Ghosts of Systems Two

"Do you want to try the Coltrane mic?"

...asked one of the engineers at Systems Two studios in Brooklyn. "Don't point that thing at me!" I wanted to say.

Recording my first New York album with terrific musicians was enough excitement for the day, I didn't need distraction by any thoughts of John Coltrane's huge legacy. The microphone in question was an RCA "ribbon" mic owned and used by John Coltrane, later passed to Systems Two by Ravi Coltrane. We actually did end up using it as one of a few sax mics in the final mix.

Coltrane was one of several "ghosts" to be found at the Systems Two: great musicians who have used the studio or its gear to capture classic sound. We used Marvin "Smitty" Smith's old drum set which is standard gear at Systems.  

The Hammond C3 (just like a B3 but with a full body instead of legs)

System's Hammond C3 organ once lived at Long Island's Ultrasonic Recording studios where it was used by artists including Billy Joel, and on the 60s hit song "In a Gadda Da Vida." Around the same time we were in the studio, organ master Dr. Lonnie Smith was there recording his recent Blue Note album Evolution with Joe Lovano and Robert Glasper. 

Hammond C-3 Soundcheck from Dave Anderson on Vimeo.

Engineer Mike Marciano and organist Pat Bianchi check the Hammond C3 sound (that's not a ghost behind the control room glass, it's ambling drummer Matt Wilson)

It's pretty common to cross paths with famous gear or musical legacies in the recording studio, but it's important to not let it mess with your head. I'm really pleased with how the (soon to be released) Blue Innuendo album turned out, so I guess we kept the ghosts at bay. 

Here are some of my personal favorites albums recorded at Systems Two:

Notes about the Songs on "Blue Innuendo"

The "Two-Tone" building in Brooklyn.

One of the big reasons I make albums is because of songs.  I assemble a collection of compositions that all seem to be pointing in a similar direction, and that collection becomes the material for an album. Here are some notes on the songs that will appear on Blue Innuendo:

1. "Urban Dilemma" was written specifically for the album. I wanted to combine some characteristics of the Larry Goldings Trio -- really well-arranged organ grooves -- with a snaky soprano/guitar melody like our guitarist Tom Guarna's uses in some of his music. The title is a reference to the ongoing gentrification in NYC which is truly a dilemma: some things get better for some people, while other things get worse for others. 
2. "22 Doors" was composed by a friend, Devin Lowe who is the bass player on my Trio Real album. We had this tune in the book for that group but never recorded it, and I really wanted to hear these guys play it.  And play it they did! Thanks to Devin...
3. "12 Step Blues" is a minor blues that uses all 12 "steps" of the chromatic scale, but is not actually a "12-tone" tune because some of the notes are repeated.
4. "Parallel Present" comes from a place of reminiscence.  Like in the movie Sliding Doors, what if there were another life out there being lived by a parallel self who had made different choices?
5. "Genealogy" is based on the standard song "I Got Rhythm," but the form omits large chunks of the original while maintaining parts of its essence. I had been doing some family genealogy research and thought it would be cool to write a boppish tune and name it "Genealogy," like some of the Charlie Parker heads that were named after different "-ologies" like "Ornithology" and "Anthropology." Mirroring old bop arrangements, the roles of the sax and guitar are reversed between the "in-head" and the "out-head."
6. "Stuck" is based on the feeling of times when we can't seem to change our situation or alter our patterns in life. Sometimes when we do experience change it's after a period of feeling stuck.
7. "The Phantom" is something I wrote many years ago but haven't performed until recently -- thanks to my friend Dr. James Noyes for persuading me to have this on the album. The song is dedicated to the great tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson because the melody sounds like something he might have played. His originality as a player and composer has always been inspiring (Joe was nicknamed "The Phantom" for his supposed knack for disappearing from a room without anyone noticing). 
8. "Two-tone Tune" was written for our great drummer Matt Wilson. There's a building in my neighborhood that has two colors on its outer surface: two-tone. One day I looked at it and said "I'm going write a feature for Matt where every instrument gets just two notes (tones) to play for starters." The form of the song also has two main sections, the second with very optimistic, positive sounding chords that remind me of Matt's enormous, infectious enthusiasm.
9. "Blue Innuendo" is dedicated to Joey DeFrancesco, a tribute to the organ master's ability to reach across generations to bring the good feelings of swinging music to present-day audiences, as this tune tries to do. The title references the ability of the Hammond B3 organ to pull any music towards the blues. No matter the style of music, adding a Hammond organ seems to put a "blue innuendo" in there.
10. "Redeye" was written at a time I was traveling a lot between the West and East Coasts and life was becoming frenetic. One morning I arrived home in New York (after a "redeye" overnight flight), sat at the piano and wrote this tune. Interestingly, when this song -- which is built on "4th" intervals -- is played on the organ, it reminds me of the great organist Larry Young who played 4ths as a trademark.

It was fun pulling together this collection of original songs.  I hope you enjoy Blue Innuendo!

Making your own promo CDs

A fistful of DIY promo CDs

I recently "made" my own promo CDs for a publicity mailing, and wanted to share my method with other do-it-yourself (DIY) musicians out there.

In "the old days" of the recording industry, labels simply asked their distributor to make a set of promos and ship them to their publicist.  Someone at the distributor would use a table saw or other cutting tool to slice through a box of CDs at a time, cutting a notch directly through the barcode, marking them universally as promotional inventory.  I remember making the call when I worked for CTI records, "Make us 500 promos of the new Larry Coryell record."

I was surprised to learn that musician-friendly services like Discmakers/CD-baby don't offer this service.  I was told that I could make a separate "promo" album design with altered barcode, etc., but by producing a separate lot of inventory -- and missing a price break on my CD quantity -- this would cost me several hundred dollars plus professional design time.

Is promotional inventory still even necessary?  

I would say absolutely.  I've had the prior experience of putting out an album only to have used "promos" flood Amazon and cannibalize sales of a new release.  Whether you're mailing to radio or media, someone on the list will be tempted to monetize the inventory you bought and paid to create.  Creating promo inventory not only curtails this, it also gets more of your promos reviewed and played on the radio because they're not being sold as used records.

How I made my own promo CDs.
 

Custom label interface on Vistaprint

1. I made custom stickers at Vistaprint, and ordered enough sheets for my promo run.
2. I shipped CDs from my manufacturer to my apartment.
3. I drilled through the barcode from the back of the package with a household power drill, 5 CDs at a time.  First, practice on CDs from your collection that you dislike!
4. I affixed the "Promo CD only" sticker to the shrink wrap of each CD.
5. I then shipped the promo inventory to my publicist.

All told, this took a few hours and saved several hundred dollars. 

Welcome to the new site!

I figured with a new album coming soon, it was time to update the site and start blogging.  

I look forward to writing more here about musical projects, Label 1, the music industry and the NYC jazz scene.