Click here to view the embedded video.

If you’re interested in attending the next event please RSVP HERE

Gift of Gab backed live by Adam Theis and The Shotgun Wedding Quintet in Fall of 2011

I love it when my phone rings….I didn’t used to, especially before caller id, back in the dinosaur ages…Pagers weren’t very fun either…but anyway, that’s neither here not there…But now, I love it when my phone rings, cause people only call on the phone nowadays, when something is actually really important. So, I get a call from a pal who is also one of my favorite music producers, Headnodic needing me to write and record horns for a tune for the new Gift of Gab record he’s doing. As often times things go in the music business, he needs the horns for a track done pronto, like tomorrow, so I’m asked to do it all on my own at my own studio (Jazz Mafia Headquarters in this case). Sometimes people say they need it “soon”, or “in a few weeks” but they really don’t plan on finishing the song for a long time and I can usually tell what they really mean after doing this for a long time. Sometimes people really do need it SOON, or the next day and Headnodic is one of those people who I know probably does really need it tomorrow. I’ve even had Blackalicious/Ledesi producer Chief Xcel need a track done in an HOUR, for real. I did it and it was fun. Producer Amplive also frequently needs stuff from me on a quick turnaround and he’ll even come to my house to record the stuff himself; I’ve done many albums with Lyrics Born and he tends to plan things way out in advance and do it in bigger studios… everyone has their own style of how they git er done and all these great producers I work with are very different and I like that. Variety is good. Each one inspires me in a different way.

So this track “So, So Much” is kinda special to me because it’s the first song that I’ve ever recorded myself playing trumpet on. I’ve recorded on hundreds of albums and thousands of songs in my 20 year career playing trombone, tuba, electric bass, even vocals sometimes…but never with a trumpet. Trumpet, is the one with the three button things that you push down…I’ve played trombone since I was a wee lad and always found that when I’d try to pick up a trumpet, thinking it would be easy since it’s so similar, it was actually really hard for me, because the “embouchure” (or the shape of your mouth and muscles you use to make sound) seem to directly compete and conflict with those that are used for trombone playing. For some reason I picket the trumpet up this year to mess around with it and it didn’t feel like that anymore, perhaps because I’ve made significant changes to my trombone embouchure in the past few years. Anyway, I decided, what a better way to learn the instrument than to play it on a track for one of my favorite producers and also for Gift of Gab, one of my fave rappers. The pressure was on…well, not really, fortunately Hip-Hop horns aren’t typically as challenging as playing Be-Bop or blasting super loud all night on a Funk gig at the local bar.

So I sat down in my recording space and got in the zone listening and singing along with little melodic ideas to the rough mix that was sent to me . Headnod gave me the instructions that I’ve heard a lot in the past few years: “Do your thing man”, damn I love hearing that. Sometimes people’s instructions are much, much more complicated and less-inspiring than that, ya dig? I’m sure anyone can relate to that. So I hear the tune, it’s definitely got a heavy Stevie Wonder “Boogie On Reggae Woman” vibe going on and even some melodica that sounds like a harmonica happening, nice one Kat O1O!

So I decide to keep the horns very simple and melodic (how convenient, especially since I technically don’t know how to play trumpet at this point, remember?). I double track some funky percussive trumpet lines surprisingly easily (well, it took over an hour, so I guess it was not easy but I didn’t think I’d be able to do it at all right?). Then once I had the trumpet tracks for a few sections of the tune, I laid down trombone stuff and that was that – I sent it off to Headnodic and he was happy and the whole thing was done just like that.

A few months later I’m listening to NPR and there’s a feature on the record, so that’s how I find out that it’s being released and it makes me smile.

And no…I’m NOT going to learn the sax, thanks.

For a limited time you can stream the new Gift of Gab album “The Next Logical Progression” in it’s entirety HERE.

*addendum; Right after I posted this I got a call from Amplive asking me to record a trombone solo on a tune with the amazingly soulful vocalist Codany Holiday, and he needs it…TONITE. So there ya go.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The setting at the New PArish was much different than usual; they had small cocktail tables candlelit and seating all the way up to the stage – Very intimate. Meshell joked with the audience a lot and opened it up for questions in between songs while Chris Bruce tuned his guitar. Oakland is awesome and people were very comfortable with this very different live show dynamic. Perhaps one of the most hilarious moments of the many that happened in the between song banter, was when Meshell, talking about one of her older songs, said “Nobody likes a girl that talks too much”…everyone bursted out in laughter and I heard at least a few men say “Amen”….nice.

Ok so anyway, it was just her and her long-time guitarist Chris Bruce…he’s one of the baddest modern electric guitarists around…he only played acoustic tho, played elec on one song. Coulda used more electric cuz it filled up the space of just having a duo nicely but the acoustic was a nice vibe for most of the stuff. She played a lot of bass and was playing a newer Reverend BAss and not her usual Fender. Sounded awesome. Her singing was in top form and just continues to get better and better.

As for the songs – she played a ton of stuff off of Bitter (one of my all time fave albums, couldn’t really tell you why but I know I’ve always loved it a lot) and even a few from her first album Plantation Lullabies! She did a really cool thing where they played Gil Scott Heron’s “Home is Where the HAtred is” followed cleverly by her “Shootin Up and Gettin High”…She was proving the point of how she was heavily influenced by Gil Scott…and it couldn’t have been a clearer way to do it by simply playing the two songs back to back.

She also rocked songs from her past few recent albums and stuff like “Dirty World” of course sounded fresh with the acoustic Duo treatment.

Of course as a bass nerd I’m always happy when she rocks a lot of bass – She was playing more bass than usual and really digging deep on some super melodic parts that might normally get covered up with a full band. Beautiful setting for her bass style that is full of subtleties.

I’d love to see great artists like Meshell do more shows like this – It’s a perfect way to see another side of these multi-faceted artists who often get locked into the “Touring routine” of having one band and doing the same sets…it’s just the way the business works most of the time. Props to Michael O’connor for putting the show together and for Meshell for putting together such a great night of incredibly soulful and intimate music.