Jun 6, 2008

Couple that plays together ...

By Paul Freeman / Entertainment Writer

Pacifica residents Morning and Jim Nichols make an ideal couple, both onstage and off. Over the course of their 25-year marriage, singer Morning and fingerpicking guitarist Jim have established themselves as artists worthy of international attention.

Morning's golden voice has been heard with Les Brown's Big Band and Mark Murphy. Jim has backed such greats as Kenny Rankin and Tom Waits. Though they've earned sparkling reputations as individual artists, as a duo they're even more engaging. They've released four albums on the GSP Recordings label, including the sumptuously silky jazz of "Somebody Loves Me."

Their June 7 Pacifica Performances concert is titled "Favorites and Friends" and will include plenty of both. Helping the duo present a pleasing array of pop, jazz, Americana and blues numbers will be three much lauded talents: Nate Pruitt (jazz vocalist), Michael Manring (Grammy-winning bassist) and David Rokeach (drummer for Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles).

This group is certain to delight those attending the Sanchez Center show. Morning has helped to make this an important Peninsula venue, serving as board chair and associate to artistic director Mildred Owen. Pacifica Performances presents a wide range of renowned artists in a casual, comfortable setting.

Morning and Jim have played prestigious festivals and top spots, enjoying an especially enthusiastic following in Europe.

"We've had opportunities to play in all sorts of wonderful venues, from castles to caves," Morning said.

"The basic thing is, you always want to sound good, perform well," Jim said, "whether it's for 50 people or 5,000."

Of returning home, Morning says, "The Pacifica audience is as good as the audience is in Europe - very appreciative, very music-loving."

Born in Chicago, Morning grew up in Los Angeles and moved to the Bay Area in her teens.

Jim was raised in Virginia. His father was a singer/trombonist with the Jimmy Dorsey and Charlie Spivak orchestras. His mother was a pianist. Jim and his siblings followed musical paths.

Jim played ukulele at age 9, then segued to guitar. He studied the recordings of Duane Eddy, Chuck Berry and the Ventures, as well as his parents' jazz collection.

While in his teens, Jim discovered his most vital influence. "The first real lightning bolt that hit me was hearing Chet Atkins play on a record. I devoured every record I could find by him," he said.

"Jim is really a jazz player first," Morning said, "but is also able to play in the style of Chet Atkins, which very few people can do properly. He does it perfectly."

Morning always loved singing. As a child, she listened to Patti Page and Rosemary Clooney, then found inspiration in Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. Later, impressed by such singer-songwriters as Judy Collins and Bob Dylan, she entered the folk scene.

"In folk," she says, "you really have to get into the lyric, which is one of the things I love about singing - getting across what you're trying to say."

Morning and Jim met at a music store in San Francisco, where Morning worked. Jim would occasionally drop by to purchase guitar strings. They enjoyed similarly diverse musical tastes.

"When there weren't any customers, she'd play the guitar and sing. She was talented, had a nice voice ... and she was pretty. And she gave me a discount on the strings," Jim said, with a chuckle.

Friendship bloomed. Jim moved to Los Angeles for three years. He carved out a successful career as a session musician, but didn't like the atmosphere.

"There's a lot of people, a lot of cars and a lot of smog," he said, "but Los Angeles can be a very lonely place."

Morning would visit her parents, who live down there, and contact Jim. "At first, I might call him on the last day of my visit, just to say hello. Then I'd be calling him the day before my last day. Pretty soon, I was calling as soon as I got in and then we would hang out," she laughed.

Jim returned to the Bay Area, the couple married and began performing together. They attended the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society festival in 1992. A performance there dramatically changed their course.

"It was a matter of getting exposure to the right people," Jim said. "Then the phone started ringing with invitations to play in Europe."

After several missed opportunities over the years, the two finally met Atkins. The guitar legend relished Morning's vocals and Jim's variations on the Atkins fingerpicking style.

"Chet always wanted to hear what you could do with one of his tunes, to make it new and fresh," Morning said to Jim.

"Next thing you knew, we were in his circle of friends," he said.

Morning and Jim's circle is unbroken. They have flourished as a husband-and-wife team.
"If you're on the same wavelength musically, it's not too hard to get along," Jim said. "It's like doing session work. You have to be able to accept criticisms or suggestions from another person about the way you're playing something."

Morning said, "The biggest challenge is, sometimes there's a lot of pressure, maybe a private gig with a lot to set up and very little time. That can be stressful and you can get short with one another. But we really do get along. We know other performing couples who don't get along as well as we do ... who shall remain nameless." Morning and Jim both laugh.

The duo's personalities balance one another. Morning said, "Jim sees the tree and I see the forest. Together it works out well."

Though the business has changed over the years, Morning and Jim, who also teach music, find the same gratification in performing.

"When you're able to connect with an audience, it's symbiotic, unlike anything else," Morning said. "When people say, 'Something you played touched me,' that's soul-filling. We're very blessed to be able to do this together."