Episode #52

The session was another special “On The Road” Studio Jams episode. The basic concept is trying to tape episodes in various studios around the country and try to mix touring musicians who are travelling through town with various “local” musicians from that particular city. This one came together as a result of me being at the Norfolk Jazz Festival in Norfolk, VA…a beautiful outdoor festival that takes place about 20 minutes from the studio. It features Peter White on guitar, Gregg Karukas on keyboards and Everette Harp on saxophones, all of whom were performing at the festival. Joining them were bassist Michael Cheney and drummer Jae Sinnett, two longtime friends with roots in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area who I hadn’t seen or worked with in 20+ years.

This session was taped in the television studio in the Communications building at Regent University in Virginia Beach, VA (USA). It was a special episode for me in that it gave me the opportunity to work again with one of my favorite audio engineers…Steve Peppos. I have known and have worked with Steve for over 30 years now and consider him among the very best in the business. Prior to our session, Steve painstakingly converted the large television space into more of a music recording studio…not an easy task at all. But he did it brilliantly.

Once the musicians arrived and got themselves situated, we were ready to roll. Right out of the gate, Gregg suggested the Freddie Hubbard classic Little Sunflower. The guys quickly worked up an arrangement and, in no time at all, we were recording two nice takes of the tune…the second a bit tighter than the first.

After Little Sunflower, Peter suggested they play Red Baron, a Billy Cobham song that he had always wanted to record. And so they did…twice, each with nice solos breaks for Everette, Peter and Gregg. Gregg then suggested I Heard It Through The Grapevine, a song he and Peter had played together for quite some time. As such, it came together quite quickly. We tape a single take of this song.

After a short break, Peter suggested they play a Beatles tune. After spending a few minutes trying to work throughRevolution, they collectively switched gears and started working through Get Back. This too came together quite quickly and we recorded 3 takes of this little gem. Lots of fun for all. Peter is a HUGE Beatles fan and, according to him, can play just about every song they ever recorded! They wrapped the session up with an upbeat take on Miles Davis’ All Blues. Cool. Once again, Steve did an outstanding job both recording and mixing all of the tracks for us. What a pro.

But as much fun as recording this session was, it unfortunately rings a bit bittersweet for me now. It was great in that it features some truly outstanding musicians laying down some beautiful tracks, yet it saddens me some in that one of my cameramen at the session, Robert Klages, passed away suddenly shortly after the session. I had known and have worked with Robert for almost 30 years and consider him both a dear friend and professional mentor. I miss him in both ways. RIP my friend. There will always be a hole in my heart for you. A huge music fan himself, Robert sadly never got the chance to see this in its final form.

– Tom Emmi / Producer