E Street keyboard player pays a visit to E.B.
VERONICA YANKOWSKI Danny Federici signs a poster for Marc Szuba, Middlesex, at Border’s Books & Music, Route 18 in East Brunswick, on Dec. 3.
Danny Federici signs albums, discusses life in Bruce Springsteen’s band
By vincent todaro
Staff Writer
EAST BRUNSWICK — The "Phantom" of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band has been spotted, right here in his home state of New Jersey.
VERONICA YANKOWSKI Danny Federici, keyboard player for Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, made an appearance at Borders Books & Music, East Brunswick, Dec. 3 to sign copies of his new album.
Keyboardist, and now solo artist, Danny Federici, nicknamed by Springsteen as the "Phantom," was in East Brunswick last week for an autograph session at Borders Books & Music on Route 18. Federici was promoting his new self-titled album which marks his venture into the smooth jazz realm.
Best known for his scorching organ work with "The Boss," Federici has decided to take a dramatic musical turn, playing music distant from what people are accustomed to hearing from him. But, Federici said during the Dec. 3 in-store appearance, it is really just a return to his roots.
"It’s the kind of music I like. I am a classically trained player," he said. "Rock ’n’ roll came along and was a great departure from classical lessons. This is what I really like to do, and the kind of music I listen to."
The complex and academic approach he gleaned from classical lessons will serve him well as he delves into jazz, a more esoteric music form than, in particular, much of Springsteen’s material. And Federici makes no excuses.
"I did this record for my own personal closure," he said. "A friend of mine talked me into getting a record deal. These are not songs you would hear on the radio."
It’s not just rock ’n’ rollers Federici will have to win over with this release; it’s also fans of traditional jazz, some of whom claim that smooth jazz is … well, elevator music.
But Federici is at a point in his career where he can do just about anything he wants — a very enviable position for any musician. And the smooth jazz format is where he wants to be.
"I plan to do more jazz. I want to play some festivals in Europe," he said. "I love that kind of outside venue."
He said he was living in California when the urge to record his own CD struck him.
"I started listening to smooth jazz radio stations. I thought, ‘I don’t know how they got on the radio, but I can do a better job,’ " he said of the artists he was hearing.
Any dyed-in-the-wool Springsteen fan knows it was Federici playing accordion on Springsteen tunes like "Fourth of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)," and the chance to stretch his accordion wings again was another reason for the new album, he said.
Federici is still a vital member of the E Street Band. In fact, he played with Springsteen at each of last week’s five holiday shows at Asbury Park’s Convention Hall, and was part of the two-year reunion tour that Springsteen and his mates embarked on in 1999 and 2000. His tenure with Springsteen dates back more than 30 years — as long as any band member.
"When [ex-Springsteen drummer] Vini Lopez saw Bruce, we asked him to join our band at the Upstage Club," Federici said. The club, a longtime Springsteen haunt in Asbury Park, closed down long ago, but fans still search out bootleg tapes from that era. Federici said the first band he played in with Springsteen was called Child, which was followed by Steel Mill, a heavy metal outfit that preceded the Bruce Springsteen Band and eventually the E Street Band.
Springsteen was still learning his craft in the late ’60s and early ’70s, and writing at a fairly manic pace, which often frustrated band members.
"He’d write 30 songs and we’d play them on Friday, and they’d all be gone by Sunday," he said, laughing. The songs were often 10 minutes long and more complicated than most future Springsteen compositions.
That the E Street Band is still playing with Springsteen is surprising to some, especially considering The Boss broke up the band in 1989. After seeing Springsteen tour with a group of studio musicians in 1992-93, and as a solo acoustic artist in 1996, the group came back and it was stronger than ever.
"It’s a lot better now," he said. "No more egos in the way. No more of people’s personal stuff. The last tour was so fantastic because we got to take our families. There’s no pressure now and you can’t be fired. I pushed it quite a few times."
He is happy the band is playing harder than ever.
"It hasn’t gotten lighter. It’s pedal to the metal," he said.
The way the music industry has developed, with an emphasis on immediate profits rather than artist development, doesn’t make him happy, though. He said the worst point in his career with Springsteen was in the mid-1970s, when he realized this was, in fact, a "business."
Springsteen gave him the nickname the "Phantom" because he would often just play the show and seemingly disappear, not going to many parties or promotional events, Federici said.
After 30 years, Federici has plenty of great memories with Springsteen, but the one he mentioned as his favorite was, no pun intended, a little off-beat.
"When we celebrated my birthday on the Born In the U.S.A. tour at the L.A. Coliseum, he gave me a washer and dryer," Federici said with a laugh, recalling how Springsteen rolled the appliances out on stage.
And what about the state of the band now, musically?
"We bring different feelings into the older music," he said. "And [drummer] Max [Weinberg] is a powerhouse now. He’s now playing better than ever."
Weinberg is the leader of the Max Weinberg 7, the house band on Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

