by Alan K. StoutMusic Columnist
Throughout Bernie Williams’ impressive 16-year career in Major League Baseball, fans of the American pastime — and particularly fans of the New York Yankees — became well aware that he could play the game quite well. He was a five-time All-Star, he won an American League batting title, he earned four Gold Glove awards and helped the Yankees win four World Championships.
In recent years, however, fans have learned that baseball isn’t the only thing Williams plays well.
He is also a critically acclaimed and Grammy-nominated guitarist.
Williams’ latest jazz-flavored CD, “Moving Forward,” has been nominated for a 2009 Latin Grammy in the category of “Best Instrumental Album.” It is the follow-up to his 2003 debut, “The Journey Within.” Williams says there are both similarities and differences between the two records.
“The similarity is in the variety,” he says with a chuckle. “I sort of made a point on the first album not to confine myself to a certain genre. The rhythms are very eclectic. You go from rock, to ballads, to cha-cha and salsa. The underlining force on the whole CD is the strong Latin percussion content. That’s probably, at this point, what defines my sound. I try to get all of the influences that I’ve had through the years from music that I’ve listed to — mostly fusion jazz players — and try to blend it in with my hometown Puerto Rican roots, with the Latin flavor, and then try to put a little bit of my essence into it.”
Even as a ballplayer, Williams was known to his teammates as a deep thinker, and “Moving Forward,” like its predecessor, offers an outlet for his own thoughts and emotions. With the new album, Williams says he’s upped his game.
“With the compositions themselves, I’m taking more risks, as far as harmonies,” he says. “The musical ideas were more challenging to me, both to create and to play. I think my playing itself has gotten better from one album to the next. My chops are a little crisper, and I’m taking more chances.”
In addition to performing with renowned jazz musicians, Williams has received both support and praise from the likes of Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen. He is engaging when discussing his music, freely talking about his experimentations with various chord progressions, melodies, rhythms and time signatures. The inspiration for his music comes mostly from his own experiences, and everyone from his wife to his son has served as muses for songs.
“All of the situations that have happened to me over the course of my life serve me as inspiration to write the music,” says Williams, whose songs are primarily instrumental. “Sometimes I try to portray some sort of darker, moodier type of sound that reflects how I’m feeling at the time. There’s a song called ‘Addicted To You,’ and it’s kind of a moody slow jam. It’s very exotic and sexy in a way and just reflects my sort of pain from leaving the game and everything related to playing baseball in the Major Leagues. But the listener could relate to it, if maybe they had a lost love or something that they feel very close to.”
His rendition of “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” also comes with a touch of melancholy.
“It’s sort of my tribute to the game,” he says. “And it’s that same feeling of maybe losing a dear friend and acknowledging how good it has been for me. It has a little of a sadness vibe to it, but at the same time, it’s hopeful in a way that sort of tells me that life goes on and you’ve got better things ahead.”
Williams, 41, enjoys looking back on his years in pinstripes from 1991-2006. He’s happy to talk about his fun times with former Yankee teammate and drummer Paul O’Neill, who would sometimes jam with Williams in an old storage room at Yankee Stadium. He offers a modest chuckle when reminded of his heroics during the 1996 American League Championship Series, for which he was named MVP, and he shows appreciation when reminded of how it was he that caught the final out of the super-intense 2000 “Subway Series” between the Yankees and cross-town rival Mets.
Polite and soft-spoken, Williams is realistic in knowing that his fame from playing baseball has helped his musical career and has opened many doors. He knows that the opportunities he’s been given — such at a concert special on the YES Network or performing the National Anthem at Madison Square Garden or jamming with some of the best jazz and rock musicians in the world — do not come to everyone. He also knows that such blessings come with great responsibility as an artist.
“Once that door is open, you’ve got to fill it with the substance, and that’s what I’m trying to accomplish,” he says, adding that he has great respect for musicians that have made music their life’s calling and that he still has plenty to learn. He admits he’s never been much of a talker and thus has enjoyed the challenge of connecting with audiences when his plays live.
“I’m having a great time performing,” he says. “It seems like every time I perform live in front of people, my playing gets stronger and I feel more comfortable interacting with the crowd. One of the differences for me to play baseball in front of 50,000 people or playing in a concert on stage in front of maybe 500 or 1,000 people is that, in baseball, I could get away without really interacting with anybody. In just tried to do my job by catching the ball and hitting the ball. It’s a very different dynamic when I play music in front of a crowd, and you have to invite them into your world and see if they can get what you’re trying to say. I get to talk with them and explain to them what some of the songs are about, joke around, tell some Yankee stories and tell them how much I appreciate their support. …
“Getting them engaged into the whole experience has been one of the things that I’ve found to be the most interesting about this transition.” w
Bernie Williams, Saturday, Nov. 21, 9:30 p.m. at Caesars Cove Haven Resort (194 Lakeview Dr., Lakesville). Tickets: $50. Info: 1.800.233.4141, www.cpresorts.com, www.berniewilliams.com
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