Memories of Miss Memory

This chemistry is meant to be….

In my field of vision I see five sets of headphones and five laptops, a flute is resting over in the corner, people disappearing into the studios and recording rooms as if they were black holes, synths, microphones, keyboards routed with a thick black spaghetti mess of wiring. In these moments in time, we draw lines across computer screens, bearing the hallmarks of jazz, soul, funk, peppered with plenty of old school synthesisers and other electronic toys, the chemistry is happening, jam sessions developing between like minded people, the billiard room is set up as a new “live” sounding recording room. Today marks the halfway point, and we will move into a new phase, after this flurry of creativity comes the editing and mixing. Lots of smiling faces, laughs and good times are being shared.

And so the saga of Cologne continues. All up I think there was over 30 tracks created during this time. Not all will be finished and where they will end up, right now it’s hard to tell. But I get the feeling that whatever the outcome, this process driven project will forge new sounds and alliances that will have many repercussions down the line for all involved.

On the final day, Larry made an announcement that he had written a little song he wanted everyone to sing as a tribute to the experience. We all trundled into the recording room, singing our hearts out while larry accompanied on Rhodes, and Om’mas conducted. A very befitting end to a wonderful experience.

Its three days since i left Cologne, underslept, overfed, and a little bit lost. Had the last ten days really happened? Or was it all a figment of an overactive imagination. As I reflect on moments passed, I have mixed emotions. Some of this experience was so wonderful, and some of it was quite painful. The rules of self-governance can often be cruel to the less dominant types. On a personal note one of the most difficult aspects of the experience for me was negotiating studio time and being patient enough to get whomever it was you wanted to record to wait around with you. In my own world, i am generally the driver, being the music producer or engineer. It was a real learning experience to relinquish that, and to be on the other side of the engineer’s chair. I also have a new understanding of what it is like to be a recording artist, waiting for edits, transfers, setup time, and for your turn is a test of patience. Erik, the engineer was a pleasure to learn from, and, now I am a Logic user! I don’t plan on giving up Cubase tomorrow, but I think the big phase out is about to begin.

And so it’s back to the real world…..