“My Undivided Attention,” an album of 10 vocals in pop-jazz style, will be released February 24 by Rob McGilton, Spokane-area singer-songwriter-pianist.
The album was produced by Portland jazz pianist and educator Randy Porter, whose many awards include a 2017 Grammy nomination for Porter Plays Porter with Nancy King.
The album offers several love songs, including I Always Had a Thing for You, by lyricist Lorraine Feather and composer Shelly Berg. Some of the other tunes are humorous with a serious message, using the “untrustworthy narrator” to comment on human foibles and 21st-century issues.
Examples: a short-lived Supermarket Love Affair, a guy whose complete history of lying from the Department of Lies totals 30 boxes, a cell phone-obsessed dude whose “Undivided Attention” is anything but. An older man has a Bucket List focused on life’s “small, sweet pleasures,” a radio guru reveals the three magic words for getting un-stuck: Do It Anyway, and infatuation with a Little Plastic Card turns to desperation.
In his small hometown of Snoqualmie, Washington near Seattle, McGilton grew up loving the “Great American Songbook,” late-night jazz radio from San Francisco, and Broadway musicals. He credits Dave Frishberg, Lorraine Feather, and Randy Newman as key songwriting influences.
Comments on his work include: “We need these words of yours; I was deeply moved” (Claudia Castro-Luna, former Washington State Poet-Laureate); “You really are a wonderful composer” (Cayman Ilika, NYC-based musical theatre vocalist); “Very nice lyrics, and I’m pretty picky when it comes to lyrics” (Jackie Ryan, jazz singer).
Living in the Seattle area for many years, McGilton never considered himself an accomplished jazz pianist, but was fortunate enough to play gigs with a few, including bassists Chuck Deardorf, Chuck Metcalf, and Rufus Reid. But at Northwestern University he discovered a knack for songwriting. In 2015 he wrote the book, music, and lyrics for a (still un-produced) musical, The Goshen Country Club, set in an illegal, after-hours honky-tonk roadhouse.
He also used his PR abilities to co-produce concerts, including a big band jazz series with the Maynard Ferguson, Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Thad Jones-Mel Lewis, and Buddy Rich bands; Dave Brubeck and sons; and three concerts by classical flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal.
On his own he presented Lena Horne, a classic guitar series, fiddler Mark O’Connor, and four seasons of the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival in Seattle. He also co-produced a show with a very young Kenny G. “We each made $154,” he said.
