new album-- One Eye Awake (free jazz/fusion)

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ubertar
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new album-- One Eye Awake (free jazz/fusion)

Post by ubertar » Fri Mar 31, 2017 6:18 pm

I guess you could say this is my Bitches Brew wannabe record. But before you cut me down to size, bear in mind that record was the collective work of (at least) 14 people, all world class musicians (plus producer), at the top of their game in CBS studios. And I'm just one guy recording in his basement.

https://paulrubenstein.bandcamp.com/album/one-eye-awake

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Gregg Juke
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Post by Gregg Juke » Fri Mar 31, 2017 8:53 pm

Woh ub! And I thought Sonny Sharrock and Ronald Shannon Jackson were intense.
When you hit that bass ostinato groove at about 6:40, you grabbed me (by the lapel and shook hard).

This is not normally my thing, but you did have some very cool moments in that jam ("One Eye Awake"). But edgy cool, like a bunraku puppet of Lurch from the Addam's Family came to life and was chasing me down a deserted alley. You could hear me stumbling over garbage cans around the 11:00 minute mark, then wailing and crying as I held my bruised knee and prepared for the worst. Then suddenly this itty-bitty green hand came into view, and I FREAKED! 'Cause the guy sitting next to me, was a MARTIAN!

GJ
Gregg Juke
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"He's about to learn the most important lesson in the music business-- 'Never trust people in the music business.' "

jimjazzdad
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Post by jimjazzdad » Sat Apr 01, 2017 6:21 pm

Enjoyed that very much - thanks for posting the link. I am curious. How much time is invested in that piece? I am guessing a lot.
Jim Legere
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ubertar
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Post by ubertar » Sun Apr 02, 2017 4:24 pm

Thanks Greg and Jim!

Greg, nice writing! You could do that professionally (maybe you do).

Jim, I started recording the album in mid-November, so all told it's 4 1/2 months, but that's very much on and off. I don't have a lot of time or energy to record between work and family stuff. I start with a plan of action, but that usually gets discarded along the way. :)
My approach is a lot like cooking... start with the basics then taste it and add what it seems to need, leaving the spices for the end. Then let it simmer for a while before going back to do the final mix.

There was a fair amount of subtractive editing... taking out anything that doesn't seem like it's working. In the second track, I re-did the clavichord track that was at the base of the whole piece b/c there were too many timing issues the first time around but the other parts around it were fine. Mostly I treated each new track like I was sitting in with a group of musicians and had to do my best to fit in and add something to the whole on whatever instrument. It's all improvised.

I had some really good advice from Matt "Rigsby" Smith and Geoff (goddammit I can't think of your last name but I know I know it) on the mix, which made a big difference in the final result.

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markjazzbassist
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Post by markjazzbassist » Mon Apr 03, 2017 6:39 am

how much did teo charge? lol

big fan of in a silent way and bitches brew and on the corner. well done sir.

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ubertar
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Post by ubertar » Wed Apr 05, 2017 8:42 am

Duncanson! Geoff Duncanson. Thanks Geoff.



Mark, thanks for the comment. Feels good that actual jazz musicians are digging this... I'm not ready to call myself that, just yet.

Anyone have any recommendations for places to send it to... labels, reviewers, radio? It's not as small a niche genre as my usual stuff, but it's still pretty small.

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markjazzbassist
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Post by markjazzbassist » Wed Apr 05, 2017 9:50 am

labels - freedom (offshoot of black lion), firehouse 12

i just looked on discogs what similar artists labels are on, those 2 had some anthony braxton stuff. freedom said they specialize in free jazz, firehouse 12 in creative music.

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Post by ubertar » Wed Apr 05, 2017 12:10 pm

Are they related to freedom garden? A bartender in my 'hood just turned me on to them... they're local (Queens). Doesn't seem like they've been too active lately. Probably not the same folks.

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ubertar
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Post by ubertar » Wed Apr 05, 2017 12:26 pm

Sadly, Freedom is no more:
Freedom Records was a jazz record label, headed by Shel Safran[1] and founded by Alan Bates as a division of Black Lion Records.[2]

Individual recordings were distributed via Polydor Records and Transatlantic Records during the early 1970s before the company was bought by Arista Records with the imprint dubbed Arista/Freedom in 1975.[3]
Arista is defunct. Oh well.

Just sent a message to Firehouse 12.

Thanks!

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