August 21st, 2008, posted by Eric
Hey all, I’m writing to you from the mountains of Eastern Tennessee where I am resting and relaxing before a big push on all fronts (Beast, GarDel, my own jazz group, Zenph research). I am writing this post on a dial-up connection. Do you realize how addicted we’ve become to fast bandwidth and processing? Waiting one minute for Google News to load is apparently the most excruciating thing ever. And you can just forget about images. But the sound of the modem brings me back to childhood. That was when you had to reboot your Mac LC so that you could plug in your external CD-ROM drive via SCSI so you could load up your encyclopedia program so you could do homework.
But I digress. Next week I’ll be announcing some really big things for my hip hop band, The Beast. For now we’ll say that it involves dope beats, a gospel choir, Nnenna Freelon, crazy-awesome graphic art, NPR, and a club near you.. I haven’t properly introduced The Beast on this blog, so I’ll give some background, pics, music next week. In the meantime, I’m really excited to share with you the result of our first year’s work together. It will all have to wait for my cable modem though..
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August 11th, 2008, posted by Eric
So far I’ve been using this blog professionally, to give you updates on various news articles and achievements. I’m thrilled to be sharing those things with you, but I also want to bring some interactivity in the mix by posting some reflections on music and spirituality to generate discussions (see here for 2006’s failed attempt at the same thing). Let’s play “getting to know you” so that you can have a sense of the soul behind these posts!
I just spent lunch catching up with my brother, Greg, before he heads back to college. We started comparing iTunes libraries and musical tastes which highlighted my continued disinterest in/aversion to giving rank or superlative to music that I like. I am very much an intuitive person, many times at the expense of my ability to process the world rationally or articulate an intellectual point to someone. My conversation with Greg got me excited enough to realize I do have favorite music, it’s just that the reason for picking it all is a strange combination of irrational and aesthetic.
I’ve noticed it is easier for me to have favorite individual works. But there are a few albums that have come into my life that I can listen to all the way through over and over again and still feel that profound sense of joy and alive-ness. And, like many people, I tend to fondly associate each album with a certain time in my life. Here they are in something of an order:
10. Henry Purcell, Dido and Æneas
What? A baroque opera? A graduate student in musicology could probably inform you that this is nowhere near the greatest opera of the period, or that I should be checking out other aspects of Purcell’s career. But, hey, I like this one. We’re so used to rich, textural film scores and crazy layers of sound. I like that this music can still feel so powerful and beautiful with only a continuo and an SATB choir. Perhaps I’m a sucker for fairly obvious tonal motion. But man, that choral finale (”With Drooping Wings”)? Takes my breath away.
9. Foreighn Exchange, Connected
I first heard this album over the PA while breaking down after a gig. After hearing the first few beats I dropped everything and asked the drummer “What is this??” This collaboration between local emcee Phonte and Dutch producer Nicolay is a cover-to-cover hip hop masterpiece, especially the beats. You can really lose yourself in the aural space created by the production on each track. The music psychologist in me is absolutely fascinated by Nicolay’s use of microtiming within the rhythmic rhetoric of the drums. When I first moved to Durham, this is all I listened to in the car for a month.
8. Adam Guettel, The Light In The Piazza
Easily my favorite musical of the latter-20th-century (probably because it aligns closer to contemporary opera than Broadway drivel). I spent an afternoon talking shop with Adam once, such a humble and generous guy! After making it’s way to Broadway and going on an American tour, LITP gets it’s operatic premiere (that is, staged by an opera company, not a theater company) in Winston-Salem, NC this October.
7. Jazzanova, In Between
Most of the techno I listen to falls in downtempo/nu-jazz/drum n’ bass/IDM territory. If I had to pick a favorite album amongst all of theseIn Between would be the clear winner. A really catchy blend of old jazz samples, new compositional ideas, sultry vocal hooks, and pseudo-Brazillian grooves. Each track is really multifaceted and tells a story.
6. LP Outsiders, All Purpose Crackers
Although this now-retired band is based out of my hometown, St. Louis, Missouri, I only got hip to this CD after I had moved to North Carolina (and a friend back in St. Louis sent it to me). For me it’s a testament to the gems of independent music culture: somewhere out there, in a town you’ve never visited, there is a band making amazingly high-quality awesome music. I really like the versatile blending of 2 male and 1 female lead singer (and they play trumpet, trumpet, flute, respectively). This was my “I just moved to North Carolina” CD. It has shades of Jamiroquai and Maroon 5 (who hadn’t even formed by the time of this release).
