Episode #55

This was the second of three different sessions I taped in Los Angeles, CA in the summer of 2013. I chose to keep this session small, so is to take full advantage of the wonderful musicianship from each of our featured performers. First, I invited the great Dean Brown on guitar. I have been a fan of Dean ever since keyboard master Jason Miles first turned me on to him a few years ago. Dean has performed and recorded with so many people. He is a brilliant musician…always so fresh and “in the moment.” He chose to join us even though it required him to make a one and a half hour drive up to Los Angeles from San Diego.

On bass, I chose to call Jimmy Haslip. Jimmy, too, has been at the top of the industry for so many years. In addition to constant session work as both a side man and producer, Jimmy is perhaps best known for having been a member of The Yellowjackets for almost 30 years. He has also appeared on the show before and is a strong supporter of Studio Jams. Our drummer, Frank Briggs, is an old friend of mine from Syracuse, NY. Frank moved out to Los Angeles 25 years ago and has worked in LA as a professional musician/clinician/educator ever since. Rounding out the group was Philippe Saisse on keyboards. Philippe is someone I had never met, yet had been recommended to me on a number of different occasions from other musicians. I thought this would be the perfect occasion for me to finally meet and work with him. I am so glad I did. What a monster. Such an incredible talent.

So that was the band. Dean, Jimmy, Frank and Philippe. I couldn’t have been more pleased.

Dean started things off by suggesting they warm up with a unique 6/4 take on Herbie Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage.” How sweet that was. They followed that up with an interesting spin on Sonny Rollins’ “Oleo.” A great rendition of “Footprints” followed that. Thinking that perhaps they should slow down a little, Frank then suggested the tune “Invitation.” Philippe quickly stepped up and off they went. It’s always interesting to see how quickly musicians of this caliber come together on new material. Very, very impressive. After a single take of this song, Dean had a nice, fresh idea. He suggested an old Donny Hathaway tune called “Valdez in the Country.” As he pointed out, it’s a song that was a mainstay in jam sessions for years, but for whatever reason, is now rarely called upon. Great call, Dean.

The session ended with a short 3:00 12-bar blues progression in the key of F for our “Jam With The Band” segment of the episode. All in all, another great, mind blowing session.

– Tom Emmi / Producer