Joe G

You mean... I am a jazz artist???

Looks good, Jim. :rsmile:

Inspiring stuff, Jim.

Five pages later, we come back around to my original thought!

There was a review I read once about some record (I don't even remember which one) where the reviewer claimed that since every track had a fade-out at the end, it meant that the musicians didn't know where they were going and thus the album was bunk. Seriously. Jazz reviewer, too. Go figure. ← That was a Geri Allen cd!

Jim Sangrey - I'd be interested to read your thoughts. You've alluded to these issues in other threads (documentation, etc). If you're so inclined.

How authentic is it to release something the artist does not think is representative of what he wants to portray? In other words, if there are all these mistakes in there that make the artist cringe every time he/she hears them, the recording is obviously not representing the artist in the way that he/she thinks is right. It's my record, dammit, it should sound like what I want it to sound like, right? A novelist never releases a book without editing, re-writing, etc. Why should music be any different? ← Back to this: How authentic is it? Perfectly authentic! A mistake is a true reflection of something that's going on inside. Of course, we don't want people to know about our shortcomings and limitations. So we alter the recording to match our desire to be mistake-free, or as close to the ideal as possible. Then we find that if too much of that stuff is taken out, it starts to sound less human. Nobody's perfect, after all. I have come to one conclusion: recording's a bitch! But it makes you confront a lot of stuff that you wouldn't otherwise.

Hmmm... I had forgotten the broader definition.

I have no argument with this. Nor do I consider myself a jazz musician, strictly speaking. I play the guitar; sometimes I improvise, sometimes it's worked out, sometimes it's standards (or covers), other times it's originals. It's an evolving path, and it ain't over 'till it's over. 1. Haven't you noticed all the "Teo edits" being restored (Miles, Monk, Mingus) - and which Miles albums are you including in "classics". ← No, I haven't been following the Columbia reissue program too closely. I was thinking of the small group recordings done in the late 50's/early 60's.

Looks like I've opened a can of worms! From where I stand, I can see both sides of the coin (neat trick, ay?). I'll just say, for now, that I'm willing to let my thinking on this issue evolve over time. Two thoughts, though: 1. Teo did a lot of editing on those classic Miles albums, no? 2. All art is an illusion in one way or another. Okay, something else that just occurred to me. Jim compared music editing to text editing, and earlier today, I was thinking of editing in film. Those are very different mediums, though, with different aims, and I'm not sure that they can be compared in that way. Shall I quit now or muddy the waters further?

This is the other aspect of recording that I've been thinking about. The author of that article mentioned "the authenticity debate". Sometimes we refer to recordings as "documents", as in documenting the work, but that doesn't seem right if you're fixing things. If two takes are combined into one, what is that a document of? Not "the moment" obviously. A live recording with no edits would be closer to being a document, I would think. So are edits dishonest in a way?

I hear ya! I don't know why we're so worried about that either. Maybe we're afraid of our alternate takes being released after we're dead, and then everyone will see how uncreative we really are. Yes, I've read the Inner Game of Music, and Tennis, plus a host of similar books. Putting the stuff into practice is the trick!

I thought this was interesting. Listening to your own recordings too much can lead to an unhealthy narciccism. One thing I find is that Jim and I both become much more self-conscious after listening to recordings that we've made, in particular, performances that we were very happy with. It can take a long time to get that out of my head and play something fresh and in the moment at the gig. I can get caught between wanting to play something that's as good as the recording, but trying to not play the solo from the recording. That's a good recipe for falling on one's face.

Instead of grading this particular essay, how about posting some of our own thoughts on the subject?

I'm glad you posted this. Having just finished recording, editing, and beginning to mix our second cd, I've been pondering these things a lot lately. It's hard to come to any firm conclusions, I'm finding.

Everybody wants to get into ze act.

Life is but a dream...

There's a full page write-up on Mantooth in the new DB.

Right on, Paul! I'd like to hear that.

Stop the madness!

Do women really want to hear mush like that? Sounds pretty damn clingy to me. I apologize if anyone's got an ear worm now. I know I do.

If you're referring to Sco's album "Grace Under Pressure", that was Charlie Haden on bass.

I like him with John Scofield. His soloing in that context is something I've always admired.

Happy Birthday means "I'm glad you were born." Enjoy the day, my friend!