Episode #56

This was the third session we produced “on the road” in Los Angeles, CA. It features Gary Stanionis on drums. It was Gary, in fact, that led me to come to LA to tape this, along with two other session – episodes #54, #55 and #56. Gary is a huge fan of Studio Jams and for quite awhile had been encouraging me to come out there to tape. It was only fitting that I included him in one of these sessions. And I’m so glad I did. Not only is he a wonderful, down-to-earth person, Gary is a terrific drummer. (Interestingly, it was Gary who also put me in touch with Dream Studios where these sessions were taped.)

Picking a guitar player for this session was easy. I have been a huge fan of Grant Geissman for many, many years. Grant spends most of it is time these days in Los Angeles writing music for various sitcoms, and rarely makes it out to the East Coast.But I knew he liked the show and would do it if he could fit it into his schedule. And so we did. Next, we needed a bassist, so I reached out to Jervonny Collier who I had met on a jazz cruise a few years ago. Born and raised in Detroit, Jervonny (when not out on tour with Bruce Hornsby) calls LA his home. He too was available and happily agreed to join us.

With bass, drums and guitar covered, I wanted to now add a keyboard player. Much to my surprise, this turned out to be a difficult task, as all of my LA-based keyboard musician contacts were either unavailable that day or out of town. So with only a couple of days left to work with before the session, I called bassist Jimmy Haslip to ask him for a recommendation. Without hesitation, Jimmy strongly suggested Otmaro Ruiz. I quickly did a little research and was immediately blown away by his talent. WOW…pure genius. So a quick email exchange locked him into the session as well.

Finally, I thought it might be nice to add a fifth musician into the mix. So, rolling the dice a little, I reached out to someone whom I had never met or heard play…saxman Elan Trotman. I learned that he was playing in a festival nearby the night before so I figured he must have something fresh to offer. I quickly figured out a way to reach him and extended an invite for him to join us. He graciously accepted. I also knew that guitarist Joe Jewell would be available at that time if need be, as Joe would be there for a session I was planning to tape immediately before this one…just in case. But, as fate would have it, Elan was fantastic! He added so much energy and freshness to the session. I became an instant fan! Elan killed it on four tracks that day, while Joe sat in on two.

The session started first, with Joe joining the band. They kicked things off with a nice take on “Things Ain’t What They Used To Be,” with nice guitar solos from both Grant and Joe. Next, someone called out a common jam session staple, Herbie Hancock’s “Cantaloupe Island.” This too featured some excellent solos, this time from Grant, Joe and Otmaro. After these two songs, we took a short break so the engineer could adjust for Elan joining the session. Joe then stepped out of the mix. So for the next four songs, there would be bass, drums, keyboards and one guitar…all joining Elan on saxophone.

The second half of the session started with Elan suggesting they play “Green Dolphin Street.” And wow, did they nail it! Elan was terrific from the first note he played. The track also included a mind-blowing solo from Otmaro on keyboards, soloing with one hand on the acoustic grand piano and one hand on his Fender Rhodes. After this, they collectively did a nice job on the Sonny Rollins classic “St. Thomas.” This was followed by another Herbie Hancock classic – “Chameleon” – with terrific solos from Grant, Otmaro, and Elan. The session ended with a fresh, fun and funky take on a tune suggested by drummer Gary Stanionis…Duke Ellington’s “In A Sentimental Mood.”

This was a fun session, for sure! Great players…great music…great vibe.

– Tom Emmi / Producer