Going into the studio tomorrow to record MY stuff....

[Bobadohshe]

Well I'm pretty excited and thought I should share it all with my KB Corner brethren.

 

Tomorrow I'm going into the studio to record what will technically be my first album. I've recorded plenty over the years on hundreds of different things for different people and I've written plenty of music for various purposes, but tomorrow is the first time I'm cutting a handful of tunes for ME.

 

I turned 35 in August and, well damn, I think it's finally time. There are plenty of things that have prevented me from doing this up to now. Maybe you can relate to some of them:

 

-Didn't think I was good enough yet.

 

-Didn't have time.

 

-Way too much work.

 

-Didn't have enough $$ to make it happen the way it needed to.

 

-Didn't have enough tunes.

 

-Was paralyzed by the fact that I like too many styles of music. Love playing straight ahead jazz piano. Love playing pop. Love playing reggae. Love playing Latin Jazz. Love playing wanky fusion. Love playing Richard Tee style Stuff grooves. Love producing music for commercial purposes. (starting to) love playing organ. Love playing classical music. Love playing ballpark organ. If I were to release an album what style would I do?!?!

 

Over the course of the past couple years I realize I've evolved to meet each of these objections.

 

-Doesn't matter if I'm still not 'good enough'. If my voice is "imperfect" or short of Cory Henry brilliance then it's cool. I'm not the natural genius that level of player is and I never will be!

 

-I'll never have months and months to write, but I did have a kind of slow Feb / March and was able to bring this vision together pretty quickly to take advantage of this relative 'slow period'.

 

-It IS a ton of work but it's fun work. (Easy to say when it's not even recorded yet)

 

-Playing in a solid corporate band for the past 3 years coupled with my wife finishing grad school and joining the work force and some smart steady budgeting means that I've been able to set aside some $$. Now I can pay everybody what I want with a smile on my face.

 

-I've been writing steadily over the past couple months and the tunes have come. I have enough faith in my ability to write now so that once I defined the parameters of the vibe I was going for with this album I could conjure up and flesh out some ideas that I thought were worthy (though not without plenty of plateaus, moments of frustration and doubt and heavy revisions).

 

 

And to answer the last point, I settled on a concept that isn't all that common and yet seemed fun to me. A funky organ album with horns. This means that my jazz piano album is gonna have to wait. Even the straight ahead organ album will have to wait. The 'Bobby plays classical' album (never gonna happen actually) will have to wait. The solo piano disc will have to wait. The 'Bobby's EDM creations' has to wait. But zeroing in on the idea of an organ with a larger horn section (5 horns on average) gave me focus.

 

And lastly I was inspired by this: I wanted to get all the killer players I know in town from different scenes to be able to get together and play on tunes that showcased their abilities best. So I've written tunes for ensembles of different players that they will shine on. That is tremendously inspiring AND it gives the album variety. I have a Cha Cha. I have some a dark Lonnie Smith style tune with Horace Silvery changes. I have a Tower of Power tribute tune (!!). There's a reggae tune. There's a wanky 80s fusion tune called 'Muy Shreddings'. Why the hell not it's MY ALBUM.

 

So here's hoping tomorrow and the next day goes well. There are plenty of things that could go wrong. The sound could just kind of suck at this studio. The arrangements might not come together when everyone plays them. The horn parts could be crappy in real life. I could have a shitty day of playing. The lead trumpet player could get into an accident on the way to the studio. But frankly it's cool - - - even if stuff DOES go wrong --- this will be a great experience.

 

Thanks for reading y'all. So much of what I've learned here goes into every note I play - it's unquantifiable at this point.

 

-BC

[Dave Ferris]

I was 38 when I finally felt ready to do my first (all original) in '91 at Chick 's old Mad Hatter studio. I used his engineer, Bernie Kirsh ($$$$).

 

I paid the guys - sax, bass & drums - not a lot but what I could afford. Thankfully they dug the music.

 

It was the era before Pro Tools and I couldn't afford to multi- track so we went live to 2 track. 72 minutes of music in back to back days of 4 hour sessions.

 

Luckily the rhythm section was well rehearsed and I had Bob Sheppard on sax. And again we had Bernie Kirsh at the helm.

 

Getting it mastered by Bernie Grundman was a lot, and then paying for the artwork and getting copies made... I think it was around 10K when all was said and done.

