Van Dyke Parks is not a household name. His recorded catalog, revered by a cultish number of fans, has sold sparsely yet his influence is inescapably broad. Parks’ work as a producer/arranger and the amazing artists he’s worked with over the past four decades has cemented his iconic status. Randy Newman, Ry Cooder, Harry Nilsson, Loudon Wainwright III and, perhaps most famously, The Beach Boys, are just the tip of the collaborative iceberg.
Parks was the producer/lyricist for Smile, the most famous and contentious Beach Boys album — so contentious that, while started in 1966, it wasn’t officially released until 2004. But that was long ago. The occasion for conversing with one of the most esteemed producer/arrangers in Rock history has a contemporary urgency. Parks is making a rare appearance as an artist at the MidPoint Music Festival, traveling with Clare and the Reasons, who serve as his opening act and backing band. The rarity of this event can only be described bluntly — Van Dyke Parks has never toured as an artist. Sporadic gigs near his California base, yes. Serving as a sideman on other artists’ tours, occasionally. A full blown Van Dyke Parks tour? Never.
The famed, iconic collaborator/songwriter plays the MidPoint Music Festival Thursday with Clare and the Reasons and Gaby Moreno at Blue Wisp Jazz Club.
Go here to read Brian Baker’s full interview with Parks.
Get all the MidPoint Music Festival details here, including band descriptions, daily schedules, venue and shuttle bus maps and ticketing options.
This article appears in Sep 15-21, 2010.