Sting - Paris 1985 - Bring on the Night
Thirty years ago, in May 1985, Sting was preparing for a series of seven concerts in Paris at the Mogador Theatre. At that time, I was playing in a group that had ties to his record company (A&M Records), and I was fortunate to be invited to attend one of his rehearsals at the Theatre.
We were some of the first persons in the world to hear his new music, his first album The Dream of the Blue Turtles, being released only one month after this series of concerts.
The whole group was first class, with Kenny Kirkland and Wynton Marsalis, but also with Omar Hakim and Darryl Jones whom I had seen playing at the Zenith with Weather Report a few weeks before.
We were quietly sitting in the balcony to avoid disturbing, I would say that we stayed for two hours, and I was immediately seduced by this new music. At one point, Sting told Omar Hakim he was a little behind the beat, and Omar replied in a firm manner that he was exactly on the beat. Drummers will appreciate ;-) A few days days later, May 22, 1985, I was invited to the first of this series of concerts, and I really enjoyed it.
I've had the opportunity to see Sting play four times since, each time with the incomparable Vinnie Colaiuta! I will have the opportunity to see them play twice more this Summer!
Bring On The Night is a documentary film directed by Michael Apted, which presents this project led by Sting during the early stages of his solo career. It was filmed in part during rehearsals and concerts at Mogador. The film won the Grammy Award for "Best Music Video, Long Form" at the Grammy Awards 1987. It is available on DVD and Blue Ray, and the double CD of the same name doesn't contain the same recordings.
The band
- Backing Vocals – Dolette McDonald, Janice Pendarvis
- Bass – Darryl Jones
- Bass, Vocals – Sting
- Drums – Omar Hakim
- Keyboards – Kenny Kirkland
- Saxophone, Percussion – Branford Marsalis
Drum Books by Alain Rieder
Time Initiation
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