A Home for Serious Music Makers!

Hot! Audio Episode #54

ep54big

Episode #54

Recording Date: June 13, 2013
Location: Dream Center Studios
Los Angeles, CA

Musicians:
Leland Sklar – Bass
Rayford Griffin – Drums
David Garfield – Keyboards
Najee – Saxophones
Joe Jewell – Guitar

Songs:
Come Together
Cissy Strut
Back at the Chicken Shack
Red Baron
Impressions
Recorda-Me
Listen Here

This was a very special session for me, as it was the first time I have been able to take the show to Los Angeles, CA. Upon the recommendation of LA-bass drummer Gary Stanionis, I was able to arrange time at Dream Studios in the center of town. It is a nice little facility, run by Grammy Award winning engineer Tom Malkiewitz.

When I officially knew I would be in LA, the first musician I thought of for this session was bassist Leland Sklar. I have been a fan of Leland for so many years. To many, he is a legend….having either recorded and/or toured with virtually every musician you can possibly think of. I first met Lee a few years ago in New York at a bass player convention and was impressed with his humble personality as well. When I approached him for this session, he was quick to reconfirm his interest in being part of the show. So with Lee first in the fold, I then turned my attention to the great David Garfield for keyboards. I have also known David for a few years, and I knew if he could fit it into his schedule, he would love to be there as well. I was pleased to learn that he could and he was.

Next, I wondered who I could attract to play guitar. In short order, I thought of Joe Jewell. I have known Joe for 30+ years, with both of us having grown up together in Syracuse, NY. He is now a music professor in Southern California. But I hadn’t seen him in probably 25 years. He was a wonderful musician back then, and I could only imagine how strong he must be now as Dr. Joe Jewell. Well, Joe jumped at the opportunity to be on the show. He was especially looking forward to being able to work with both Lee and David.

On drums, I chose to bring in a dear friend and longtime supporter of the show…Rayford Griffin. Like Lee and David, Rayford is a seasoned pro, having worked with a huge list of A-list musicians over the years, including Anita Baker, Jon Luc Ponty, The Isley Brothers, Michael Jackson, and so many others. To date, Rayford has probably been on the show seven or eight times in the past, but all when he was passing through Philadelphia while on tour with some other artist. So it was nice to be able to bring him in again, but this time on his home turf.

Finally, I thought it would be nice to bring in a saxophone player. Najee was the first name that came to mind. I met Najee aboard a Jazz Cruise a few years ago and he told me he would love to one day be a guest on the show. Luckily for me, he too was in town and available to do the show. So the band was now in place.

To get things started, they all just sort of fell into noodling around with the Beatles’ classic “Come Together.” They quickly put together an on the spot arrangement and we recorded a nice take of the song. David then suggested “Cissy Strut” by The Meters as the next tune, as it had a nice groove that everyone could easily blow over. He was right. We recorded a single take of this song that featured wonderful solos from David, Joe and Najee. Next, it was Joe who suggested “Back At The Chicken Shack,” with Joe, Najee and David all delivering nice solos on the tune.

Rayford then thought it would be nice to call out a Stevie Wonder song, and suggested “As.” Quite honestly, this tune was a little rough to put together. We recorded a single take of this song, but I knew while it was being recorded that it would probably not make it into the final edited program…and true to form, it didn’t.

After a short break (giving us time to listen back to some of what was recorded), David thought it would be nice to record a version of Billy Cobham’s “Red Baron” – and so we did. Again, Joe tore it up with a blistering solo on guitar. This was quickly followed by nice takes on the jazz classics “Impressions” and “Recorda-me,” with Najee performing impressively on flute. To end the session, Najee wanted to play “Listen Here,” a tune written and made famous by the late Eddie Harris.

Upon reflection, it was 2 1/2 hours of incredible productive fun. For my first effort taping in Los Angeles, with a totally new West Coast team of shooters (cameramen), it was a huge success. I look forward to working with all of these musicians again…soon!

– Tom Emmi / Producer


“Studio Jams does wonders for the love of this music we call jazz. It puts old and new listeners in touch with what’s going on.”

— B.S.