Carlsville Encore -- Notes
The most important ingredient is playing and recording with great musicians, Rusty Jones (drums), Nick Tountas (bass), Curt Morrison (guitar). All three have (excellent) international reputations, have made numerous recordings and are in constant demand.
Jazz is mostly "instant invention". Of course, we start with a structure for each tune. Because most of these are standards, there are some required "bounds of good taste", but soon into a song, we generate new rhymthic and melodic ideas, share them and try to add to the beauty of the original tune. It doesn't always work out well, (I've spared you a couple of choruses that didn't), but usually it does and sometimes something wonderful happens and those moments are all here. From a player's view it's important to concentrate on the moment, listen and play -- fearlessly -- interestingly, that's the hardest part -- you can't be creator and editor at the same time.
We used 10 micophones. Two each on the piano, guitar, and bass, and 4 on the drums. Because we were all in the same room there is lots of cross feeding. (Drums record on the piano tracks, Piano on the guitar tracks, etc.) Thus, it was not possible to re-record a specific instrument and plug it in later. So what you are hearing was a "live" performance, albeit with the ability for a full or partial "do-over". All of the non-solo tunes were recorded in two 4 hour sessions. Among the 4 of us we have probably done this a jillion times -- my contribution to this total is 6. When you are all together there is an energy and excitement emanating from each player. That, and some humor hopefully got recorded.
Most of the tunes are old standards that I'll bet you know., We treat some in slightly non-standard ways, such as playing "Some Day My Prince Will Come" as an (almost) bossa nova. "Phoenix" might surprise you also. Three tunes are piano solos. "Hymn to Freedom" is an Oscar Peterson tune that I first heard played by actor Hugh Lawrie on the TV show, "House". Surprising, because most folks are familiar with his "up-tunes". The other two, "Somewhere" and "My Time of Day" are from broadway musicals. I chose harmonic structures that are definitely non-standard, but still properly convey the music's character. It gives you a real close up "look" at my 9'2" Bosendorfer, a great piano that I rescued from Orchestra Hall (after Previn, Barenboim and others had concertized with it.) Truly an amazing instrument, kept in perfect condition monthly by John Esposito, techician extraordinaire.
One original, "Tune 4 Sande" is a small tribute to an extraordinary lady that's been my bride of some 46 years. A simple melody, that Curt's guiter solo turns into high art.
Derrick Stout (owner of Darwin Records) an artist in his own right, did all of the recording and mixing. Very tricky because of all the previously mentioned cross-feeding. If you listen carefully on two of the tracks (assignment for the reader) you'll hear him as percussionist playing a "shaker". Very subtle, but adds some appropriate "Latin" flavor.