Jazz-Influenced musician, David Diggs is simply melodic in a musical sense. His musical style has charisma and charm - it’s spunky and jazzy, all-in-one. Diggs is a highly-qualified music composer, orchestrator, arranger, keyboardist, pianist and guitarist - playing most of the rhythm section instruments.

It’s been said that his album, “Jazzwerk” unites his old-fashioned heart with a contemporary jazz sound. I agree. I found the arrangements on this particular album to be refreshing, peaceful and uplifting – leaving me with a feeling of wanting more. Diggs knows how to piece together a song with intimate finesse. In my eyes, his musical imagination definitely gets an A-Plus.

David Diggs has been captivated by the works of Burt Bacharach and Michel Legrand as you’ll read in the interview. For decades, Diggs has been working with legend Pat Boone. He started off touring with both Pat and Debby Boone as a guitarist. Today, he’s the A&R representative for “Pat Boone Enterprises” (including “The Gold Label”) and “Spoone Music Corporation”, which is the publishing arm of Boone’s company.

In his early career days, Diggs was rated one of the Top-Three New Jazz Artists by Cash Box and Billboard magazines. Over the years, his albums have been very well-received by music critics and fans. Here’s just a partial list of some of his eye-catching albums: “Streetshadows” (Top Ten Billboard L.P.), “Realworld”, “Right Before Your Eyes”, “Tell Me Again”, “Nothing But The Truth”, “Eye Of The Storm” and “E-Klek-Trik” (Surround Sound 6 channel DVD Audio- this album was featured on Air Force One & Two and United Airlines world-wide).

David Diggs has had a decent amount of career success and he’s still going strong. His arranging and producing talents have been featured on projects by Quincy Jones, Irene Cara, Jonathan Butler, Richie Furay, The Brothers Johnson, Pat & Debby Boone, as well as on several Grammy-nominated albums and on his own projects too. Most of Diggs original compositions are mainly instrumental pieces, however, he’s had quite a few successful collaborations too as you’ll also read in his interview.

Currently, David Diggs is working on his new jazz-style album, which consists of mostly instrumental music - yet it will include some vocals by his talented daughter, Rachel. Other musicians appearing on his new upcoming album include: saxophonist - Brandon Fields and Swedish guitar superstar – Tommy Denander.

David Diggs shouldn’t go unnoticed – his talent is exceptional in many aspects of his music career. He’s been working hard on both sides of the music business, proving that you can do it all and still maintain a harmonious balance. On top of it, he’s got an upbeat jazzy track record to prove it!

A Jazzy Interview with David Diggs

© By Antonia Venezia

Antonia Venezia: How did you get into songwriting?

David Diggs: I was always fascinated by Burt Bacharach, and other melodic composers who employed large intervallic jumps, as well as somewhat unexpected chord changes, and I tried to emulate that style. Most of my compositions are instrumental, although I have had quite a few successful collaborations, including a song called ‘The Gift’ which was recorded a few times, including on a David Foster-produced album, and a song called ‘The Home Of The Lord’, which was recorded by many artists including Sandi Patti, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, Wings Of Light, and others.

AV: Tell me about your new album that you are working on.

DD: It’s tentatively called, “Neotekwerk” continuing in my tradition of combining one or more words into titles, and is in a jazz style on top of dance beats. It’s primarily instrumental, but features some vocals, including my daughter Rachel and saxophonist Brandon Fields and Swedish guitar superstar – Tommy Denander.

AV: How did you get involved with working for Pat Boone?

DD: I was called for an audition in the 70’s with five other guitarists, and I was picked. This was about the time that Debby Boone had her #1 song, “You Light Up My Life”, so we toured with her also. I’ve worked with Pat for decades now and help out in A&R, publishing, IT, as well as arranging and producing.

AV: Tell me about your music publishing company.

DD: In addition to handling Mr. Boone’s companies, I have a company called, “Indiggnant Music” (get it?), which is an ASCAP company, primarily as a vehicle for my compositions.

