“Play what you want to hear,” mambo king Tito Puente once advised a teenaged Billy Gibbons, and he’s done exactly that for the 45 (and counting) year lifespan of his ZZ Top trio. But even as frontman, lead songwriter and guitarist of that band, Gibbons looked to explore a different direction on his recently released debut solo album Perfectamundo. Using an invite to the Havana Jazz Festival as impetus, he laid a Cuban-Latin vibe over a batch of originals and blues covers, added some hip-hop and jazz, and let fly. The result, credited to Billy Gibbons and the BFGs (a sly nod to Booker T. & the MG’s), is one of the most invigorating, vibrant and exuberant albums of his extensive career.
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When and why did the concept of doing a solo album this late in your career occur to you?
Late? Hell, we’re just getting started! It all fell into place quite serendipitously. We received an invitation to perform at the Havana Jazz Festival, and that got us thinking about the kind of set list that would make sense. Blues and rock we’ve pretty much got down, yet jazz seemed like a stretch, but then we considered the Afro-Cuban tradition, and that began to make sense.
The album was recorded in five different studios, including one in Spain. Why split the recording process between the studios? Why did it take so many studios to lay down the tracks and overdubs?
We scared up a lot of valuable recording time on the fly during breaks from ZZ Top’s roadshow and availed ourselves of some super rooms wherever we had time. So, out of necessity, it came together in bits and pieces in some really cool studios. A solid sonic coherence is there.
Your bio says you studied Latin percussion in New York City with Tito Puente. How did that come about, how long did you work with him and what was the most important thing you learned during this time?
My dad was an orchestra leader and was perhaps a tad annoyed with my making a racking banging on a metal trash can. He had known Tito Puente, so when he directed, “If you’re going to do that you may as well learn how to do it right,” it was off to New York to learn at the feet of the master. I was about 13 and truly benefited from his approach to conga, bongo, maracas and, most importantly, timbales. Tito had me describe what I wanted to do and he showed me how to accomplish that. He opened my mind to organizing the noise I had been making. The main message is that keeping the rhythm up front helps move the backside better than anything else.
How did you choose the blues classics you covered with the Latin instrumentation and often radical re-arrangements?
At the root of all we do is, of course, the blues, so it seemed like appropriated blues material with a Latin approach would be a good way to ease into things. When you think about it, Slim Harpo’s “Got Love If You Want It” is something of a cha cha, so blues-meets-Latin rhythms share quite a bit. We thought that Roy Head’s great “Treat Her Right” provided a great starting point to get some sinewy sounds going and the same is true of the eternal “Baby Please Don’t Go.” Those songs were like partially filled canvasses where we added a splash of color and counterpoint.
It’s safe to say most ZZ Top fans wouldn’t expect hip-hop/rap from your music. But with Alx “Guitarzza” Guitar contributing rapping — some of it even Auto-tuned — on three tracks, they are getting a solid dose of it. How did the concept of adding rap to what is already a genre-expanding combination of music come about?
Contemporary Cuban sounds are not averse to including elements of hip-hop and electronic effects, including experimental, elements which tether handily with Afro-Cuban effects. In this project, as with ZZ Top, it’s about maintaining an open-mind. Now that’s the avenue to satisfaction.
The vibe feels live and electric, even though there seems to be a fair amount of editing. Which tracks, if any, were recorded live in the studio and how did you keep the groove so vibrant?
“Q-Vo” opened the sessions with a lively shuffling backbeat which led the way for the remainder of the sessions. Every track began with a round of friendly give-and-take exchanges between the band members as the grooves took shape. Throw a Hammond B3 in the mix, and it gets fat and sassy. There ain’t a bad note to be found on a Hammond.
Your watercolor art is included in the album’s booklet. How long have you been painting, and how do you see your visual art as an extension of your music?
For many years. Visual art’s long been a kindly expression, however, our focus has long been making loud sounds. Insofar as the visuals may be evocative to some (we’ve raised a hand here) they can certainly enhance the experience. We’re not going for sensory overload, but when it hits, it hits.
