Episode #62

For whatever reason, this has become one of our more popular sessions. I have been a long time fan of bassist Bakithi Kumalo, so when I knew he would be available, I quickly booked some studio time to tape another session with him. After lining him up, I then reached out to guitarist Gil Parris. Gil has become one of my “go to” guitarists and someone I can always count on to keep things moving in a session. Then, knowing that Bakithi would be laying down a deep groove, I called drummer James “Biscuit” Rouse, who has one of the deepest pockets I have ever heard. To round out the group, I then called pianist Jason Long. I have not known Jason for long, but his talent and depth at the keyboards continues to impress me.

We recorded for different songs that day, plus a brand-new segment called “Jam with the Fan.” At the very start of the session, when everyone was tuning up and adjusting their sound, Gil started to noodle around with the George Gershwin classic “Summertime.” As he did, Bakithi and James toyed with it, playing a pretty funky groove underneath. So while it caught everyone a little off guard, everyone seemed to like it. So when it came time for us to record our first track, a fun and funky version of “Summertime” was a natural choice. We recorded to takes of that song. Next, Gil called out an old Charles Lloyd song called “Sombrero Sam.” After 10 minutes of rehearsal, the group recorded a single take of this.

Then it was time to introduce a new segment to the program. I thought it would be nice and interesting for viewers to see how the band would put together a song if they were surprised with an original chart for a song that was submitted to us from a fan of the show. In this case, I handed each member of the band a copy of a chart for a song called “Foster Care” that was sent to us from musician/fan of the show from Central New York (USA). I asked pianist Jason Long to work through the chart with the band and to act as a sort of Musical Director of the arrangement. Just as I suspected, it was interesting to see the chart come to life in the studio that day. We spent about 20 minutes working through the tune and recorded two takes of the song. I suspect we will include this new segment periodically in future episodes of Studio Jams.

After “Jam with the Fan,” we had two more songs to record that day. Pianist Jason Long suggested “Softly As In A Morning Sunrise.” After a short rehearsal, we recorded one beautiful take of this classic. With time running out, I thought we were ready to call it a day. However, Gil asked if we could quickly record a take “Europa,” a song he loved and had always wanted to record. I glanced at my watch and said,”Sure, Gil, but we don’t really have time to release it much.” So, without a rehearsal, we rolled tape and started to record. About three quarters of the way through the song, the band missed a major change, much to everyone’s disappointment. But, I figured, in for a penny in for a pound. Let’s do it again. So Gil counted it off, and we recorded a terrific take of the song. It was such a wonderful way to end the session.

– Tom Emmi / Producer