Episode #72

This was a very special session recorded at SubCat Recording Studios in Syracuse, NY (USA)…special in that it included four musicians all from Central New York. Although they all live relatively close together, they really had never worked with each other before. First, there was drummer Dave Hanlon. Dave has appeared on numerous episodes of Studio Jams in the past. He is a versatile musician who is very comfortable in so many different genres. Next, on bass, we invited Edgar Pagan to join us. Edgar is a big fan of the series, and quickly jumped on board. He is also a musician who lives primarily in the world of Latin jazz, so I knew he would be adding an interesting spin to the session.

Keyboardist Mark Nanni is another Syracuse-based musician who has previously appeared on Studio Jams. Much like Dave (our drummer), Mark is comfortable playing many different styles of music. I thought having him there would be a real comfort to Edgar (our Latin bass player). Rounding out the group, on acoustic guitar, was Loren Barrigar. This was a real treat. Loren is arguably one of the world’s finest finger-style guitars. He tours regularly around the globe. So that was the group.

After a few minutes of warming up in the studio, the guys were ready to begin. Mark quickly suggested they play “Moondance,” a song made famous by Van Morrison. It was a tune everyone knew well so it came together with very little rehearsal. It also proved to be a great way to begin the session. Next, someone (I’m not exactly sure who, but I think it was Loren), called out the tune “Caravan.” And what a good call it was. They talked through a quick head arrangement with some fun rhythm changes before we recorded a single take of this timeless Duke Ellington classic.

After that, Edgar called upon his Latin background and suggested the Santana song “Oye Como Va.” This too was a song everyone knew quite well so they worked through an arrangement rather quickly. We recorded two takes of this song. After this song, we all felt it was a great time to take a short break.

Upon returning to the studio, the guys talked through a quick arrangement and then performed a great rendition of the Jimi Hendrix classic, “Little Wing.” We recorded one take of this song. With four songs in the can, I looked at my watch and realized that we were very tight on time, as two of the musicians had to soon split to go to another gig. So, rather than quickly work through another song with the full group, I instead opted to take full advantage of Loren being there and asked if he would mind performing a couple of songs solo. Again, he is a world-class guitarist with such monster chops. He graciously said “sure thing, Tom,” then went on to play a terrific version of the song “Dance With Me,” written and made famous by the band Orleans. He followed that up with a a nice take on the finger-style classic, “Cannonball Rag,” by Merle Travis.

This was another fun and interesting session, that’s for sure. If you like finger-style guitar, you will love this episode of Studio Jams.

– Tom Emmi / Producer