NEW YORK 鈥� Glenn Close recently made music-related headlines for her playful performance of 鈥淒a Butt鈥� at the Academy Awards, but the revered actor has some real music news: she鈥檚 releasing an album with Grammy-winning jazz saxophonist-composer Ted Nash on Friday.
鈥淚 learned about Go-go (music) and certainly about the Washington (D.C.) music scene from those years; I was able to do that little piece of 鈥楧a Butt鈥� because I had looked at Spike鈥檚 music video. Around the Oscars and afterward, I was doing this wonderful character for Gore Verbinski and his animated featured 鈥� it鈥檚 not going to come out for a couple of years 鈥� but ... it was all funk (music). And now I鈥檓 back to jazz. So, yeah, mix it up! It鈥檚 really fun and interesting.鈥�
The Emmy and Tony winner is used to her movies and TV shows premiering but having an album release is a first: 鈥淚鈥檓 very, very excited for it to be out in the world, especially now.鈥�
Close worked with Nash on his previous albums, but the two are co-stars on 鈥淭ransformation: Personal Stories of Change, Acceptance, and Evolution,鈥� an 11-track spoken word jazz album that tackles heavy topics like race, politics, identity and more. Nash, a member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, was tasked with composing music to match the words 鈥� both newly written lyrics along with hand-picked selections by Glenn from poets Ted Hughes and Conrad Aiken, biologist E.O. Wilson and playwright Tony Kushner.
Close, who offers her voice on three songs, called friends to help round out the album, including esteemed jazz musician and Jazz at Lincoln Center Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis, along with the epic players in the JLCO. Oscar-nominated actor Amy Irving reads 鈥淥ne Among Many,鈥� written by former radical Judith Clark at the request of Close and Emmy-winning entertainer Wayne Brady guest stars on three tracks and even wrote an original called 鈥淎 Piece by the Angriest Black Man in America (or, How I Learned to Forgive Myself for Being a Black Man in America).鈥�
鈥淚 feel like every time there鈥檚 a new project, it鈥檚 an opportunity to grow as an artist and embrace new ideas. I think that鈥檚 something that as I get older, I realize is more important to me. It鈥檚 not just, 鈥極h, I want to write some hip (expletive),鈥欌�� Nash said.
The musician added that his job was to help the album鈥檚 speakers deliver with authenticity and 鈥渂e absolutely supportive of somebody who鈥檚 spilling their guts and support that in a way that helps it emotionally and gives them a safe space to do that.鈥�
Nash plays several roles on the album, from composer to instrumentalist to producer and conductor. But he also became a subject: His son Eli speaks about his experience coming out to him as a transgender man on 鈥淒ear Dad/Letter.鈥� His father responds 鈥� through instrumental music 鈥� on 鈥淒ear Dad/Response.鈥�
鈥淚t was very moving, and Ted didn鈥檛 know whether he could get through it, actually. But when you put your soul into your instrument, into your music, I think it was a very healing experience for him,鈥� Close said. 鈥淎 very transformative experience.鈥�
"When (my son) started reading the piece, I didn鈥檛 expect to kind of feel the things that I felt,鈥� Nash explained. 鈥淎ll of a sudden it hits me that everyone else is hearing this. They鈥檙e hearing this personal piece that was a letter to me, and I鈥檓 playing (music) along with it. And I got very full. But, if anything, that just helped me to have a more profound opportunity of expression.鈥�
Close, Nash, the orchestra and the special guests recorded the album at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City early last year before the coronavirus pandemic hit. Close said before making the album, jazz somewhat intimidated her.
鈥淚 thought you had to kind of know what you were hearing. But now I鈥檓 just inspired by it because I think it鈥檚 deeply American and it鈥檚 also deeply human,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t is an expression of the human condition, dissonance, harmony 鈥� all of these different instruments playing off each other. In a good world, everybody gets a turn to stand up and play their bit.鈥�
Though Close, 74, is more known for film roles and eight Oscar nominations, as well as three Emmys for TV performances, she鈥檚 always had ties to music. One of her three Tony Awards was for the musical 鈥淪unset Boulevard鈥� and she also earned a nomination for her performance in 鈥淏arnum.鈥� She even scored a best original song nod at the Golden Globes for co-writing 鈥淟ay Your Head Down鈥� from 鈥淎lbert Nobbs,鈥� a 2011 film Close produced, co-wrote and starred in.
When asked if she鈥檚 ever picked up an instrument, she replied with a laugh: 鈥淚 pick 鈥檈m up. I don鈥檛 necessarily play them.
鈥淢y great dream is to learn how to play the electric bass. I want to sit in the background with a cool hat on. I actually have a really cool Gibson electric bass and I started lessons here. But then I go off and work and everything falls apart and I forget stuff,鈥� she said. "But if I can learn like six songs and do them really well, I think that would be fun.鈥�
Linking up with Nash allowed Close to
鈥淵ou can take away whatever it is you want from this project, whether it鈥檚 just you enjoy Wayne Brady and how he talks or whether you think that what he鈥檚 saying is deep enough to move you to some kind of action, or somewhere in between. My goal is to move people to some kind of thoughtful action, but it鈥檚 maybe a lofty goal.鈥�
Another goal: winning a Grammy, especially since it brings Close closer to EGOT status.
鈥淎ccolades should never be the reason for doing anything ... but I do think for Glenn 鈥� this is just a personal thing 鈥� I would love to see her get a Grammy Award because then she鈥檚 got three out of the four EGOTs,鈥� Nash said.
Close is no stranger to the Grammys. She鈥檚 been nominated three times in the 鈥�80s, though she admits: 鈥淚 forgot, actually, that I had been nominated for a Grammy.鈥�
At one point she even competed with John Lennon, Yoko Ono and Jesse Jackson. Who won over her? Jack Nicholson, Ben Kingsley and Robin Williams, who died in 2014.
鈥淎www,鈥� she said, putting her hand on her heart. 鈥淚鈥檓 very proud to lose to Robin Williams.鈥�
鈥淲ell, gosh, I鈥檇 be thrilled if this got a (Grammy), even to be nominated would be incredible,鈥� she added.
Mesfin Fekadu, The Associated Press
