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Tracking the Album
Feb. 13th, 2009 11:37 pmSo, here goes the first session. Mostly productive, though there are some problems that I'll have to resolve.
Album Order:
1 - SJ
In the 1920's, the fastest production car going was the Dusenberg SJ. This sixteen cylinder monster seated six with room to spare and also could hit 160mph. And this was a car with the drag coeficent of a brick, with that classic long hood, stright up grille, and convertible top.
This tune just felt like cruising at obscene speeds with the utmost in luxury -- the Dusenberg models were all the top of the line in American cars. This was the last track recorded, because we were saving the easy stuff for last. I'm mostly satisfied with this one, though I might want a bit more out of the solos, and that'd be the only thing to make me take another run at it.
2 - Palermo
"Mediocre composers borrow, great composers steal." L. V. Beethoven
The name just fit for this one. Not sure why. Starting with a bass line inspired by a Santana tune and some chord motion inspired by a Basia tune, this tune has been one of the ones that people like the best. The drum tracks and arrangement in this tune resulted in my CLEPing out of Jazz Arranging and Jazz Composition for my undergrad.
This tune was tracked second. The final result isn't giving me joy -- the cymbals and the timbale solo are missing. Still, I don't have a big problem with the flute solo on this one, and the electric piano solo is probably the finest one I've ever done.
3 - Alone with a Fire
It's a rainy or snowy night. You're at home, fire in the fireplace, and someone you care a bout is there with you. This slow blues fits this mood perfectly.
I wrote this one, actually wrote it out, back in 1988 or 1989, but remembered it this last week and sequenced it to fill a hole in the album. This was the third song recorded, and I'm quite happy with how it turned out, though some of the trombone lines might need some attention, and I'm not completely happy with the trombone tone either.
4 - Larry's Lagoon
This peppy little tune is almost a calypso song, almost a samba. And it's slightly twisted, as each interation of the main melody in its AABA format ends a bit differently -- not quite what was expected.
This tune was an experiment. I wanted to see if I could just sit down, with no inspiration, and write a tune, and this one popped out of my brain. It was the next to last one recorded, and I re-cut the solo. The original one was simple and a bit perky, while the new one better matches the energy of the vibraphone solo that comes before it. I'm going to leave this one be.
5 - Lady of Gold (Oshun)
Exotic. not what you expect. A bit sensual. This song, like Oshun, is all of these things. (The placement as song number 5 was unintentional at first, but those of you familiar with Oshun will probably see her hand in this)
After listening to several lounge albums, I got a progression stuck in my head, and went into the studio to record it this week. I needed to fill another hole in the album, too. The melody came out of this -- I wanted something a bit angular and sounding slightly Middle Eastern. Then I started adding percussion, and it became a cha-cha. Then it hit me that it was Oshun's song, and it took off from there.
I'm not blown away by the trombone on this tune, and may revisit it before releasing it. This was the third to last tune recorded.
6 - Interlude
This is lighter fare, with no drumset at all in it. The melody hit me, and it felt like an interlude -- something that was keeping time in a space for something else.
This was the fourth track recorded. I'mfine with it.
7 - Sunday Stroll
I've always been fascinated with single note lines in guitar along the way Wes Montgomery played, so this idea hit, and I made it a reality back in 1991.
This was the fifth song tracked, and I'm fine with it, so it might not get redone.
8 - The Chief
An album needs to end with something of a tour de force, and this is it. Originally written back in 1985 for the son of an African chief, it also evokes the trains of the name as well.
I lost this sequence, the only one to ever get corrupted, so I had to recreate it again, mostly from scratch. This song has three very different sections and feels epic in scope. But I'm just not happy with the brass sound and the accompanying line. I really will probably re-cut this track in the next few days after tweaking things a bit more. This was the first track recorded due to the inherent problems with recording it and keeping the brass out of the way of the flute.
The entire album times in at 58:10, so it has good length. It also covers a lot of styles, all within the smooth jazz idiom. I had to drop a couple of Jazz standards because getting licensing to use them would take too long. But this album, titled Soundcheck, will hopefully be at Itunes, Emusic, Amazon downloads, Verizon downloads, and several other sites by early March.
