SAY YES SESSION, APRIL 1, 2002
In March of 2002, Nori got a call to go Birmingham, AL for a recording session. Although this had been a regular occurrence since 1979, this was not going to be a typical session. "Would you be available to do a session with...Jon Anderson?" George asked. "THE Jon Anderson?" was Nori's response in disbelief. "This is no April Fool's joke - it's the real thing...but you can't tell anybody - it's a secret!" said George. George Vinson is a good friend and fellow session player that Nori's known and worked with since the early days at Solid Rock Sound in Birmingham - a great guitarist and bassist. A lot of people who know Nori know that his favorite band since his teen years has been Yes, and Jon Anderson is their lead vocalist, and a rock music icon.
Barbie went to the session with camera and camcorder in hand. She asked Jon if he minded, and he said, "Go ahead." She ended up with a few photos (below) and about an hour of video. During the course of the session between rehearsals and takes, Jon told funny stories about the glory days of Yes. He also let us in on something that was then unknown to Yes fans and the general public - Rick Wakeman was re-joining the band! For those unfamiliar with Rick Wakeman, he's a keyboard wizard extraordinairre, and a commited Christian as well. Yes went on to tour the world successfully for three more years before going on haitus in 2005.
The song recorded in the Birmingham session was called "Gonna Say Yes," on which Nori (joined by some great session players) ended up playing seven guitar parts.