5. Israel, Whisper It Loud
The Christians in the house will recognize the name Israel Houghton as the leader of “Israel & New Breed,” a successful worship music franchise that fuses elements of gospel, jazz, and funk. But years and years before you could see him at every mega-church, he quietly put out this album, which has been out of print for quite some time. My father and I led the youth band at our church when I was a young teenager. Another music director lent us this CD and we fell in love. Simply put, this is some of the most cogent Christian songwriting I’ve ever heard. The arrangements and musicians are dope, the lyrics are poignant (rather than vaguely preachy), and Israel himself is just a fantastic vocalist. Find your own copy on eBay today!
4. Frou Frou, Details
I’ll admit that I got hip to Frou Frou like everyone else: watching the end credits to Garden State in the movie theater. But rather than go get the soundtrack, I went straight for the source. This gets my vote for “Best All Time Pop Record.” The songs are pop. But the production is perfect. Guy Sigsworth really knows how to give you a lot of enveloping ear candy without taking away from the meaning of the song itself. This record is so influential on me that it is difficult for me not to emulate it when trying to work on some electro-pop songs.
3. Dave Grusin, West Side Story
West Side Story easily gets my vote for best work of musical theatre. And lots of people have covered the songs from the show (from Oscar Peterson to bazillions of pop orchestras). But Dave Grusin, arranger for the GRP All-Star Big Band was somehow able to understand the original orchestrations, infuse them with even more jazz and Latin music, and come out with something better than the original (!!). This is my favorite big band album for such lush but rhythmic arrangements, chords that are so angular but still true to Bernstein. And it features some of the best New York jazz cats. My old piano teacher gave me a cassette tape that had “America” on it, and I wore it through until I could get the CD.
2. Kurt Elling, Man In The Air
Honestly, it’s really hard for me to listen to most contemporary jazz albums all they way through. If everyone is covering the same standards or writing the same kind of 7/4-polytonal-hiphop originals, then the end product is pretty hit-or-miss. And let’s not get started on jazz vocalists. Since when did it become OK to add horrendous lyrics to just-fine-as-is Monk compositions? Diana Krall and Harry Connick don’t count. But along comes this guy Kurt Elling, who used to be in Divinity School, is not afraid to explore the full range and timbre of his instrument, and is known to bust out an improvised rendition of a Shakespeare sonnet in the middle of “My Foolish Heart.” Something is going on here. Elling writes strange, spiritual, compelling original lyrics to carefully selected previous jazz works. And I think his pianist, Laurence Hobgood, is an underdog. When he solos, it makes me listen. There is something so clear about his ideas, as if he was playing for you as much as he was playing for himself. Also, I wish I had his job. I’ve met Kurt a few times at shows and IAJE conferences: another guy who is refreshingly humble and very Aware of his musical purpose.
And Eric’s Number One Favorite Album of all time….
1. Katia Labèque Band, Unspoken
If I had to sum up all of my inspirations and passions about music and find one existing work that represented it, it would be this album. Classical/jazz pianist Katia Labèque teams up with electronic composer David Maric and ridiculous drummer Marque Gilmore to produce a tremendously beautiful set of pieces. A really evocative balance of rich piano sonorities, subtle electronics, staggered beats, neo-romanticism, a large harmonic vocabulary (from atonalism to pandiatonicism), with jazz and drum n’ bass influences. But enough of the intellectual labels. I can’t say enough about this album (and you can see I once enthusiastically posted a review). I know Katia and David have long since moved on to other projects, but I would love to see a live tour happen again. Sadly, the way I found out about this music was from my best friend, who had gone to the concert at UNC the night before (I didn’t even know about it) and bought the album there. This is music that breathes and flows. I’d love to make a living doing this.
So there you have it! What trends or themes do you notice in this list? What is missing? What might it say about me? And most importantly, what are you’re Top 10 Favorite Albums, and why? Let the comments begin!
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August 10th, 2008, posted by Eric
Hey all, GarDel just played two pretty big club dates this past weekend. It was great to be indoors after mostly playing muggy outdoor festivals. The difference between playing to a general crowd and to a hot floor of world-class dancers was remarkable. Andy and I each premiered some new arrangements that we’ve been transcribing. Sylvia Pfeiffenberger, the Triangle’s Latin music journalist/warrior, posted a blog about the Thursday show here. Check out her blog and learn about the burgeoning Latino music culture in North Carolina!
