Continuing a look at the Bruce Hornsby newsletter archive, sent by Melissa Reagan direct from Bruce’s office in the 1990s/early 2000s. Links have been added where appropriate to add context. This one is from the summer of 1994, with an early mention of J.V. Collier and the upcoming unnamed new album (“Hot House”).
Tour Dates
Bruce and the band will be touring this summer and fall in North America, opening for Bonnie Raitt as well as performing on their own in a few cities. The following dates and venues are subject to change. Dates for the third leg of the tour (October-November) will follow in the next newsletter.
| DATE | CITY | VENUE |
| July 8 | Milwaukee, WI | Marcus Amphitheater |
| July 9 | Detroit, MI | Pine Knob |
| July 10 | Cincinnati, OH | Riverbend Music Center |
| July 12 | Indianapolis, IN | Deer Creek Music Center |
| July 13 | Columbus, OH | Polaris |
| July 15-16 | Mansfield, MA | Great Woods |
| July 17 | Fayston, VT | Sugarbush North Resort |
| July 19 | Portland, ME | Cumberland County C.C |
| July 20 | New Haven, CT | CT Tennis Center/Yale U. |
| July 22 | Holmdel, NJ | Garden State Art Center |
| July 24 | Hershey, PA | Hershey Park Stadium |
| July 25 | Lenox, MA | Tanglewood |
| July 26 | Montreal, QUE | Forum Theater |
| July 28 | Saratoga, NY | Saratoga PAC |
| July 29 | Columbia, MD | Merriweather Post |
| July 30* | Hyannis, MA | Cape Cod Melody Tent |
| Aug. 1 * | York, PA | Strand Capitol PAC |
| Aug. 3-4 | New York, NY | Radio City Music Hall |
| Aug. 6-7 | Philadelphia, PA | Mann Music |
| Aug. 17 | Canadaigua, NY | Finger Lakes PAC |
| Aug. 18-19 | Wantagh, NY | Jones Beach Amphitheater |
| Aug. 21 | Toronto, ONT | Massey Hall |
| Aug. 23 | Burgettstown, PA | Star Lake Amphitheater |
| Aug. 24 | Cleveland, OH | Blossom Music Center |
| Aug. 25 | Hoffman Estates, IL | Poplar Creek |
| Aug. 27 | St. Paul, MN | MN State Fair |
| Aug. 29 | St. Louis, MO | Riverport Amphitheater |
| Aug. 30 | Kansas City, KS | New Sandstone Amphitheater |
| Sept. 1-2-3 | Morrison, CO | Red Rocks |
| Sept. 5 | Seattle, WA | Memorial Stadium |
| Sept. 6 | Vancouver, BC | Orpheum Theater |
| Sept. 8 | Portland, OR | Civic Stadium |
| Sept. 11-12 | Los Angeles, CA | Hollywood Bowl |
| Sept. 14 | Phoenix, AZ | Desert Sky Amphitheater |
| Sept. 15 | San Diego, CA | Summer Pops Bowl Amph. |
| Sept. 17 | Reno, NV | Reno Hilton Amphitheater |
| Sept. 18 | Sacramento, CA | Cal Expo Amphitheater |
| Sept. 20-21 | Concord, CA | Concord Pavilion |
| Sept. 23 | Mountain View, CA | Shoreline Amphitheater |
| * Bruce and band only |
Please note that, contrary to incorrect advertising in The Washington Post, Bruce will NOT appear at Wolftrap or in Richmond, VA.
Bruce’s touring band will include John Molo on drums, J.T. Thomas on keyboards, John d’Earth and Bobby Read on horns, vocalist Debbie Henry, and new bassist J.V. Collier. Songs from the yet unreleased album will be performed.
New Album
Recording began in January on the new album, and mixing on half of the record began in May. A release date has not been scheduled. The basic rhythm section consists of John Molo, Jimmy Haslip, J.T. Thomas, and Bruce, with return guest appearances from Pat Metheny, Jerry Garcia, and Bela Fleck. Chaka Khan contributed background vocals on several tracks.
Awards
In February, Bruce and Branford Marsalis won a Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental for “Barcelona Mona“, the song they wrote and performed for the 1992 Summer Olympics. In Keyboard Magazine’s Reader’s Poll, Bruce won the Best Rock Pianist category, his sixth win out of the last seven years.
Bruce Hornsby Anthology
Warner/Chappell Music will soon offer a songbook of all of Bruce’s music from the first four albums along with the song “The End of the Innocence,” which he co-wrote with Don Henley. Check your local music store for availability. For those of you who have had a difficult time locating sheet music on some of the older songs, this anthology should be the perfect solution.
Merchandise
A limited supply of merchandise (shirts, songbooks, videos, singles) from “A Night on the Town” and “Harbor Lights” is still available through mail order.
Please write to this address to request a mail order form.
Unfortunately, this offer is available only in the U.S.
Other Performances and Sessions
In Miami in March, Bruce and John Molo joined with the University of Miami Student Orchestra to perform a concert of symphonic versions of Bruce’s songs to benefit the School of Music. Bruce and Molo also led symposiums and workshops for their alma mater.
Bruce joined a variety of legendary jazz artists at Carnegie Hall in April for the VERVE Records 50th Anniversary Concert, which was taped for a future PBS special and recorded for future release on CD.
Bruce contributed piano to Bela Fleck’s yet unreleased new record, and Bruce will soon add accordion to the new Crosby, Stills and Nash album.
Vegetarian???
The February issue of Vegetarian Times included Bruce in their list of “Presumed to be Vegetarian.” Sorry, but Bruce enjoys a good steak as well as anyone. Of course, he also eats his vegetables.
Questions for Bruce
1. What are some of the ups and downs that you go through in recording a studio album?
Basically, to make something sound on record the way it sounds in your head is a difficult process. Getting the tempo is important-too slow sounds like a dirge, and too fast sounds hyper. The first two albums were more like solos in the sense that they were mostly recorded with me and a drum machine. In the end, I felt they lacked dynamism, and so we’ve always tried to record with a band since. To really answer this questions succinctly, it would take an entire article, but again, just getting the arrangements to sound like what’s in your head is what takes a lot of time.
2. When you played solo, who played the synthesizer?
I was actually playing a MIDI’d piano. This is a computerized piece of equipment that interfaces with the piano, which gives the synthesizer effect you hear.
3. Do you have any plans to reunite with The Range?
No, probably not. We are still good friends, but I enjoy the freedom of playing with lots of other people.
4. I loved your composition “Song A”. Will the music be published so l can learn it?
Yes. “Song A” was transcribed in the November/December 1993 issue of Piano and Keyboard magazine, which pictured me on the cover. If you would like to write and request a copy, the address is String Letter Press, 412 Red Hill Avenue, #16, San Anselmo, California 94960.
5. Do you transport the same piano with you on your concert tours?
Certain shows I do play a supplied piano, but generally I play the same one.
6. Will other long-form videos, such as “A Night on the Town,” be released?
No, not this year. You may be able to obtain copies of performances I did by contacting your local PBS station, who will usually, for a fee, supply a video tape of the performance.