An interview with John Jorgenson

photo: Piper Ferguson

When John Jorgenson performs this summer at the Redlands Bowl, the experience will be “a full-circle moment. It’s great in so many ways; that’s where I used to go as a really young kid,” the acclaimed multi-instrumentalist said in a phone interview from Nashville. “Some of the very first performances I ever saw were there — be it an orchestra, musical or ballet. Our family would go and put the blanket on the lawn.”

The Jorgensons moved to Redlands when John was a year old, so “I consider myselfa native. I have no memories of any other place.”

Jorgenson last played the Bowl just over a decade ago with his eponymous gypsy jazz quintet. (Their compilation CD, “La Journee des Tziganes,” done in conjunction with a Chicago ballet show, is expected to be on sale at the Bowl.)

The musician returned in 2015 to watch sister-in-law Ana Gonzalez-Jorgenson sing Mexican folk music.

A former Bowl competition winner while a senior at the University of Redlands (majoring in woodwinds performance), Jorgenson feels the award was an impressive early achievement, although he didn’t quite realize it at the time.

“When I was younger, I didn’t look at those things as some-thing I could put in my resume. It was just, ‘let’s try this and see what happens,’ ” Jorgenson admitted about doing a piece by Von Weber.

Among the foremost authorities on gypsy jazz guitar in the U.S., Jorgenson has done instructional books on CD/DVD and recorded several albums in the genre, earned the distinction of being the rare American musician to appear at Festival Django Reinhardt in France (he portrayed Reinhardt in the 2004 film “Head in the Clouds,” starring Charlize Theron and Penelope Cruz). In July, he’ll help lead a two-day Hot Club Dream Camp in Colorado.

On June 26, Jorgenson plans to do a three-movement concerto for gypsy jazz guitar and orchestra at the Redlands Bowl that he co-wrote after working on an album with the Nashville Chamber Orchestra.

“As far as I know, it’s the first and only one” of its type Jorgenson said, adding that the full concerto is demanding and he hasn’t done it in several years.

Growing up, Jorgenson’s father and mother were on the music faculty at University of Redlands and San Bernardino Valley College, respectively. John started learning piano at age 5 and moved to the clarinet and guitar by 10.

“By the time I was 12, I had my first guitar. Then my neighborhood garage rock band already had three guitars, so I decided to play bass.”

Being a versatile player has been a major benefit to Jorgenson’s career, which kicked into gear when he joined the Desert Rose Band with Herb Pedersen and former Byrds member Chris Hillman in 1985. They notched a dozen top 40 country singles (including the chart toppers “He’s Back and I’m Blue” and “I Still Believe in You”). Jorgenson won consecutive Academy of Country Music awards for guitarist of the year.

Following their breakup, he joined Elton John’s band from 1994-2000 and played on the British legend’s platinum ’97 disc, “The Big Picture.”

Jorgenson said he learned to “project stage energy” from John. “I’d never played big arenas and coliseums regularly. It’s like the difference between acting for the camera and acting onstage. Your stuff has to be a bit exaggerated for the stage. I played a lot of instruments to fill in different colors and interacted with the audiences.”

Since then, Jorgenson has amassed astounding studio session credits that include Kenny Chesney, Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris, Reba McEntire, Brad Paisley (for which he won a Grammy), Bob Seger, Peter Frampton, Bonnie Raitt and Lionel Richie.

Yet Jorgenson’s contributions to Hillman’s 2017 album “Bidin’ My Time” ended up being more meaningful on an emotional level because the sessions were among the last overseen by Tom Petty.

“I really loved Tom as a producer,” recalled Jorgenson. “He knew what it was like to be in our position. He was very gentle and objective with ideas and really led us into a nice project. I’d been a fan of his since I first heard ‘Listen to Her Heart’ on the radio.”

During Petty’s final interview, he told the Los Angeles Times that Jorgenson’s playing was “Off the map and guitar’s not even his first instrument. It isn’t fair. …His touch is so beautiful.”

That’s some high praise.

“I was flabbergasted,” Jorgenson said. “I couldn’t call him up and thank him.”

Young Artists Concerto Competition Grand Finals

With: John Jorgenson, Music Director Frank Fetta and orchestra

When: 8 p.m. June 26

Where: Redlands Bowl,25 Grant St.

Information: redlandsbowl.org, johnjorgenson.com

My interview originally appeared in the summer issue of Redlands Magazine and at redlandsdailyfacts.com.