FORUM CD: Volume X - impressions?

[Jazzman]

Got my sets in the mail today. Thanks Jim for going out of your way to get these to me, much apreciated.

 

I just popped it in and went through the set..........WOW,what a mix. Really cool stuff. Great sequencing of the songs too by the way.

 

Here is my take on this fantastic CD.

 

Fulcrum - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood

I like this arrangement, nice way to have the vocals come in, cool rendention with a powerful finish. Very together, with a nice build-up in the beginning. I like how you come in powerfull to the main theme, and how the vocals play in the background...cool. I like the pads on the keys. Awsome fad-out. I like this one a lot.

 

Pim - Heard of Gold

Nice reverb on the vocals, real together, drums and guitar parts are done well, impressive.

 

db - Grey Seal

Well done db, great vocal parts, I like the break-out parts too, nice composition sounds like it was a lot of fun doing this one. Seamless, great panning of the instruments, very nice finish.

 

DafDuc - Some Firebird Funk

Cool Dude..Great sync throughout, I like this tune with cool key sections. Real Funky indeed.

 

Floyd Tatum - Girl From Ipanaima

OOOHH Baby.........I like the arrangement. Well done , my hat is off to you. You captured everything live, nice job. Great lead on keys, and sax action, and a nice upright playing.

 

DanS - Come Down In Time

Really Great vocals, keys, bass, drums. A lot of emotion here, well put together, background is awsome, nice organ sounds....fills out really nice and mixes well. Nice lead components. Very nice job.....Package is complete.........Very nice end.love it.

 

kad - Here, There and Everywhere

WOW........Excellent......Take - 6 !!!!! Great job, very relaxing, and tight.

 

Mark Zeger - Another Star

Real professional sounding, horn parts are sweet, keys are very nice, vocal pieces pop in very nicely. Clean sounding, nice job all around.

 

David Ryshpan - Big Rumble

Nice tune, cool keyboard playing, I like the ending a lot.....really clean sounding.

 

Jazzman - Spooky

Mine. a-er-ahum! Each piece was played live one time through.

 

Dreamer - Your Song

I could hear this one on the radio. Great arrangement, nice playing, very professional indeed. The drum sections are very nice, everything is easy on the ears .....perfect. I love this one a lot. Tight sounding.

 

JimmieWannaB - Gimme Shelter

Nice intro, nice mix, I love the Hamond sound intermixed with the other key parts. Nice job.

 

What The...? - Him Or Me

A great original, well done, right-on with great singing, a really FULL sound. I felt like was listening the the oldie station on the radio.

 

steadyb - Sparks

Holly Molly!!! A lot of action in this one. I like this one. Nice job on the keys, cool break-out, then back to a pumping sound. Well done!!

 

Abracadabra - Skin

Another high energy sound. Vocals break in real clear, up front where they belong. Nice balance between the instruments. Very impressive, cool panning of the sounds, real nice job with the drums components........seamless in all aspects. I could here this on the radio. I was in the groove with this one.

 

b_3guy - He Ain't Heavy(He's My Brother)

WOW another great vocal...this is so close to the original it ain't funny! Very impressive sound, mix, arrangement. Cool background vocals. The violin sections sound like I was listening to music comming out of Hitsville. GREAT!!!

 

Linwood - In The Wee Small Hours

Linwood........I can't say enough here about your compositions. The vocal is out-a-site. What a treat, tell her she needs to be out there if she isn't already on the air waves. Beautiful my friend, it shows. Very nice..and so very relaxing. Thanks for sharing this with us. What an ending to a great CD!

 

............This was some CD folks, what a pleasure to have been able to be a part of this. I do believe this one tops them all. It is hard to comment on so much professional talant. I know my friends will enjoy this as much as I have and will forever.

 

Great job all!!!

 

Peace from the Jazz guy in Michigan.

 

Jazzman

(George)

[Gulliver]

Thank you Jazzman!

