NOTE: This blog entry originally appeared in March 2009
by Chad Campbell, senior producer
About ten years ago, when Bob was still the host of Morning Edition on NPR, he interviewed a musician that most, or maybe all of us, had never heard of before. It was session bass player Carol Kaye (click here to read her wikipedia bio) — and Bob was still talking about the experience when we started at XM in 2004. Kaye is closing in on her 75th birthday and she’s been playing for most of her life. It all adds up to more than 10,000 recording sessions and dozens of hits for just about any artist you can name. We tried to get Bob back in a studio with Carol Kaye for more than two years. I first emailed her directly on February 23, 2007 asking if she’d be interested in another interview. She replied — a scant 34 minutes later — with an enthusiastic yes. It turns out that she shared Bob’s fond memories of the interview. Kaye was living in Palm Springs, California at the time — a location not ideal for getting both of them together. I wanted them in the same studio to talk about music and I wanted Kaye to have her bass and guitar to play and demonstrate songs and techniques. There was a flurry of emails back and forth for a few months, then I moved on to more pressing productions. Last I heard, Kaye was planning to move back closer to Los Angeles, so when Bob scheduled a trip there for union business and was looking for interviews to conduct while he was out west, I reminded him of Carol Kaye. Luckily, she was available at just the right time and the interview went off without TOO many hitches. The interview took place at the studios of NPR West in Culver City, California and I hope you enjoy the finished product.
Here is a video of Carol Kaye being interviewed and playing bass:
Click here for Carol Kaye’s “official” biography.
Click here to purchase books, CDs and DVDs from her website.
Click here to access Bob’s decade old NPR interview with Carol Kaye.
Absolutely terrific, and to think the audio is a free streaming file. I just sent the link to my one and only music student, an incredibly gifted guitarist, age 14. He’s already doing guitar-and-sax mutti-tracking, so I thought he should learn bass. If you hear the name of musician Alex Lacy some day, you heard it here first. Then I sent the link to Randy Emerick, South Florida sax ace who is sort of king of the YouTube, at least among my buds. He has sent me some of his showband stuff with Wayne Cochran in the longhair days, but also his more extremely cool bass sax and contrabass sax videos.
Thank you Carol, thank you Bob!
What a great program. Never knew about Ms Kaye, but what an impact she had on so many American classics. I can’t believe that she was the one who added the bass line to Lalo Schiffren’s Mission Impossible theme. It would have been a dud without it.
What an ear. What imagination.
Thanks again. Loved your show from day one on NPR. Now I listen to you on satellite. Their loss.
I always thought the Les Paul interview was the high watermark but I think this may have surpassed it. Great interaction and wonderfully produced. BTW I thought the candid outtakes at the end were a nice touch.
I’m listening to this for the 4th time! I listed twice in March — when it was first broadcast. And was thrilled to turn on Bob today and hear this replayed as a favorite! And now I’m listening to it again….. Thank you for rebroadcasting this – it is among my favorite interviews of 2009 as well.
Looking forward to more wonderful interviews in 2010.
Thank you Bob, Carol and everyone there for that amazing interview / performance. 2 things in particular I enjoyed in addition to what everyone has said:
1. Hearing a master musician talking about *music* is absolute heaven to me as an amateur musician myself. I find it absolutely fascinating.
2. Having the chance to hear her talk at such length to really develop her points, play examples, and get through at least a significant portion of her career also made it just a wonderful piece.
Thanks again for the riveting podcast.
Great interview with a great musician. I just wish the engineers had been able to do justice to her playing. The sound was very distorted, and I doubt that’s how she’d want to be heard.
Wonderful interview! This should be required listening for all musicians. Carol is the greatest. Thanks Bob.
I just heard the interview with Bob Edwards and Carol Kaye. I am a music teacher and a performing musician (flute) myself and absolutely loved Carol’s comments about music and why we need it in our lives. Thank you for this terrific program.
What an inteview. I felt like a young girl all over again! Bob your voice is one of the most soothing voices on radio. Your enthusiasm and awe of Carol Kaye, spilled over into my heart. I admire her natural high. It’s good to know that great music can be inspired ‘organically’. KUDOS!
arnieal
Bob,
Your interview with CK was an AWESOME piece of musicology. I had no idea. What didn’t this woman do? I just learned things about pace and structure, in interviews and in music from both of you. Gracias mucho! (I hadn’t heard "To Sir, WIth Love" in ages. I wept).
Another great interview Bob. Running an errand this morning, sun shining bright as the snow was melting, listening to Carol Kaye talk and play…what an upper. Music does deliver happiness.
rj
I wake up to you every to you every Sunday morning at 6:00 am. Your interview with Carol Kaye had me smiling and laughing and dashing to my keyboard to thank you. That was great! Thank you and thanks to Carol Kaye for a wonderful show! I have never heard of her. Now, I will listen for her.
Killed it today, Bob, I was building my porch this afternoon, and ended up with my ear just PLANTED to the speaker in my vintage portable Panasonic.
BEAUTIFUL. Greatest hour of radio I’ve heard in a very long time. And I am a talk radio-obsessive.
THANKS. And the outro was killer too! Like one of Carol Kaye’s many other improvisations, a grace note, so to speak…
Bob:
Thanks so much for your wonderful interview with Carol Kaye.
I’m a great fan of your show and I think this is my favorite.
Thanks again!
JP
Great inteview! It’s amazing to hear how much her jazz background made the pop music of the nineteen-sixties sound good.
This was one of the most fascinating music interviews I’ve ever heard. Carol Kaye has a career to be very proud of and a lot of great stories to tell about it — and she proved how well she plays by demonstrating some of her bass parts during the interview. Bob did a fantastic job of asking knowledgeable questions that showed his appreciation of Carol’s artistry. Bob’s interviews are always very good, and this was one of the best!
Bob,
Fascinating. Who knew there was such an amazing eyewitness to (and participant in) 3 decades of American musical history. The only thing more compelling than her stories was her humility. For now on when I hear the intro to Help Me Rhonda, I will picture a blond-haired, blue-eyed, 30-something session artist rather than one of the Beach Boys. Most interesting interview since that guy who drove around the rural South collecting vintage records. One hour with Carol Kaye was not enough. Great job.
Bob and Chad, congratulations on another great interview. Classic Bob and a masterful mix.
I’ve always loved hearing about Carol Kaye. I knew she was the number one session bassist in LA for years. What really got me was how her improv bass lines made so many of the songs. Good job.
Wow. this was a great great show. good job bob and company. very well done. what an amazing artist is carol kaye. i had never heard of her before today. fascinating stuff. this is why i tune into bob edwards every day. keep up the good work. much appreciated.