Paul Andersen, Enjoy!
GLENDALE -- Steve Blackwood has been carrying on a love affair with
standard time, and it has been going on for years now.
It is not the standard time that you are familiar with -- we're not
stealing back the morning light, or rolling back the clocks -- that is,
unless you happen to look at the vintage of most of the songs that this
talented jazz singer likes to perform.
It is then that you understand what Blackwood is talking about when he
refers to standard time.
"I truly feel like I shine when I'm doing the old songs," he said one
night after a long day on the set of the NBC soap opera "Days of Our
Lives," in which he appears as Bart.
"I really love the old tunes that singers like Bobby Darin and Frank
Sinatra did," the Burbank resident said. "I listened to Jethro Tull and
Led Zeppelin when I was growing up, just like everybody else did. But I
also dug my Louis Prima and Keely Smith albums, too. That music just
really moves me."
Blackwood, who appears every other Wednesday, including tonight,
through December at Jax Bar and Grill in Glendale, has a lot of reasons
to wear a perpetual grin lately.
The hapless hit man that he plays on "Days" is scheduled for a major
storyline next month.
He refers to his character, Bart, as a comic ne'r do well, and when
the boss sends him out to kill someone, chances are he'll drop the gun,
Blackwood said with a laugh.
Black also recently had the opportunity to sing on the soap.That
performance in turn helped to spike the sales of his new CD, "Mood
Swings," his second release and first for the Posi-tone label.
The CD, which contains such classic tunes as "Lady Be Good" and
"Honeysuckle Rose," has climbed to number five on Amazon.com's
independent jazz chart.
"People who didn't know that I sang have begun buying it," he said.
"And it is in the running for Grammy consideration."
Blackwood is originally from Detroit, and earned a degree in theater
from Oakland University in Rochester, Mich. After graduating, he moved to
New York, where he continued his acting studies with Uta Hagen. At the
same time, he fronted his own band, Business of the Blues, which, not
surprisingly, played a lot of straight blues music.
One night while performing with the band, he met his future wife,
Karen, and upon getting married in 1994, the couple headed for Hollywood.
"Our honeymoon was spent driving across the country," he said with a
chuckle.
Blackwood has been plying his twin trades ever since.
"I guess if I had to describe myself, it would be as a singer who
acts," he said. "But there are a lot of similarities between the two. It
is really a matter of listening, either to the actor you are playing
across from, or to the musicians supporting you."
He sighed happily.
"It is ultimately about staying in the moment and having fun while you
are doing it. And when you are doing what you love, there is nothing
better."
IF YOU GO
WHO: Steve Blackwood.
WHEN: 9 p.m. tonight and every other Wednesday through December.
WHERE: Jax Bar and Grill, 339 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale.
HOW MUCH: No cover, no minimum.
INFO: 500-1604.
ON THE NET: www.steveblackwood.com.
