Episode #28

This was, without question, one of my favorite Studio Jams sessions. I couldn’t have been more pleased with all we did that afternoon. The musicians were all in a wonderful head space, wanting nothing more than to play some fresh new music. The vibe was both warm and electric. No surprise, as the “band” that day included the always amazing Gerald Albright on saxophone, Gerald Veasley on bass, James “Biscuit” Rouse on drums, Will Brock on keyboards and vocals, and the very funky Jef Lee Johnson on guitar.

In my humble opinion, there are but a handful of saxophone players who are so expressively distinct, that you can identify them in just a few notes. Guys like Kirk Whalum, David Sanborn, Eric Marienthal, and probably a couple of others. Gerald Albright is certainly one of them as well. He truly is a musician’s musician…always setting the bar so high when he plays. He brings out the best in everyone. To be able to feature him on Studio Jams was a real treat for me, as I have been a huge fan of his music for years. Each of the other 4 musicians – all terrific players in their own right – didn’t hesitate at all to commit to the session the moment they heard that Gerald would be there.

After everyone arrived and got themselves comfortably situated in the studio, we were soon ready to begin. Everyone started thinking of what might be a good song to play to kick things off. Gerald (Albright) thought it might be nice to do something by Stevie Wonder. They quickly decided on As. It was so interesting watching them put together the overall arrangement for this song. After 10 or 15 minutes of rehearsal, we recording the tune in one amazing – and truly memorable – take. It is one of the best covers I have ever heard of this song…such a beautifully played tight arrangement.

Gerald (Albright) then said, “how about Georgia On My Mind?” Everyone thought that was a great suggestion, so they proceeded to work through the changes, and in virtually no time at all, we were ready to roll tape on it. And so we did. We recorded this song, again, in just one single take. What an incredible performance we captured from everyone. It was then time for a short, but well-deserved break.

Upon returning to the studio, it was our drummer, James Rouse, who suggested Herbie’s classic Watermelon Man as the next song to work out. Both bassist Gerald Veasley and guitarist Jef Lee Johnson wanted to treat it slow and real funky…much to everyone’s delight. The groove came together immediately and we recorded the song with absolutely no rehearsal whatsoever!

Our fourth and final tune was an original song by keyboardist Will Brock, called Lil’ My. Will is such a tremendous talent. He both sings and plays with such energy and enthusiasm. After a bit of rehearsal, that track came together quite nicely as well.

All in all, it was an absolutely terrific session…and one I’ll remember for as long as I live!

It was again taped at Milkboy Recording Studios in Ardmore, just outside Philadelphia, PA.

– Tom Emmi / Producer