L’Urlo.

Zucchero.

I first met Zucchero and his producer Corrado Rustici when I was booked for a session taking place at Miraval Studios in Southern France. A rental Hammond C3 was already there and it was gorgeous!! One of the first tracks we cut was ‘L’Urlo’. We rehearsed as a band and when we were clear on arrangement and parts we did a take. However, during the take, after the middle eight, Zucchero shouted at me “Solo!!”. Taken somewhat by surprise, I pulled out all the drawbars, stamped on the volume pedal and set about the C3 with abandon. That’s the take that made the record! It’s rough but vibey. The same thing happened with ‘Miss Mary’ (co-written with Elvis Costello) where Zu called for an organ solo during the first take. There is a ‘flub’ at the beginning of the solo as I fought to maintain composure (as I was also playing bass pedals on this track) and play something appropriate. As I’m in control of the bass and the harmony, listen out for some chord substitutions on the fly.