Hi Nathan, it’s very nice of you to participate in an interview with me. You are part of the Toto family so many fans would love to hear some more about this great bass-player who is playing for them now on the Toto stage. We’ll be talking about your Toto connection soon but first we all like to learn some more about you so an obvious but important question to start an interview with a musicians is, when did you start playing music, who taught you and which musicians inspired you to start playing music? And do you play more instruments besides the Bass-guitar?

As young children several members of our family took private piano lessons including me.  At about age 10 or 11 I can remember watching one of the Charlie Brown television specials listening to the music and being very drawn into the “cool piano” being played by Vince Guaraldi. This inspired me to inquire at my jr. high school about studying piano at school.  Piano wasn’t available but I was offered any of the stringed orchestra instruments to study, violin, viola, cello or contra bass.  I chose cello primarily because the violin and viola seemed too small and the upright bass was a bit too big. I then played cello in the school orchestra for the next three years.

My older brothers Raymond and David were my first real musical influences.  Ray sang and David played guitar for the Folk Masses at Christ the King Church in San Diego. In tagging along with them I found myself at one of their rehearsals at the church and noticed on the altar a bass guitar on a stand.  No one was playing it so I asked if it would be okay to give it a try.
From that moment on life would never be the same again as I instantly fell in love with this instrument and everything about it!  They actually let me play along with them from that point on.

When I listened to music on the radio my ears would just focus on the bass. David also played guitar in his high school big-band jazz ensemble. I would stand outside the band room door and listen to them rehearse and again my ear would  just go straight to the bass and how cool it sounded.  The bass player in the band, Gunner Biggs was my first real mentor.  He laid his Fender Bass on me and really encouraged me so in high school at age 14, I officially switched from cello to bass, sometimes even tuning the cello like a bass (in fourths instead of fifths).

And besides music, are there any other hobbies you love to do?

In addition to music as my profession, I do have other interests and hobbies that I enjoy. I thoroughly enjoy playing ping-pong with my wife and kids!  We’re all so competitive. I love cameras and taking photographs … in a way I feel a strong connection between photography, art and music.

I am also a private pilot and really love the feeling of freedom that flying airplanes gives you.  Like music, I think being a professional aviator is something that I could enjoy doing for a living.

Magic has always intrigued me since my childhood so I dabble as an amateur magician and joined the Magic Circle in London and the Magic Castle in Los Angeles.  It’s really fun and again like music requires talent and lots of dedication.

Can you please guide us a little through the amazing career you have so far, what are your personal highlights and the facts you are the most proud of when you re-live everything you have done so far?

Wow, I have so many wonderful memories and personal highlights over the past four decades!  At age 16, I toured the country with Barry White and the Love Unlimited Orchestra.  It was a thrill playing venues like Madison Square Garden and the Apollo Theater In New York… the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington DC and Cobo Hall in Detroit.

Shortly after that I had the amazing experience of playing a duet with the great Hubert Laws at the Hollywood Bowl in front of an audience of 17,000. Then there were highlights like playing Live-Aid in Philadelphia with Kenny Loggins and Rock-in-Rio in Brazil with Al Jarreau in front of 250,000 people!  Touring the world with Eric Clapton and Phil Collins, simply a joy and honor, two of the finest musicians and human beings anyone could ever wish to work with.  Playing with George Harrison on his Last tour in Japan was also a very high honor and unforgettable experience. I miss him dearly.  Knebworth 1990 Concert in the U.K. with Elton John, Mark Knopfler & Eric (Clapton) for a quarter of a million people was a blast!  I’ve played for the Pope (John Paul II), HRH The Queen of England, Nelson Mandela and for three Presidential  Inaugurations including the “We Are One” Inaugural Concert for President Barack Obama.  That audience by the way was the largest I’ve ever performed in front of …  2 million people!  However, the most amazing highlight of my life by far has been witnessing the birth of my twins!  My wife & I went in for a routine check roughly 5 weeks before their due date and the doctor asked ‘how do you feel about becoming parents today?”  I’ve been blessed with an incredible family for which I couldn’t be more proud & grateful.

Did you ever had a job that wasn’t connected with music or does your whole working career exsist of only music?

My first job was at a gas station down the street from our house… not even pumping gas, just helping to keep the shop clean & organized.  Then I got a job at an exclusive men’s clothing store in the Fashion Valley Mall folding clothes in the back room at first but then later graduated to helping customers.  I enjoyed the interaction with people but soon realized that punching a time-clock wasn’t really doing it for me.

Do you ever think of what you have chosen to do for a living as it would be for music?

