Keyboardist, producer, studio engineer Joe Hettinga lists recordings by Paul Simon, Phish and Cannonball Adderley among those that shaped him as a musician. Plus, listen to one of his current favorites.
From Stage to Studio: Multi-instrumentalist and producer Joe Hettinga performing with the olllam. (Photo/Zé Bateira)
SCROLL DOWN FOR PLAYLIST
Support our coverage of
West Michigan's music scene
Keyboard player Joe Hettinga grew up in a musical household.
“My mom was a professional singer, did jingles. She also taught piano. My first instrument was a drum set when I was in kindergarten,” he says. By the time he was in 4th grade, he’d progressed to include guitar and piano. And he kept going.
“By 14, I had drums, guitar, a bass rig, keyboards in my attic. I played and sang in choir all through school. I had a band at 15, recording as a high school sophomore.”
Joe Hettinga (Photo/Zé Bateira)
Admittedly a pop/punk enthusiast, he soon began expanding his horizons to include classical and jazz, while continuing to work on his chops. At 25, he decided to use the skills he’d developed to get out and play and to write songs, “rather than just practice.”
He also became an engineer at Third Coast Recording Company in Grand Haven before leaving at age 31 to start his own recording company in Grand Rapids, working with artists throughout West Michigan. Hettinga has just finished his own studio, and still frequently finds time to perform.
He is May Erlewine’s pianist of choice, and co-produced her most recent album. He’s also a member of the olllam, a transatlantic band that brings a modern edge to traditional Irish music, with members from both Ireland and the United States. “I never saw this coming,” he says of the band, which combines Irish melodies with pipes and whistles alongside rock instrumentation and voicings, and has successfully toured the UK and Europe.
If you want to catch Hettinga on stage, he’s sitting in with Americana band Roosevelt Diggs at Muskegon’s Starlight Room at 7 p.m. Saturday (tickets here) after co-producing the band’s latest award-winning album, “Reverie,” and playing keyboards on several tracks. He then joins Pop Scholars at Grand Rapids’ Wealthy Theatre on March 23.
1. Paul Simon, “Graceland” (1986) – My parents loved it. We’d drive to Florida for spring break and listen to that all the way. It was my first obsession. How fun it was, how it resonated. It’s so playful, fun, joyous, the storytelling and imagery. It was another type of music, (the) African tradition. It opened up the world for me. I was between 5 and 8 years old.
Listen: “The Boy in the Bubble”
2. Phish, “Junta” (1989) – I was playing music all the time. I was into musical theatre. I liked Harry Connic Jr. too. My music teacher said I should listen to classical. How does (this recording) fit into what I liked? My brother and his friend bought it and were dancing around the living room and singing at the top of their lungs. I was floored by how complex it was but so catchy. I’d never heard that before. It got me enthralled. Phish probably was the reason I got so into jazz and classical. I’ve seen Phish 50 times. It’s a phase I went through. For me as a musician it was huge. “Junta” is a masterpiece. I was inspired to study and work hard. (Note: Phish plays a two-night stand at Grand Rapids’ Van Andel Arena Aug. 6-7.)
Listen: “Fee”
3. Cannonball Adderley, “Somethin’ Else” (1958) – I heard Cannonball next to Miles (Davis). The two of them play with such different approaches. They’d speak to each other and to my heart. Miles can play anything, he’d play simple after Cannonball played his ass off, all these notes, juxtaposed with Miles playing lyrically. I was 18 and studying at school, all those licks. I transcribed all the solos, played them. It was life-changing, like Keith Jarrett. He can play anything, either from deep within or from out in the cosmos. That’s what I love, the mystery.
Listen: “Somethin’ Else”
Currently Loving: Big Red Machine, “How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last?” (2021) – It’s very weird experimental folk, a guy from the National and one from Bon Iver. Taylor Swift is on it. It’s really fun.
Listen: “Latter Days”
ALBUMS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD: Joe Hettinga’s Playlist on Spotify
Copyright 2024, Spins on Music LLC
