to Cornell around the late '70's. By this time I was well versed on who the "gun for hire" from Fort Worth Texas was; as Cornell referred to himself. Steve and I had been friends for sometime. Early in our careers we played together on a few small gigs. Steve has an innate gift of hearing a song once then playing it back with all the right breaks. I've witnessed this on many occasion. In addition he's got this "killer groove" that makes the music feel good. These gifts found Steve to be one of New York's premier session drummers early on .

The corner building on 97th street and Columbus avenue in New York city housed a jazz club called Mikell's. It operated from 1969 to 1991. Every serious musician during this time knew of Mikell's. Whether you played or hung out there it was one of the main if not the main place to be. Steve and I went to hear a band named Stuff. They were a six piece super group comprised of top notch studio musicians, New York's finest. When they played Mikell's, which they did often you could hardly get in. Movie stars, models, famous athletes all in attendance witnessing Stuff's blend of musical magic. In it's midst perched on a bar stool located on a tiny stage was; you guessed it Cornell Dupree. His appearance was far more than fitting for this elite ensemble.

During the break Steve suggested we go downstairs to say hello. By now he'd known these guys fairly well. When Stuff became the backing band for Joe Cocker Steve sometimes covered for their regular drummer Steve Gadd or Chris Parker. Downstairs at Mikells had multi-purposes; office, storage, dressing room and a place where musicians and friends would conjugate. Mostly conjugating where you'd tune up downstairs before you tuned up on stage. Steve shared with me his first experience on the tour bus with Stuff and Joe Cocker. Concerned about a few things Steve had questions on what to expect. Steve being younger was reassured everything was fine. "Don't worry" they told him, "relax." "It's gonna be great." He asked if he'd get the chance to rehearse before the show. "Sure" they tell him. "We're heading there now." During this exchange he smells something burning... looking up he realizes they're already at the show. Jokingly they tell Steve the bus ride was the rehearsal and they're all tuned up. Steve, I'm sure played well that night.

Meeting Cornell Dupree was like meeting a musical folklore legend. Memories of those amazing stories about Chuck Rainy, King Curtis and their extraordinary sessions shall remain. Never really close yet feeling regret for losing contact; I was totally unaware of his impact on my life until his passing. In remembering Cornell Dupree I've learned about blues great Albert Collins and the influence Collins' music had on Dupree. I was informed that he called his guitar fills "little diddle-daddles." I'd study Cornell's right hand guitar technique where he'd tickle the strings with his middle finger. Adapting his use of the pinkie to turn the volume knob, obtaining his signature crying sound also came in handy.

For me the highlight of it all was one single phone call. A record producer had called me for a three week recording session. "By the way" he said "you'll be playing this date along side Cornell Dupree." That session was more than 30 years ago. However, as a result of that session I'm sure evidence will prove Mr. Cornell Dupree is part of my musical DNA.

Remembering Nick Ashford

2011-10-12T13:30:00.000-07:00

Ain't Nothing Like The real Thing Baby...

My earliest memory of a Motown record is of me being this little kid hearing Marvin Gaye and Tammy Terrell for the first time. A friend of my sister was playing their recording of Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing when afterwards she made the remark about just how clever those words were. At the time, not knowing anything about songwriting, I found something in those lyrics that stayed with me. Something infused in me to where I would want to someday become a songwriter, perhaps like Ashford & Simpson.

Nick Ashford, as some of you may recall, was half of the ever popular music duo Ashford & Simpson. Both Ashford and his wife Valerie Simpson are best known, at least in my opinion as one of Motown's legendary songwriter's. Acknowledged for writing such mega hits as Ain't No Mountain High Enough, You're All I Need To Get By, Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing and more. Later they also found continued success as singer's/songwriter's/producers. Producing and writing Diana Ross' biggest solo hits, including her signature Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand). They also wrote Chaka Khan's I'm Every Woman, later on recorded by Whitney Houston.

Aside from being prolific songwriters, whom I greatly admired and studied, they were also fantastic entertains as well. While being the guitarist for vocalist Phyllis Hyman (another amazing talent gone too soon) I had the utmost pleasure of meeting them. On more than one occasion we toured as their opening act. Those shows were never short of being spectacular and the audience, believe me, always got their money's worth.

