Rami Jaffee and The Wallflowers: Like a Rock

Rami Jaffee and The Wallflowers: Like a Rock

7.98 By John Krogh for Keyboard; San Francisco

While some musicians fancy themselves artists, the Wallflowers are folks. Hardworking and humble (as much as rock stars who've sold more than four million records can be), these five guys craft songs that stick in your head. That's their job, and they all know it - especially Rami Jaffee, whose seasoned hands seem to play exactly what the music needs. His piano and Hammond organ contributions are a huge part of the Wallflowers roots rock sound. So much so that they've put him in high demand in the fast-paced LA. session scene.

Of course, it doesn't hurt to have the right gear, and Rami, being a voracious gear junkie, has accumulated more than his fair share of vintage keyboards over the years. But at the end of the day, he simply has a great sensibility for playing parts.

"I can't take all the credit for the parts that I play," he says. "Half of it has to do with the amazing producers I've been fortunate to have worked with. Producers really concentrate on the whole damn thing, and to me it's a session. Sometimes what ends up on tape is because of their overall vision, not because of me. I've done some sessions where I went in and I didn't want to make a mark with an organ part, but I didn't want to be so bland, even though the producer was steering me that way. In those cases there are ways of being sneaky. Like what Benmont Tench did in Tom Petty's "You Don't Know How I Feel." There's a Wurly part that only happens once, and you expect it a second time in the song, which makes the first statement that much more impacting. That's just genius.

"Benmont has really inspired me in that way. I love playing Garth Hudson-type parts," he adds, "but I could only try to play like him. He's also great. When I go into sessions think about Benmont's sneakiness and Garth's obvious approach and try to combine elements of both. With the Wallflowers it's a different story 'cause it's my band. If I create a part or a hook, or a melody line in the song, I'll be there to play it live. I have to approach sessions differently for bands that don't use keyboard players for live shows. That's why I feel really guilty when I come up with something great on somebody else's record. It's like, `Oh no! How are you going to do this tune without the keyboard tracks? You gotta get an organ player!' Whatever Rami's secret, it seems to be working for him. In the last year he's played on projects for Everclear, Melissa Etheridge, and Don Was, to name a few. He's even played organ side by side on a session with Chuck Leavell, one of Rami's heroes, on piano.

For Rami, the Wallflowers are a dream come true. Even the story of how he met singer Jakob Dylan (Bob's son) and the original members of the band is something out of an American tale. "The night I met Jakob I was in line for Canter's Deli [in L.A.] around 2:00 A.M. like everybody else after bar close. A mutual friend told me Jakob was looking for an organ player. So I asked where he was and my friend told me he was in the Kibitz room, in the back of the deli. I walked back, and after we met, we all went out to Jake's car and they played me a demo tape of some songs. When I heard the tape, I said, 'When do we start?' and we started rehearsing the very next day. I didn't know there was going to be a record deal coming in a couple of weeks, I just wanted to jam. At that time in my life, it was especially about playing music. I was at a point where I had given up on getting a record deal and I decided to spread myself thin - just music, music, music. I figured if I was going to be a musician for the rest of my life, which probably meant being a bum, then I might as as well play with as many people as I could."

Not long after their auspicious introduction, a deal was signed with Virgin Records, resulting in the band's first major-label release, The Wallflowers. However, it wasn't all smooth sailing from there. In fact, the band was dropped from Virgin in '94 after having a flop with the self-titled release, and Rami resorted to delivering pizzas to get by. "I was living at home and there was no money for anything. I would try to explain to friends that [getting out of our contract] was a good thing; but the bottom line was that we didn't have a deal anymore. I had a certain faith in playing Jakob's music, though. Somewhere between, 'Oh, this is definitely going to blow up,' and 'I don't care if it ever goes anywhere. I love these songs and I want to play with him."

Rami's dedication helped him weather the dry times until the band finally signed with Interscope. This move led to recording Bringing Down the Horse, which put them on the map and seemingly every radio station from New York to New Delhi. One listen and it's easy to hear why: solid, straight-ahead songs played with purpose and passion. It's on this album that Rami really refined his approach, as evidenced in such sing-alongs as "sixth Avenue Heartache" and "Three Marlenas" - both wrapped in organ stabs and sweeps.

"It's all about repeating," he says of his Wallflowers keyboard work. "It's what Bowie used to say-'Find a mistake you played and repeat it.' We're a rock band, not a fusion or acid jazz band. The parts I play shouldn't distract you from the song; but they need to stick out a little. I try to play stuff that meets in the middle between playing pads and being really noodly. Plus I think it's easier for people to listen to songs over and over if there are subtle parts that show up once in a while. Someone might not hear a lick the first or second time through, but maybe by the tenth listen they start picking up on all the little things going on."

He pauses for a moment, then adds, "It's funny, I grew up playing in jam bands, Meterstype stuff, which is a little too noodly for a rock record. But if you're going to be a session guy, producers don't want someone to come in and noodle around. You gotta somehow be the pad guy. That's how I learned, by listening to Benmont. I learned all of that from him."

These days Rami is learning new songs for an as-yet-untitled and much anticipated follow-up to Bringing Down the Horse. He and the other Wallflowers are currently working out arrangements on Jakob's 4-track. But unlike Horse, which featured songs penned by Jakob only, the follow-up will likely contain songs contributed by all members. When asked about his songs, Rami dodges the subject by simply saying, "Jake's songs are usually better, so it'll probably end up being all of his stuff again, which is fine by me."