“Live Kisses” premiered on US PBS channel

“Live Kisses” documentary was premiered on US TV, on September 7, 2012. It was released on DVD / Blu-ray in November the same year.

From paulmccartney.com, August 7, 2012:

‘Live Kisses’ captures the magical night of February 9 in the City of Angels when Paul decided to bring ‘Kisses On The Bottom’, his newly released collection of pop standards and two originals, to life at the very same Capitol Studios where much of the album was created.

The very special event will air on ‘Great Performances’, Friday, September 7 at 9 p.m. on PBS in the US. (Please check local listings.)

A few hours after the long-awaited addition of Paul’s star to the Hollywood ‘Walk of Fame’ drew a traffic-stopping throng to pack the stretch of Vine Street in front of the famed Capitol Records building, he took his place behind the same microphone that had captured so many of the most magical voices of the past several decades. The core team that backed Paul on ‘Kisses…’ reprised their roles in this one-time-only concert event. Having never performed the material live before added to the evening’s electricity.

The reunited all-star entourage included Grammy-winning producer Tommy LiPuma and Al Schmitt in the control room, musical director Diana Krall at the piano, and ‘Kisses…’ players John Clayton, Karriem Riggins, John Pizzarelli, Anthony Wilson, Mike Mainieri and conductor Alan Broadbent. Paul eschewed his usual tools of bass, guitar and piano to focus solely on his vocal interpretations of this material.

In exclusive interview segments with Paul and ‘Kisses On The Bottom’ collaborators Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder, Diana Krall and Tommy LiPuma, among others offer new insight into the conception and creation of the ‘Kisses…’ album, the McCartney family gatherings that introduced a young Paul to much of the material, the Fats Waller line from ‘Live Kisses’ opener ‘I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter’ that gave ‘Kisses On The Bottom’ its title, and more.

‘Live Kisses’ highlights include ‘Home’, ‘More I Cannot Wish You’, ‘Always’, ‘Bye Bye Blackbird’ and Paul harmonising with his longtime live drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. on ‘I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter’, ‘The Glory of Love’ and ‘Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive’. There are spontaneous moments such as a flubbed first take on ‘My Very Good Friend the Milkman’. Paul’s rendition of his new composition ‘My Valentine’ receives acoustic guitar punctuation courtesy of Joe Walsh (who contributes another outstanding turn in a completely different mood on ‘Get Yourself Another Fool’).

Paul McCartney’s ‘Live Kisses’ is directed by Jonas Åkerlund, and Paul is executive producer. For ‘Great Performances’, Bill O’Donnell is series producer, and David Horn is executive producer.

Major funding for the ‘Great Performances’ telecast is provided by the Irene Diamond Fund, Vivian Milstein, the LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust, The Agnes Varis Trust, the Starr Foundation, the Philip and Janice Levin Foundation, and public television viewers.