Nick and Valerie, or Val as she was called, were two of the nicest people in this business that I've met. Unfortunately, there are only a few who I can say this about. Seeing them in passing they'd always stop and have something to say. I remember them both having this beautiful smile. I can recall running into Nick on the street, he'd say something like ''Heeeey baaaaaaaby, how ya' doin?". It's almost like I hear his voice now. Not slick but smooth and elegant as they were known to be.

In their own right I viewed them as being musical philanthropist. Owning a club in New York called "20/20" followed by another called "The Sugar Bar" they were constantly giving artists a platform to come and "do their thing". Today "The Sugar Bar" is still going strong. There you'll discover Quincy Jones, Pattie LaBelle, Denzel Washington and Maya Angelou all hanging out checking the talent pool.

For one month I was fortunate enough to be invited as a featured artist during a series called "Storming Mondays." As usual Nick and Val were gracious host and MC's for the evening. Their favorite song that I would do was of my arrangement on The Jackson 5 classic I Wanna Be Where You Are.

It's hard for me to imagine that the team of Ashford & Simpson will no longer be, at least not in the physical sense. With his passing, a part of my life along with an era of music is gone. In many ways I can say it is because of Ashford & Simpson that I found this career and the joy of songwriting. A friend told me that a great song lives on. The same is true also of a great songwriter.

...Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing.

July 5 2010 - LoHud.com/Journal News

2010-07-06T20:46:00.000-07:00

Little festival grows bigger

Big things are happening at the 4th annual Village of Pomona Music Festival and Craft Fair on Sunday. Musicians showcase their talents alongside a day full of events and activities for the whole family. Ronny Drayton, Paul Guzzone, Mary Ellen Bernard, Adam Falcon and Jeremy Wall of Spyro Gyra fame are among the expected entertainers. Enter the pie contest and make sure to check out Pomona Idol, featuring local talent ages 4-16. This is a free event from 1-6 p.m. held on the ground of Pomona Village Hall, 100 Ladentown Road. Call 845-354-0545.

View the original page by clicking on the following link: http://www.lohud.com/article/20100705/CALENDAR/100702001/Little festival grows bigger

May 2010 - M-Music&Musicians

2010-07-06T20:35:00.000-07:00

Adam Falcon

Bohemian 959

The sheer love of music exhibited by the beaming kid holding the toy guitar on the cover and the man leaping enthusiastically on the inside sleeve continues well into the grooves of Adam Falcon’s Bohemian 959. Smooth melodies frame the voice of a classic crooner with influences from Seal to Smokey Robinson, but when he gets his groove on more aggressively with “Soul Satisfied” and “Like a Soldier,” or shows a fondness for the blues on “Better Days,” he makes an equally formidable impact. Bohemian 959 benefits from not only Falcon’s versatility, but his polish and professionalism as well. Poised and confident, Falcon is ready to soar

Spring 2010 - Amalgamation

2010-07-06T20:34:00.001-07:00

February 2010 - Mr Media Interviews

2010-07-06T20:24:00.001-07:00

Fall 2009 - SESAC Magazine

2010-07-06T20:00:00.000-07:00

Adam Falcon

Photo by Trevor Gale

By David Mitchell

Inside Adam Falcon's Soul

Singer, songwriter, guitarist Adam Falcon continues to assert his influence as an independent recording artist with this release of his third solo album, Bohemian 959 (Ghetto Drum Records). According to Falcon, many of his musician friends gave up their time to contribute to this album including a number of fellow SESAC writers like K.J. Denhert, Martha Redbone and singer Marc Nelson from the 90s act, Az Yet .

Nona Hendryx wrote the album's first single, "Sunshine Woke Me Up This Morning," back in the day as a member of LaBelle. Falcon re-recorded it for Bohemian 959 with Hendryx as his duet partner. The album's only other cover tune is an inspiring remake of the Jackson 5's "I Wanna Be Where You Are," with the remaining songs all penned by Falcon himself.

"I've got a good feeling about this record," says Falcon. "This album is more soulful and moves in a funkier direction. It was a labor of love for us, and is something I think people will really enjoy. It is gritty, and truly from the heart."

Of course there is an explanation behind the unique title, Bohemian 959. The numbers 959 represent the address where Falcon grew up in the Bronx. His residence was like a meeting ground where musicians in the neighborhood would often come and play. In the spirit of his childhood home, a New York City loft was converted into a studio for the recording of Bohemian 959. Some of the best musicians were brought together within one room and at the same time to record the album live.