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June 25th, 2008, posted by Eric
Lauren and I stayed in town for a few days after the show load-out to decompress and catch up with long-lost friends. I’ve been sleeping and taking lesiurely strolls around the city, a welcome change of pace from the intensity of the previous weeks. Today we fly home, so I am taking a moment to look back on my return to the theatre world.
The show had a great run and John Q. Walker (Zenph founder) couldn’t be happier. For such a small software company to write, hire, design, promote, and produce a show and have a strong NYC opening in only four and a half months is quite a feat; I need to take a moment to be very proud of that.
On opening night I was approached by jazz pianist Phineas Newborn Jr’s widow and son, who were both very moved (even by the live playing of Art Tatum alone) and couldn’t wait for Zenph to bring Phineas back to the stage. Sunday’s show was buttoned with a ceremony where Zenph conducted the donation of Tatum’s estate by Geraldine (Tatum’s widow) to the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, which includes not only Tatum’s suits and Grammy, but also his Steinway piano!
This is the first time I’ve managed/produced such a large project, and it turned out I was more than capable (not without a requisite amount of anxiety). I was also happy to be a theatrical sound designer again, a hat I haven’t worn since college. Although I don’t feel destined for a career as a Broadway bigshot (too much inauthenticity), the real-life (and sometimes sobering) education I received while managing this show will certainly apply to many areas as I move forward in an entertainment industry career.
But now it’s time to put down the cell phone and the business cards and return to the practice room. Learning about music administration on your feet comes at the price of time to compose, arrange, and hone your craft. For the second half of this summer I will re-center myself, return all the way to my artistic roots (perhaps for the first time), figure out what it really is that I want out of an artistic life, and go from there.
I have been blogging about Zenph and Orquesta GarDel, and soon I will introduce you to The Beast, a hip hop/jazz/soul collaborative that I have been writing and performing with since last summer. I’ve been longing to consistently rehearse and perform with a jazz trio, a project which might finally materialize in the next few weeks. I feel long overdue for my next round of original jazz compositions, I just need a vehicle to perform them.
When I read back on what I have just written, how can I not feel an extraordinary sense of gratitude for the people, gifts, and opportunities in life?
Thanks for all the support and well-wishes over the past few weeks, and stay tuned for some new developments! Downtown Durham will be a welcoming sight.
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June 22nd, 2008, posted by Eric
Hey everyone, I am writing you from Harlem, New York where Art Tatum: Piano Starts Here is entering its last day after an intense week of rehearsal and showcase performances. Back home (Raleigh/Durham, NC), the local paper has run a great article about Zenph’s latest work. I am quoted and featured often, both for my work on the Tatum show, and for my research into bass re-performance parameters.
Here is the link:
http://www.newsobserver.com/105/story/1116398.html
Enjoy!
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June 11th, 2008, posted by Eric
Hey all, today is a great day for the salsa band that I co-direct (as well as arrange and play piano for), Orquesta GarDel. We are the cover article for the Independent Weekly, the Triangle’s premiere alternative weekly newspaper (North Carolina’s Village Voice, if you will).
Here is a link to the article, which traces the story of the band’s founding to it’s future aspirations and cultural significance in the larger Triangle music scene.
I am so proud of this giant, hard-working band of musicians from many backgrounds. It is great to be able to share our story with a wider audience.
Please read the article, check out GarDel’s music, watch for new shows, and let me know what you think! I’ve never been quoted so much before…
Posted in Orquesta GarDel | 3 Comments »
June 4th, 2008, posted by Eric
Hey all, Zenph Studios has just reached another great milestone: Our second album with Sony BMG hits the streets today. This album marks the first time Zenph Studios has analyzed and re-performed a jazz artist, and not just any jazz artist. the legendary pianist Art Tatum.
From the press release:
Art Tatum’s “Piano Starts Here” album contains material that has been in print for more than 50 years. Yet the original, an incomparable jazz album that highlights the mastery of this singular musician, had been marred by nominal sound quality and other imperfections — until now.
Zenph’s unique technique turns audio recordings into live performances that precisely replicate the original recording, but offer vastly improved sound quality. Listeners are transported back to the moment of creation and experience Tatum’s playing as if they were in the room when the original recordings were made.