In my heart I knew how much I really loved music but never could’ve imagined how big a part of my life it would become.

As I am well informed, you co-wrote the number 1 hit ‘Easy Lover’ from Phil Collins & Philip Bailey. Can you tell me a little what your part was in this song and how does it feel to be part of a song that made so big world wide?

That was an exciting time and fun project, the Philip Bailey Chinese Wall album.  Philip invited me to record it with him in England with Phil Collins producing. We stayed at a quaint little hotel in Guilford and each morning Phil Collins would pick us up and drive us to the Townhouse Studios in London.  He drove so fast I’ll never forget how much I was praying to God promising to be a good human being if he got us to the studio safely! LOL!  We had such a great time in the studio and that was my first opportunity to really play with Phil Collins one my favorite drummers ever!  After a couple of weeks of recording Philip came me and said we still need an undeniable hit single so we went over to the piano and in about 20 minutes wrote most of the music.  We laid down the idea of the song that evening in the studio with the intention of coming back with fresh ears in the morning and making the record. The next morning when we put the track up and listened to it we all agreed that was it was grooving so hard, we didn’t really need to re-record it.  The working title was ‘Choosy Lover’ which Phil then wrote the lyrics to become ‘Easy Lover’.  Phil’s drumming was awesome on the track but as he was singing the new lyrics to us, his voice sounded so good that we determined the song need to be a duet with both Phil & Philip singing it.  George Massenburg recorded and mixed the record and I believe we got the hit single we were after.  It was really fun to sometimes hear the song being played on three different radio stations at once!

I cannot imagine how it must be and what your thoughts and feelings are when you are in a place where there is music on the radio and they play ‘Easy Lover’, does it not make you want to shout out; “Hey people, I did write this tune?”

Well, It definitely puts a smile on my face when I hear it and brings back fond memories of the recording process.

Speaking of hit songs I understand you are playing on the new Daft Punk single “Get Lucky” which has reached #1 in 65 countries.​

Yes, it appears this song and their new CD (Random Access Memories) has taken the world by storm and broken all kinds of records. “Get Lucky” is the highest selling single of 2013 and their #1 Billboard album is the most streamed record in the history of Spotify.  I had a great time working with Daft Punk (Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo), very cool guys from France and really meticulous when it comes to sounds and getting all the parts right. We recorded several songs at Conway Studios in LA but when co-writer Nile Rodgers put his guitar mojo on ‘Get Lucky’ in New York it took the song to another level and I ended up tweaking my original bass part to match the serious funk that Nile brought to the track! It’s kind of retro and takes you back to the good old days when records felt so good & sounded so good. One of my favorite engineers Mick Guzouski did and amazing job recording and mixing this project!

You also recorded, performed and co-written songs with numerous of great names in music like Michael Jackson, Phil Collins, Stevie Wonder, Elton John and many more. What are the most memoriable memories of those co-operations?

They all come with very special and unique memories. Michael Jackson was good fun to be in the room with, I miss him and often wonder what his musical contribution to today’s music would be.  Stevie Wonder called me in to work on his last project and although we didn’t get started until about 2 o’clock in the morning, the magic that happens when he’s in the studio sitting at the piano is absolutely breathtaking. You can feel the God energy & spirit flowing through his body!

Do you stil have a wish-list of musicians you like to work with that you not already have done and who would that be?

Steely Dan –  high on my list of artists that I would love to work with.  Also the great guitarist Pat Metheny.  I’m a big fan of John Mayer as well.

You also participated in some movie scores, can you mention some of the movies you were involved in musically?

Footloose (Kenny Loggins), The Last Temptation of Christ (Peter Gabriel, Composer), Phenomenon Soundtrack (Change the World – EC), Waiting to Exhale (Babyface), Crossroads (Ry Cooder), Hairspray, Dreamgirls, Lethal Weapon 2 & 3, Rush, Escape from LA, Thelma and Louise (BB King), The Preachers Wife (Whitney Houston), Joyful Noise (Queen Latifa & Dolly Parton) and Tarzan (Phil Collins) to name a few.

At this moment you are a part of Toto and Fourplay. First of all, what’s your connection with Toto and how did it happen that they asked you to play with the band?

I’ve been friends with all the guys in Toto for more than 30 years and they asked me to sit in for Mike Porcaro in 2010 in support of  what he was going through with his medical condition (ALS).  I was honored to be asked and have been touring with them since.

When did you first met the members of Toto and did you ever played together with them on one or more albums?

Yes, in the early 80s we played on many projects together including Randy Newman’s “I Love LA”, George Benson, Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, etc.