AV: How long were you on the road touring with the Boone’s?

DD: Pat hasn’t gone out for extended tours in quite a while, and I haven’t really toured with him in many years. We were only gone for perhaps two weeks at a time, including visiting places like Tokyo where Pat was a featured guest on a TV special. I also played and arranged for Pat and Debby on their family specials, Tonight Show appearances, Midnite Specials etc., and landed on the inside cover of ‘Rolling Stone’ as a result of Pat and Debby’s 90 minute Christmas special. Pat’s a lot of fun and is a very genuine person – which is the first question I’m asked by his fans, so we had a great time touring. One story I can relate has to do with my guitar amp being stuck in the airport luggage machinery. There was a sign saying to keep out, but Mr. Boone took it upon himself to climb up in there and look for it. He was gone a while, and upon returning, there came the amp right behind him on the conveyor belt. Unfortunately, the airport police had shown up, but once they realized whom it was, they ended up asking for autographs.

AV: I know your daughter is also a singer-songwriter. Do you do projects together?

DD: Rachel sings with my jazz group in the L.A. area sometimes, and has written songs and sings on my CDs, including the new one. She’s a fantastic singer, writer and piano player.

AV: Describe your songwriting style to the readers.

DD: I’m definitely always jazz-influenced, which perhaps can be a curse. As I said, I look for unusual melodies and harmonically rich chords. Another major influence was Michel Legrand, who has written so many beautiful songs, and I’m sure he influences me in both my composing and orchestration.

AV: Which instruments do you play and which instruments do you use for songwriting?

DD: I play piano, guitar, as well as most of the rhythm section instruments. I also know enough about sax and trumpet to be dangerous. I find piano to be the most conducive to songwriting for me, even though it can tend to trap you into sameness. I have written without any instrument, jotting down melodies in the car on paper napkins however.

AV: There are still a lot of jazz music admirers out there. Why do you think ‘jazz music’ is hard to get placed in the recording industry today?

DD: Jazz saw an upsurge when smooth jazz hit the airwaves, but like classical music, real jazz takes a bit of sophistication and exposure to be able to understand and hear what’s being played. The music business historically has operated on the least common denominator theory, and there isn’t much room for jazz in that theory. The Internet has leveled the playing field in that regard somewhat, but in some ways it’s a compliment that jazz isn’t so easily consumed. I was privileged to have a top ten Billboard album in the 80’s that stayed on the top ten charts for 26 weeks. It featured some really great players including: Lee Ritenour, Harvey Mason, Dianne Reeves, George Howard, Ernie Watts, Paul Jackson, Jr., Bob Carlisle and others. The charts were based primarily on airplay, of which I received a great deal. The problem then was lack of availability in the stores. At least with the Internet, if you catch the name of the artist from the radio, you can always find a site to purchase the product. That wasn’t the case with my album then.

AV: Are you interested in getting your music placed in film and T.V.?

DD: I am. I’ve done a bit of film and jingle work years ago, and everyone claims that my music sounds like a movie or TV theme, so it is something I’m interested in, although I suppose I’ve put most of my efforts into CDs.

AV: Does the ‘Gold Label’ (Pat Boone’s label) sign unknown recording artists, or only well-known ones?

DD: The original idea for “The Gold Label” was to give artists with two or more gold records who were over 45 years old a chance to have a record deal. There are many, many great artists who have been dropped by the majors for the reasons mentioned above. We’ve bent the rules a bit with a young big band singer named Ryan De Hues, but that was the original concept. And of course, Pat Boone is the original gold record artist, and the company is a great vehicle for his work.

AV: Tell me anything else about you that you would like the readers to know - Something close to your heart.

DD: Well, I always say, incredible as music is, and as fun as it is to pursue, it works best in the context of friends and family. Nothing should get in the way of spending time with family, including devoting too much time to music, or taking gigs that take you away from your family. I’m blessed to have a wonderful wife and 3 kids, and dare I say that I have two grandchildren now as well?