Episode #8

This was an excellent session that featured, among others, the great Jeff Lorber on keyboards. Joining Jeff that day were bassist Nate Phillips, drummer Joel Taylor, saxophonist Michael Paulo and percussionist Edgardo Cintron.

I reached out to Jeff for this session because I knew he would be in town that day, as he had an evening gig that night in nearby Camden, NJ. He asked me if we could also invite Nate, Joel and Michael, as they were traveling with him on that particular leg of his tour. I told him that would be fine, just so long as (1) I could also add a percussionist into the band, and that (2) he would not simply play tunes from his set list for the current tour, and instead possibly pull out some relatively “unrehearsed” original material from his large and impressive catalog. So with that in place, we were good to go.

The session came together beautifully. Nate and Joel effortlessly found the pocket on each and every take – laying a wonderful foundation for both Jeff and Michael to play over and provide tons of color. We recorded five tunes that day – two of them on the first take.

Personally, it was a treat for me to work with Jeff that day. I have been a fan of his music for a long time – dating back to his incredibly influential Jeff Lorber Fusion days. I sensed it was rewarding for him as well. Not only was was he back in his hometown of Philly, but we were taping in the legendary Sigma Sound Studios – home to “TSOP – The Sound of Philadelphia” and all the great Gamble & Huff recordings in the 1970’s. The G&H vibe was definately there, as it is each time you step foot into that space.

– Tom Emmi / Producer