 

Aside from the Steinway D, the best money I've probably ever spent in my life in music. Once it's over and you have the finished product in your handswell the feeling is indescribable. In fact I can still recall the high 25 and a half years ago. It's no one else's vision or thing but all YOU.

 

I'm sure it will go great. Just get enough sleep tonight and try to stay focused but relaxed during the tracking. A loose , relaxed vibe during the session brings out the best in everyone.

 

Wishing you all the best with it .

[MAJUSCULE]

You'll be great, man. Looking forward to hearing it. I remember you were saying in September that you'd never really recorded your own tunes. Time to grip it and rip it!

[midinut]

Best of luck to you. I'm sure it'll be great. Can't wait to hear it when it's done!

[stillplaying]

Good luck on your latest adventure. Sounds great.

[CowboyNQ]

More power to you Bobby - congratulations and best wishes.

[Michael Wright]

Have fun!

[Markyboard]

Can't wait to hear the end result. Best of skills is already in your hands. Best of luck never hurts!

[UnderGroundGr]

Good luck !!!

[MoodyBluesKeys]

Good for you, Bobby!

Rest well tonight and ENJOY the session.

[Al Quinn]

Congrats. Looking forward to hearing the end result. Based on music you've posted previously I'm sure it will be awesome. Enjoy!

[MathOfInsects]

Tear it up, Bobby!

[mate stubb]

[bennyray]

Be yourself and you will be just fine! Looking forward to hearing the finished product.

[David R]

Yeah man! Can't wait to hear the record.

[RichieP_MechE]

Awesome Bobby! Consider this a pre-order, can't wait to hear it!

[Dave Bryce]

Mmmm...studio....

 

Enjoy, brother!

 

dB

[Joe Muscara]

Awesome, Bobby! Are you going to record any video behind the scenes?

[Doerfler]

excellent post, Bobby. Hope it was a great day in the studio.

[MAJUSCULE]

He was just live on Facebook y'all! Horns are sounding legit.

[Tusker]

He was just live on Facebook y'all! Horns are sounding legit.

 

 

 

Those be powerful horns Bobby ... can't wait to hear the complete track with all the instruments.

[Bobadohshe]

Great day today. Five and six horn arrangements. We kept moving and had time for everything. In a bit of a daze and will need a week before coming back to listen with fresh ears. Will need some editing love for sure. Day 2 will be easier.

[zephonic]

Go, Bobster!

[ProfD]

Bobby, congrats in moving forward with your own project.

 

It is easy to set cruise control as a hired gun. Just a matter of being ready for the gig and comfortable with how much it pays. Sometimes, there is an added bonus of digging the music you're playing.

 

IMO, musically, there is nothing like the freedom of composing, playing and recording your own music. Sure, everybody might not dig it. But, that's not the point.

 

Being able to express your own vision and creativity from the tunes to arrangements and hiring the musicians is rewarding in itself.

 

Of course, it is not easy at all. There is a reason not everyone is and/or wants to be a bandleader. It is actually harder than being a hired gun.

 

Now, someone else is looking to your for direction, instruction and getting paid. At the end of it all, you have to deliver a product.

 

It is huge step forward. But, I certainly believe you have done enough time in the trenches playing a variety of musical styles which in turn afford you the knowledge, skills and abilities to make this happen.

 

Brotha Bobby, I'm truly happy that you have chosen to do this now. There is no doubt in my mind that you will emerge with an excellent record.

 

[cedar]

Best of luck! I've recently decided to do the same thing - jazz album with my own compositions - and given myself about a year to perfect arrangements, identify and recruit sideman and then head into the studio. I'm hoping that, with sufficient prep, the actual studio time won't be too much.

 

Anyway, it's inspiring to see a fellow forum-member where I hope to be within a year.

[NewImprov]

Go, man, go!

 

I know it's a pretty antiquated idea in the current music environment, but there are few things I love more than making records.

[MAJUSCULE]

I know it's a pretty antiquated idea in the current music environment, but there are few things I love more than making records.

 

Woooooooorrrrrrrd.

[Mark Zeger]

If the Padres let you set up a merch table, you're going to need a lot of copies to sell!

[Bobadohshe]

Two of the coolest days of my life. Still coming down from it. I will share some highlights soon.

[Doerfler]

Excellent.