[Dreamer]

Thanks from me as well! Very kind of you to take the time to comment on all the songs.

[DanS]

Thanks for taking the time Jazz.

[Dave Bryce]

 

Thanks also for all of the nice comments on the sequencing of the disc - I'm actually really pleased with the flow of this one as well.

 

Re: Fulcrum's tune - when I first got it, I compressed it to bring the quiet parts up (after emailing him for permission, of course) to make the quiet part at the beginning less quiet. However, after listening to it that way for a while, I decided it would be more fun to leave it just as he mixed it because I was listening more carefully when it was softer, and/or turning it up more so I could hear it better. As a result, I felt this was making the solo part where the volume level jump much more dramatic and enjoyable (even if it is a bit startling at first), so I left it alone.

 

 

dB

[Fulc]

dB: that's exactly why I did it that way. Thanks for the clarification.

 

Jazzman, cheers for the props-- still discovering new stuff in your arrangement, here. If you don't mind my asking, did you propose on Halloween?

 

KC X is still in heavy rotation in my car CD player. Definitely in my top five CDs of 2005, this.

[Mark Zeger]

Thanks, J-man, for the nice comments on everyone's piece.

 

I've played this CD for a lot of people and everyone finds something different to like. My 14 yr old daughter loved "Heart of Gold" and put it in her iPod. My trumpet teacher asked me for a copy of Floyd Tatum's "IpaNaima" reharm chart and wants to play it with his band. We'll probably discuss it in my lesson today and use it as a study piece (as some people here would figure, I've already been through most of the Jobim songbook). And on and on...

[Jazzman]

Fulcrum, believe it or not, I was going with my wife to be for 5 years before we got married. She actually asked me..."Well........what are going to do? Are you going to marry me or what!"

 

I said............."Ah........OK"

 

That was it.

 

I was going to a gig in a van with the rest of the group in November. She was sitting on my lap in the front when spooky came on the radio and she just looked at me......you know the look........that was it!

 

Well....I told my wife some time ago that if I had to do this all over again I would marry her again...........She said she would think about it!!!

 

 

Jazzman

[David R]

Thanks Jazz for the analysis. And I agree with fulcrum and Mark - the more I listen to it the more I find different things in each track that I love. I still can't get over kad's vocal arrangement and performance, though.

 

David

[guestuserguestuser.com]

I've had mine now for a while and listened to it several times. It's growing on me, I like it more each time I listen to it. These are some thoughts I jotted down. I lean towards jazz, but I can appreciate all kinds of music. My favourites (besides my own): kad, steadyb, and linwood. But really, everything is great

 

Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood - Fulcrum

 

I like the idea of the vocals having an "over-the-phone" sound, and being slightly quiet - did you have that in mind at all? Sounds like you did. I would have liked to hear more "phone" effect, and a little bit more volume, I think it still would have had the same dramatic effect, as it is, I think it is just a tad too low in volume at the beginning, but it does pull you in. Good solo. When vocal comes back in after the solo, it's louder than before, which is nice. I like the solo at the end, too, the pitch bends start to sound like seagulls, I like when stuff like that happens. Oh, some nice chord subs too

 

Heard of Gold - Pim

 

I like the way it rocks, nice drum and guitar sound. Good use of timbre change in the solo

 

Grey Seal - db

 

Very well done all around, very polished sound. Too bad I don't know the original though

 

Some Firebird Funk - DafDuc

 

Spacey vibe - intergalactic space-station bar band with two or three rhodes players! I lose "one" sometimes. It's got lots of character.

 

Girl From Ipanaima - Floyd Tatum

 

Incredible job, floyd, you're a real geniu.... oh, wait that's my track. Ahem. Onto the next one...

