A Dad’s Advice Played Role in Teaming of Pair

When saxophonist Richard Elliot and guitarist Craig Chaquico’s wound up sharing a stage in Chaquico’s hometown of Sacramento several years ago, it wasn’t just the beginning of their friendship and their work together as colleagues.

For Chaquico, that meeting--either their first or second, depending on which one you ask--was especially poignant because it also was the last time his father saw his son perform.

“Sacramento is my hometown, and I was there at the time,” Chaquico said in a phone conversation from his home in Mill Valley, “and I heard Richard was going to be playing, and I planned to go.

“Then my band got added to the bill. My mom and dad were still living there, and it was exciting to see my name up there on the marquee in my hometown. It was the first time Dad had seen me play without the [Jefferson] Starship. But I didn’t know it would be the last time he’d see me perform.”

Chaquico’s father, a saxophonist, had not been all that impressed with his son’s long stint as a member of the Starship.

“Oh, he was very proud of me and what I did in the Starship,” Chaquico said, “but he thought it was just a phase I was going through--a 16-year-long phase. Both he and my mom were waiting for me to do real music, the sort of thing that was closer to what they grew up with.

“My dad was very impressed with Richard after we did the show in Sacramento, and he came backstage and [said], ‘That’s the kind of guy you should be playing with.’ ”

That encouragement helped solidify the guitarist’s solo direction. It also led to Elliot’s participation on Chaquico’s latest album, “A Thousand Pictures.” On it, Elliot plays sax on “Blue Autumn,” the song Chaquico wrote in memory of his father, who died last year.

“That [Sacramento concert] wasn’t the first time we met,” Elliot said in a separate phone interview from his home in Woodland Hills. “He might not remember, but we played at the same theater once in Portland before that. But I remember that Sacramento date and that his dad was there and that he suggested we should do some things together. And we did.”

They collaborated again when Chaquico joined last year’s edition of the “Guitars, Saxes and More” tour, which featured Elliot’s band. And their two bands are together now on a tour that stops tonight at the House of Blues in Hollywood and Friday at the Coach House.

“We struck up a great friendship during that tour,” Elliot recalled by phone from his home in Woodland Hills. “When the tour was over, we talked about recording together and possibly doing some dates.”

While neither was on this year’s “Guitars Saxes and More” outing, their bands did get together for the current tour that began last month in Florida and continues through May. And when it came time for Chaquico to record his album, it was only fitting that he chose Elliot to play on the tune dedicated to Chaquico’s father.

“A Thousand Pictures” continues the spirit of Chaquico’s previous solo albums, the Grammy-nominated “Acoustic Planet” and 1993’s “Acoustic Highway.”

Inspired by the natural environment and respect for Native American culture, Chaquico has developed a pastoral sound that has earned him legions of fans. Currently, both “A Thousand Pictures” and “Acoustic Planet” are on Billboard’s Top 25 New Age albums list.

Sax man Elliot also has a new album out, but one with a decidedly more urban edge. The former Tower of Power horn-section player continues with the strong beats and lusty tenor sound that have made him popular with contemporary jazz fans. But there are important differences between this and his previous Blue Note album, “After Dark.”

“I was looking for more of an organic, more of a live sound,” he said, “so all the band members basically got together in the studio and played at the same time, rather than recording the bass and drums and then layering the other instruments over them with multitracking. We did use some multitracking to sweeten the sound here and there. But we made a vow: If the sax solo or some other part didn’t feel right, we’d record the whole thing again together.

“The idea was to have every musician responding to the others’ input and energy, like when playing live. When you do it track by track, each individual instrument, you lose that interplay, that energy.”

Rather than composing all the music himself as he had in the past, Elliot opened up the creative process so that each musician got involved in the writing. “That way they have more insight into the music, rather than just hearing how it should be from me.”

One track on the album reflects Elliot’s Scottish heritage--”Scotland”--and his current interest in Celtic music. “Although the influence is subtle, you can definitely hear it in the song,” he said. “And I have a desire to use a lot more [Celtic influence] in my writing in the future.”

Those hoping to hear Elliot and Chaquico perform together might be disappointed in the current tour. Or they might not, depending which of the musicians you talk to. “We do separate sets,” said Chaquico. “I have my own sax player now. I figured it was too expensive to hire Richard,” he joked.

Said Elliot: “We’re really two different animals, and we do two separate shows. But you never know. That could change and we might end up doing something together.”

Craig Chaquico and Richard Elliot play Friday at the Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano. 7 and 9:30 p.m. $19.50-$21.50. (714) 496-8930.