Last year, Sony BMG and Zenph Studios re-recorded Tatum’s 1949 concert at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. They placed the piano on the same stage in the same spot that Tatum played and recorded a flawless re-performance on modern equipment before a live audience.
SONY BMG’s new disc is a hybrid surround-sound SACD/CD disc, which plays on all traditional CD players and sounds magnificent on Super Audio (SACD) players. It also includes a binaural version of the re-performance that provides an immersive experience. When listened to with headphones, it replicates what Tatum would have heard while he sat on the piano bench.
The Zenph re-performance also corrects several problems with the original album. For one thing, playback speed was too slow on 12 of the 13 tracks, so after Zenph fixed the tempo, you hear that Tatum actually played faster than has been thought.
And, thanks to Tatum discographer Arnold Laubich, Zenph has restored about two minutes of lost material. The original album omits excerpts from Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess,” which Tatum performed at the concert during the track now titled “The Man I Love.”
I have had the privilege of working on this album from start to finish: it has been an intense and insightful process involving the cutting edge of both computer algorithms and musicology. My name is in the credits for the research and production team, so technically, this is my major label debut :-).
You can purchase the album at Zenph’s online store, Amazon.com. iTunes, or any major music retailer. Please comment back and let me know what you think of the new album, or if you have any questions about the Zenph re-performance process. Enjoy!
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May 20th, 2008, posted by Eric
Don’t look twice: the above photo is the real deal, not a product of Photoshop trickery! Over the past few months I have become the Supervising Producer for an exciting new show that opens at Harlem’s world famous Apollo Theater in June. The show is called Art Tatum: Piano Starts Here and it features Zenph’s jaw-dropping re-performance technology which allows Art Tatum to play live onstage before your very eyes. I’ve been working with the show from the research and writing, to the director hiring, to the casting, to the design (I am also the sound designer), to the rehearsal process, and the promotion. It has been a valuable arts management experience and I get to work with top-shelf Broadway talent along the way!
Zenph Studios is presenting the show in association with Metropolitan Talent Presents (recentclients include The Rolling Stones and The Police…) and has brought many jazz luminaries on board in support of the show including Les Paul, Page Cavanaugh, Little Anthony, and Clark Terry. Zenph is dedicated to jazz education and preservation and is showing this by working with The Jazz Museum in Harlem and donating half the profits of the show to them. Zenph has also been working with Tatum’s estate to donate his piano and other belongings to the Museum! There is a big effort behind this show, and I’m really excited to present it to you:
The show goes up June 19th, 20th, and 22nd at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. Tickets are available at ticketmaster.com or through the Apollo box office (212/531-5305).
I’ve loved working with director Tre Garrett, and actor Paul Butler (who has been in original productions of many August Wilson plays). Here are some shots of us rehearsing with the Zenph piano in Raleigh last week:
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February 5th, 2008, posted by Eric
From the press release:
This program, established in 2002, was created to encourage gifted jazz composers from throughout the United States. The recipients, who range in age from 14 to 29, are selected through a juried national competition. They receive cash awards, and will be recognized at the annual ASCAP Jazz Wall of Fame ceremony on June 17, 2008. The ASCAP composer/judges for the 2008 competition were: John Fedchock, Jay Leonhart, and Rufus Reid.
This marks the third time I have been awarded in this competition (also placed in 2005 and 2007). My 2008 submission was “Messengers and Providers” which you can listen to here. I am so honored to repeatedly place alongside the best and brightest rising young jazz composers!
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January 9th, 2008, posted by Eric
Happy New Year everybody! 2008 promises to be my most active year yet with 2 albums on the way, one for a salsa group and the other for a soul group. To kick off the year I will be presenting a session on behalf of Zenph® Studios at the annual IAJE (International Association of Jazz Educators) conference called “Art Tatum Plays Again!” Saturday the 12th at 5pm.
Imagine sitting in the same room as Art Tatum while he plays for you on a marvelous concert grand piano. Wild, right? I’ve been a Performance Analyst at Zenph for almost two years now, working closely with the research and coding of these re-performances as well as the first urtext engravings of Tatum scores. I am continually amazed by our work and the implications it has for music education and dissemination.
Here are some pics from the presentation:
Hard at work with John Q. Walker, Zenph founder.
With the Yamaha Canada team and Oliver Jones (Canada’s next legendary jazz pianist behind Oscar Peterson)!!!
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