 

Oh, by the way, it was a real Rhodes. And yes, I know the Rhodes could have been louder, but I had a single stereo mic, and I had one shot at recording it, guess I should have had the mic closer to the rhodes amp. By the way, it was the bass player Brandi's first, or maybe second time through the chart, she did exactly what I was looking for

 

Come Down In Time - DanS

 

nice. good bass, drums, organ. Liked the moogish triangle-wave sound in solo

 

Here, There and Everywhere - kad

 

VERY well done, kad! one of my favourites. This is the kind of stuff I wish Brian Wilson was doing.

 

Another Star - Mark Zeger

 

nice, simple-but-good arrangement. I like the trumpet. One criticism, though: I hear some clipping distortion in a couple of places.

 

Big Rumble - David Ryshpan

 

I like how at 3:36 it switches from basic to deluxe, with the moog-like bass and the watery synth effect. Cool

 

Spooky - Jazzman

 

I like the way you switched the changes around - Ebm to Abmaj7 - yeah, baby!

 

Your Song - Dreamer

 

cool. yummy Sweet Alto Sax

 

Gimme Shelter - JimmieWannaB

 

love the sparse and characterful use of plucky, chimey synth sounds

 

Him Or Me - What The...?

 

good live rockin' sound, what's not to like?

 

Sparks - steadyb

 

One of my other favourites on the disc. Fantastic, huge sound! I wished my speakers were ten times bigger and louder so I could really appreciate it. Love the bass filter sweep - bwooOOOO-HAAAaa! You did this all with softsynths?? We're Not Worthy!

 

Skin - Abracadabra

 

good groove and vocals. I don't know the original, unfortunately

 

He Ain't Heavy(He's My Brother) - b_3guy

 

very nicely done! good strings, vocal, drums...

 

In The Wee Small Hours - Linwood

 

one of my favourites. pretty, sweet and lush. I really like the song, I have it on a Johnny Hartman record. You did a really nice arrangement, and executed it well. Cathi did a great vocal.

 

 

Great job, everyone, I'm proud to be a part of it.

 

Oh, and a big thank you to Dave Bryce, Steve Jordan, Janet Graham, Jim Miles, Don Gunn, and anyone I might have left out who was involved in its production.

[Fulc]

Originally posted by Floyd Tatum:

I like the idea of the vocals having an "over-the-phone" sound, and being slightly quiet - did you have that in mind at all?

THanks for your kind words Floyd. If I could have shoehorned a bit of Foley in, that section would have had a driving rain beating on a phone booth in the background to go with my "on the phone" setting, maybe a car going by and a thunder clap here and there. But this past summer was (I daresay) one of the driest on record in New England.

 

I like the solo at the end, too, the pitch bends start to sound like seagulls, I like when stuff like that happens. Oh, some nice chord subs too

I've had people say it sounded more like I was swinging cats around by their tails. I'm glad someone actually got it.

 

Oh, by the way, it was a real Rhodes. And yes, I know the Rhodes could have been louder, but I had a single stereo mic, and I had one shot at recording it, guess I should have had the mic closer to the rhodes amp. By the way, it was the bass player Brandi's first, or maybe second time through the chart, she did exactly what I was looking for

Micing issues aside, enough came through that your point came across. Everybody was spot on. Still digging on the track, really nice playing from you and the other two-thirds of the trio.

 

Oh, and a big thank you to Dave Bryce, Steve Jordan, Janet Graham, Jim Miles, Don Gunn, and anyone I might have left out who was involved in its production.

Can't overstate that either. Cheers to the back office people.

[kad]

This is LONG overdue, sorry folks. I'm also longer overdue in thanking you all once again for the many kind words you have sent my way!

 

 

1) Fulcrum This track is truly killer, and I think its a perfect opener for the CD. That solo is just dynamite I love it! It reminds me somewhat of the synth solo in a tune from the late 70s called Sweetheart by Frankie and the Knockouts it really grabs the listener although yours is more aggressive and in your face in a good way. Then theres your superb bass lines all the way through. A great track from beginning to end!

 

2) Pim Your sound is HUGE those drums are gigantic. I had to check the liner notes to see what you used for drums. I really love the aggressiveness of this track. The Andromeda sounds great. Very well done!