How do you experiences playing with these guys and what do you think of the strong fanbase this band has?

I’m still amazed at the incredible level of musicianship contained in this one band.  Obviously the high standards they set for themselves 35 years ago have contributed to their long-lasting value and strong fan base around the world.

What would be your favourite tune from Toto to play?

Oh, now that’s a difficult question because I love so many of their songs. Pamela, I’ll Be Over You, It’s A Feeling, Better World and of course Africa & Rosanna … all favorites!

You are also involved with the Jazz quartet Fourplay. When did this band start, who are your collegues in this band and how many albums did you already release with them?

In 1990 Bob James was recording his Grand Piano Canyon CD for Warner Bros and asked Lee Ritenour & Harvey Mason who he should call to play bass on the record.  They both recommended me!  Of course I will be forever grateful to them as the chemistry in the studio between the four of us was so strong that Bob immediately suggested the idea of forming a quartet and that was the birth of Fourplay.  Bob was also an executive at Warner Bros. Records and the label signed us on the spot. 13 albums and 23 years later we are still going strong.  The current lineup is Bob James (piano), Harvey Mason (drums), me and Chuck Loeb on guitar.  Chuck joined the band three years ago replacing Larry Carlton who was with Fourplay for 12 years. I have enjoyed each incarnation of the group and we still have an amazing time  playing together!

Are there plans in the near future of touring concerning Fourplay?

Yes, we’ve just finished touring in Japan, Indonesia and the United States in support of our  current CD Esprit de Four. We will resume touring the States this fall. Tour dates will be posted on our website www.fourplayjazz.com

You just did some gigs in Japan, how did that go and how what can you tell me about playing in front of a Japanese audience, are they any different in comparison with European or American crowd?

Japan is one of our favorite places to tour and we have been going there for many years.  This last trip was actually my 65th visit. The Japanese audiences have a genuine appreciation for music and it’s always fun to see the look of excitement on their faces when we take the stage.

Is it easy to combine being in both bands as we speak of touring?

To be honest, scheduling can sometimes be a bit of a challenge.  Our managers usually end up working it out but the logistics can get tricky.  For instance we played our last Fourplay show in Minneapolis the night before Toto rehearsals started in LA which meant catching the first flight out the next morning and heading directly from the airport to the rehearsal studio….that’s cutting it pretty close.

Speaking of touring, what do you miss the most when you are on the road and how do you spend your time on the road as we look at the long travels, the hotels and the hours prior to the shows?

I really miss my family when I’m out on the road especially if I am half way around the world away from them.  My daughter was in tears when she found out how long I was going to be away this time so you can only imagine how grateful I am for Face-time and Skype!! There’s lots to keep me occupied when I’m on the road.  At the moment I am working on songs for my solo project as I have recently signed to record an album for a new label Yamaha Entertainment Group.  I have been looking forward to this project for a long time!

Are you also planning to release your solo project in the near future?

I’m hoping to get it released by the fall of this year which is a bit ambitious because of all the touring but that’s what I’m shooting for at the moment.

I read somewhere that you are also a great amateur magician. How did you get interested in that field, who taught you and what are the coolest tricks you can do?

Magic has been an interest of mine for quite some time.  I have a few magician friends and we jam pretty similar to the way we jam in music. The night I joined the Magic Castle I met David Copperfield and got to hang out with him for a bit. One of the coolest tricks I learned is where I take your ring and make it disappear then it ends up in a sealed envelope inside a zippered compartment in my wallet.  Fun stuff!

Is this something you only do at home or did you take that skill also to the stage somewhere?

I actually performed on stage in Japan when saxophonist Sadao Watanabe asked me to be his opening act, not playing bass but performing magic!

I can imagine that you can make things disappear as a magician. If there is one thing in life or in this world you could make dissapear what would that be?

Cancer.

You are married and have kids, what do they think of the fact that you a great deal of time away from home?

As I mentioned before they don’t like daddy being gone and I miss them madly.  My wife and children are the most important part of my life.  Whenever possible I try to bring them out if I’m going to be gone for a long time.  We had a lot of fun in Japan together a few years ago.  I had over 1 million miles in my frequent flyer account so I flew them all over First Class.

If you could take a look in the future, what do you hope to do or where would you be in ten years. Still making music for instance?

I plan on making music until I am called away from this life which I hope won’t be for a long long time because I’m having too much fun!  I’m enjoying my life so much that when I come back I want to come back as me!

Nathan, it has been great talking to you and give the Toto fans a little inside look of who Nathan East is. I like to end this interview with my favourite part, I give you some names and words and you please give your first thoughts that come to mind when you see those words and names…

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