Album Order:
1 - SJ
In the 1920's, the fastest production car going was the Dusenberg SJ. This sixteen cylinder monster seated six with room to spare and also could hit 160mph. And this was a car with the drag coeficent of a brick, with that classic long hood, stright up grille, and convertible top.
This tune just felt like cruising at obscene speeds with the utmost in luxury -- the Dusenberg models were all the top of the line in American cars. This was the last track recorded, because we were saving the easy stuff for last. I'm mostly satisfied with this one, though I might want a bit more out of the solos, and that'd be the only thing to make me take another run at it.
2 - Palermo
"Mediocre composers borrow, great composers steal." L. V. Beethoven
The name just fit for this one. Not sure why. Starting with a bass line inspired by a Santana tune and some chord motion inspired by a Basia tune, this tune has been one of the ones that people like the best. The drum tracks and arrangement in this tune resulted in my CLEPing out of Jazz Arranging and Jazz Composition for my undergrad.
This tune was tracked second. The final result isn't giving me joy -- the cymbals and the timbale solo are missing. Still, I don't have a big problem with the flute solo on this one, and the electric piano solo is probably the finest one I've ever done.
3 - Alone with a Fire
It's a rainy or snowy night. You're at home, fire in the fireplace, and someone you care a bout is there with you. This slow blues fits this mood perfectly.
I wrote this one, actually wrote it out, back in 1988 or 1989, but remembered it this last week and sequenced it to fill a hole in the album. This was the third song recorded, and I'm quite happy with how it turned out, though some of the trombone lines might need some attention, and I'm not completely happy with the trombone tone either.
4 - Larry's Lagoon
This peppy little tune is almost a calypso song, almost a samba. And it's slightly twisted, as each interation of the main melody in its AABA format ends a bit differently -- not quite what was expected.
This tune was an experiment. I wanted to see if I could just sit down, with no inspiration, and write a tune, and this one popped out of my brain. It was the next to last one recorded, and I re-cut the solo. The original one was simple and a bit perky, while the new one better matches the energy of the vibraphone solo that comes before it. I'm going to leave this one be.
5 - Lady of Gold (Oshun)
Exotic. not what you expect. A bit sensual. This song, like Oshun, is all of these things. (The placement as song number 5 was unintentional at first, but those of you familiar with Oshun will probably see her hand in this)
After listening to several lounge albums, I got a progression stuck in my head, and went into the studio to record it this week. I needed to fill another hole in the album, too. The melody came out of this -- I wanted something a bit angular and sounding slightly Middle Eastern. Then I started adding percussion, and it became a cha-cha. Then it hit me that it was Oshun's song, and it took off from there.
I'm not blown away by the trombone on this tune, and may revisit it before releasing it. This was the third to last tune recorded.
6 - Interlude
This is lighter fare, with no drumset at all in it. The melody hit me, and it felt like an interlude -- something that was keeping time in a space for something else.
This was the fourth track recorded. I'mfine with it.
7 - Sunday Stroll
I've always been fascinated with single note lines in guitar along the way Wes Montgomery played, so this idea hit, and I made it a reality back in 1991.
This was the fifth song tracked, and I'm fine with it, so it might not get redone.
8 - The Chief
An album needs to end with something of a tour de force, and this is it. Originally written back in 1985 for the son of an African chief, it also evokes the trains of the name as well.
I lost this sequence, the only one to ever get corrupted, so I had to recreate it again, mostly from scratch. This song has three very different sections and feels epic in scope. But I'm just not happy with the brass sound and the accompanying line. I really will probably re-cut this track in the next few days after tweaking things a bit more. This was the first track recorded due to the inherent problems with recording it and keeping the brass out of the way of the flute.
The entire album times in at 58:10, so it has good length. It also covers a lot of styles, all within the smooth jazz idiom. I had to drop a couple of Jazz standards because getting licensing to use them would take too long. But this album, titled Soundcheck, will hopefully be at Itunes, Emusic, Amazon downloads, Verizon downloads, and several other sites by early March.
