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Ongoing: I've been threatening to do a new album for years,
and have finally got my butt into the studio. I've been
cranking out stuff all along, but it's literally been 15 years since my
last solo Jazz project. Way too long! I've always wanted to
do something built around my true love, the Hammond Organ. So I'm
leaving the racks of synths and the computers at home and making it a 'playing' album this
time out. Some good friends and great players are joining me on the
project.
7/22 - 7/25
Sonart
Studio: Move the Hammond in. Start laying out music with the
organ working against temporary drum tracks.
7/27 Sonart Studio: Danny Gottlieb is back from Europe
for a couple of days and came up to play
drums. He did 9 tunes in 7 hours and played the s**t out of them!
Danny is amazing! Award-winning engineer
Tom Mark took a day
away from his Make Believe Ballroom studio to record Danny.
7/31 - 8/1 Sonart Studio: Mike
DeMicco spent these two days tracking guitar. Mike's the
workhorse of the project, tackling some of the hardest material - most
notably two wonderful but difficult Jimmy Giuffre compositions. He did an
incredible job with them. One - "Dragonfly" - is a 9-page extravaganza that I played live many times with Jimmy. The
new twist in our version is a hard, swinging groove organ trio style.
8/3 JAB Studio: I went out to Woodbury, CT with a big
ProTools firewire drive where
Joe Beck worked his guitar magic on 5 tracks. It's a treat to
watch Joe work. He has such a tremendous command of the instrument
and does chordal things that just knock me out. I was smiling all
day - and that doesn't happen often.
8/8 A short day. I transferred all of Joe Beck's
tracks into the Sonart computer. The stuff sounds great.
It's now a complete organ trio on everything - just waiting for
percussion and some special bass parts.
8/10 Woodstock Percussionist, Carlos Valdez came in to lay
down Congas. 3 tunes have been waiting for this to lock the groove
down. They definitely groove now! Recording engineer
Paul Levin (my kid ... hey hey!) was in Woodstock for a couple of days,
and came out to Sonart to help out with the Percussion and Bass
tracking.
8/11 Finally back off the road, my brother
Tony played
bass on 4
tunes. My original plan was that the project be a classic organ
trio plus percussion, but some of the tunes needed something beyond the
straight organ bass. And Tony plays so good! One tune is
done as a slow Pop groove - very difficult to lock down, but Tony made
it work. On a complex and moody ballad by Jimmy Giuffre, Tony
played the melody on fretless bass. All in all, it makes for a few
nice changes of pace on the project.
8/24 & 30 Ken
Lovelett added lots of dynamic textures using some of his unique
American
Percussion instruments, and a percussion extravaganza he invented,
The Bellatope.
9/13-14 Monk Music, in Easthampton, NY. Engineer
Cynthia Daniels spent these two days mixing the project. We're 2/3
done ... We did good! Two more sessions ought to do it.
Photo log:
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Tracking organ,
in the control room at
Sonart
Studio in Mount Tremper, NY.
(I get the biggest
picture 'cause it's my album - and my website.) |
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| Danny
Gottlieb |
Engineer
Tom Mark |
Mike
DeMicco |
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| Joe Beck |
Tony Levin |
Carlos Valdez |
Ken Lovelett |
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|
Ken playing the Bellatope |
Engineer Cynthia Daniels |
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The
new CD is out! "ICARUS"
mixing
the new CD. It's coming out great. It's always good to have
Cynthia on your project; Trust me on that one. The only down side
is the tab for gas to make the drive from Woodstock. Frightening!
I wouldn't bring it up, except that on my way home through the
who-can-afford-to-live-here? Hamptons, I spotted two adjacent gas
stations having an old fashioned price war. You know, it's such a
tragedy when it comes down to that. My heart just went out to
those station owners. I felt so bad for them, I filled it up at
the more expensive one for an extra penny - the one with no waiting
line. (It's sick that I paid $3.02/gallon and felt good about it.
Oy!)