 

3) dB Everything from the arrangement to the performance to the mix are absolutely top notch on this track. Great jamming at the end! Very well done Dave.

 

4) DafDuc - Taking on a McLaughlin track very impressive and you definitely did it justice. I love that old McLaughlin stuff, especially the One Truth Band stuff. Your arrangement has a very cool vibe - very nice!

 

5) Floyd Tatum This is a wonderful reharmonization Richard. I really love your playing. At times it is reminiscent of mid 70s Clare Fischer which, to me, is just right Clare Fischer is one of my heroes. Of course, you maintain a distinct personal style as well, particularly in the harmonic arrangement. I love the Phrygian stuff. Youre very gifted!

 

6) DanS I love this track. Your playing and singing are so soulful I really love your voice. This track draws me in every time and makes me want to listen to it over again. Beautiful!

 

7) kad - Thank you Renee for putting up with me!

 

8) Mark Zeger A real flugelhorn, wow! I love the flugelhorn, and you play it so well. Really wonderful phrasing. The arrangement is very open, which is a perfect backdrop for the horn. The vocal/pad accents are perfectly placed. Very nicely done!

 

9) David R As with the previous track, this is a very open arrangement that provides a backdrop for some excellent playing very nice chops! The unexpected synth stuff toward the end is great - I love the theremin!

 

10) Jazzman This track is very solid, and as others have said, the departure from the usual A13 to Amaj7 is cool! The dedication to your wife was a very nice touch. 38 years ago that would have predated the familiar ARS version, correct?

 

11) Dreamer I really love this track. Your timing and phrasing are marvelous Andrea! Every note is so expressive and so perfectly timed. Im VERY impressed that this whole arrangement was done in one take.

 

12) Jimmie WannaB Very nice instrumentation great mix of sustained and percussive tones. This does the original Stones version proud nice job!

 

13) Lee Flier I love the Raiders so naturally I love your track! You guys did a great job with it great energy. My band does Hungry, Kicks and Good Thing very fun stuff to play live. Well done!

 

14) Steadyb This track is just plain COOL! Fantastic mix of synth textures and a HUGE sound awesome!

 

15) Gulliver Very tight playing and nice vocals. Im not familiar with the original, but you guys are VERY good excellent musicianship!

 

16) b_3guy Ahh, one of my all time favorite songs. Your rendition is great very true to the original. Great voice on lead vocals. Very well done!

 

17) Linwood This is a masterpiece! You are VERY talented, and Cathi is sensational! The earmark of a great arranger is one who can create a thick arrangement where every part still has its own distinct space. You nailed it! A perfect closing track

 

 

It was an honor to be a part of this great collection of talent!!!

 

Kirk

[Dreamer]

Wow, Kirk, thanks! What can I say? I hope to be with you on KC vol. XI, XII, XIII, XIV...

[DanS]

Thanks very much Kirk.

[Jazzman]

Kad, actually I've been married to my wife for 33 years and dated her for 5 years before that = 38. Highschool sweetheart. Got married after college.

 

The Orig version came out just before we were married(can't remember the year off hand, I'm guessing 1968) The original version was 2:54 long. Lowery Music Company Inc. IR Imperial (A product of Liberty records) Produced and arranged by Buddy Buie.

 

Thanks for the compliment on the tune, I enjoyed playing it.

 

Jazzman

[Mark Zeger]

Thank you so much, Kirk, for your compliments. Your track still kills me and everyone else who has heard it.

 

There's a story with that particular Conn flugelhorn. (I recorded it with an SM57, my only mic, and it sounds better live.) I've owned since I was in the 8th grade. Last year when she was in 8th grade, my trumpet playing daughter nailed her audition for middle school jazz ensemble and was the section lead. I passed down my flugelhorn to her. Since then, I have to "borrow it back" from time to time until pull the trigger on a new Kanstul copper bell flugel for me.

 

(Also on the shopping list: a good ribbon mic to record it. )