Falcon has generated quite a following with his previous works: Piece of Mine and I, too, am Colored, in Black & White. He is appreciated by numerous icons in the business, like multi-Grammy winner George Benson who recorded two of his compositions, "In Search of a Dream" (produced by Arif Mardin), and "True Blue" (produced by Tommy LiPuma). Falcon has toured as a guitarist with the likes of Phyllis Hyman, Jonathan Butler, Will Downing, Sophie B. Hawkins and Roberta Flack.

"Adam Falcon is one of those artists whose music speaks to the very core of human emotions," says Trevor Gale. "His passion takes you from where you were to where you wanna be. It is true soul music!"

May 2008 - Rockland Magazine

2010-07-06T18:43:00.000-07:00

Adam Falcon steps up to the mic with an easy smile, an acoustic guitar, and Marley-esque dreadlocks that swing below his waist. But don't be fooled—when he opens his mouth, instead of the punctuated, Caribbean accent you might expect, the slim, petit singer speaks in a smoky tenor suitable for a late-night, smooth-jazz DJ. And when he croons, he meshes elements of jazz, funk, and soul with a hint of pop. He's performed in various Rockland music hubs—Piermont's Turning Point Café and the Something Unexpected Art Gallery in Nyack—and he teaches guitar at Rockland Conservatory of Music in Spring Valley. But most of his gigs go down in swanky Manhattan lounges. Having completed a tour in February, he's taking the next few months to record.

Circling the music industry cul de sac since the tender age of 15, Falcon pulls influences from music of the late 1960s and early '70s—he fondly recalls a Led Zeppelin concert he attended with his father when "the tickets were a dollar-fifty!" He says, "My music is more reminiscent of a period, not a genre." Probably because, as a backup guitarist, Falcon has traded chords with some of the biggest names of that period, starting at age 18 with jazz icon Jonathan Butler. In the '80s, he nabbed an opening spot on an Eric Clapton European tour, and backed Whitney Houston across America. He toured with Peter Gabriel, the Bee Gees, Sophie B. Hawkins, and Roberta Flack in the '90s, and wrote two hit songs for George Benson. The clincher? One February night last year, Jimmy Buffet jumped onstage to join him during a regular gig at a club on the island of St. Bart's. "It's been wild," Falcon smiles. "But now I'm focusing on me." Though he would be hard-pressed to turn down a major label, he's enjoyed the freedom of working on the two-artist label Ghetto Drum Records, produced by his friend Trevor Gale. "The independent artist lifestyle is very bohemian," he says. "You record where you can—in a hotel room, your kitchen, a studio, a tour bus—I even have an amplifier in my Volvo." —A.G.

People of the Year -2008

2008-11-27T21:45:00.000-08:00

Our annual countdown of the most famous-and infamous-Rockland residents

Written by AUDREY GREEN AND TED HESSON - ROCKLAND MAGAZINE

Ahhh, quiet, secluded Rockland. Far from big-city scandals and celebrity... or so you thought. The truth is, Rocklanders meet with success-and folly-as often as city slickers. Just take a look at this year's headlines. Eventually, for better or worse, our friends and neighbors-Oscar winners, artists, even Joe Six-pack-get their 15 minutes. So here, we honor 20 limelight-bathed residents who caughtour attention most often this year, and we're willing to bet, yours, too.

19. ADAM FALCON

This Spring Valley singer, songwriter, and strummer has lent chords to some of the biggest names in the biz—Eric Clapton, Roberta Flack, and the Bee Gees. But his forays into singing backup are over. Falcon won numerous awards in ’08 for the lilting single “October Falls.” This April, he’ll release a funkier record, Bohemian 959, produced by Trevor Gale (Vanessa Williams, Whitney Houston) and featuring Grammy Award-winner Donnie Scantz (Usher, Chris Brown, Ludacris).

2007 RANKING None (fresh meat!)
2009 OUTLOOK Is that platinum glimmering in the distance?

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Written by

AUDREY GREEN AND TED HESSON

ROCKLAND MAGAZINE
Ahhh, quiet, secluded Rockland. Far from big-city scandals and celebrity... or so you thought. The truth is, Rocklanders meet with success-and folly-as often as city slickers. Just take a look at this year's headlines. Eventually, for better or worse, our friends and neighbors-Oscar winners, artists, even Joe Six-pack-get their 15 minutes. So here, we honor 20 limelight-bathed residents who caught our attention most often this year, and we're willing to bet, yours, too 19. ADAM FALCON