O/T: Cool upcoming gig

VroomVroom · #1 10-03-2011, 10:45 AM

Hey Folks,

Since this gig will feature a Roscoe bass, I figured I'd share with my brethren.

Every now and then, a really cool call comes along, and this one certainly qualifies. I'll be taking part in a video audition for a very talented young drummer who is applying to Berklee, North Texas, and the San Francisco Conservatory.

My buddy Rocio is acting as the MD on this, and she'll likely sing on one or two of the tunes. Otherwise, it'll be keys and bass, both doing our best to make the drummer sound his best. I definitely give him kudos for the song selection. This gig has me shedding a bit. Here's the rundown:

Afro Blue
Blue Rondo a la Turk
Isfahan
What is Hip
Blues of some sort - double x swing and funk (Footprints, Mr. PC...TBD)

We've got a quickie rehearsal slated for this coming weekend, and then next Friday evening is the shindig. The venue is Studio A @ the Annex Studios in Menlo Park, CA...doesn't get much better. I'll be using the new CS6+, and most likely a GrooveTubes DITTO. We'll play live (no dubs), with video camera(s) running. Afterward, the video will be professionally edited with a final audio mix from the board.

If there's interest, I'll post up some of the charts and will update the thread with progress. The submission deadline is early November, so I'm assuming youtube vids will be published right around that time.

**Bipslapper** · #2 10-03-2011, 11:39 AM

Sounds great Jerry. I am involved with a really talented young guitarist / songwriter and our trio (possibly 4 piece with keys/sax) is a lot of fun. It is fun playing others' originals for me, in addition to my cover band (Skinny).

Looking forward to hearing and seeing your recordings. Love that CS6 Roscoe.

Darkstrike · #3 10-03-2011, 11:55 AM

That does sound like a cool gig, enjoy man!

RocketMusic · #4 10-03-2011, 02:31 PM

Subscribed. Can't wait to see the video!

JOME77 · #5 10-03-2011, 02:52 PM

Cool! Sounds like a real cool gig.

I can't wait to see how "What is Hip" goes down! Totally killer bass line.
I got to spend a few one-on-one hours with David Garibaldi way back in the day (1981). Awesome drummer & guy!
Him and Prestia will always be the #1 rhythm section of all time in my mind.

VroomVroom · #6 10-04-2011, 09:54 AM

Attached is one of the charts. The initial idea is to blend Brubeck's original with Al Jarreau's classic take. I suspect I'll be taking a lot of notes on the charts, so I'll share the marked copies next week.

LilRay · #7 10-04-2011, 03:37 PM

NICE JERRY B!

Young cat picked one of the best in the business IMO to help him shine.

In for the win.

God Bless, Ray

**nostatic** · #8 10-04-2011, 03:56 PM

9/8 is so under-rated...

VroomVroom · #9 10-11-2011, 01:04 PM

Quick update....had the rehearsal on Saturday, and we're set to go. This kid is a terrific drummer - I'd be very surprised if he doesn't get accepted wherever he chooses to go. The only bad news - we dropped Blue Rondo. Since we already have a groove and drum solo in 6/8 (Afro Blue), the 9/8 love was scratched from the program. We replaced it with a wicked Monk tune called 'I Mean You.' This will have a New Orleans vibe with a swing solo section.

If you're interested, attached are the charts with all of my notes...excuse the chicken scratch. Each tune will be under three minutes in length. The session is on Friday afternoon, and we'll have two hours to lay down everything. Haven't met the videographer yet, but everyone else is a true pro. We'll actually use amps for monitoring, but keys & bass will also go direct. Should be a blast...

Charts part 1 of 3 attached.

VroomVroom · #10 10-11-2011, 01:05 PM

Charts part 2 of 3 attached...

VroomVroom · #11 10-11-2011, 01:07 PM

Ack... What is Hip .pdf is too large for attachment. Here's a link if you're interested:

What is Hip - notated

VroomVroom · #12 10-20-2011, 03:00 PM

Hey Folks,

The entire video is up on youtube. This was a blast!

John Remy Felsch - Drum Demo - YouTube

RocketMusic · #13 10-20-2011, 06:49 PM

Man, that is outstanding, Jerry. The kid is already dynamite, but just imagine his skill level 5-10 years down the line (especially if your assistance helps him get into a great school, which I'm sure it will). Kudos to you and Greg for helping him out, hopefully there will be some "I knew him when..." moments down the line for all of you guys.

**Bipslapper** · #14 10-20-2011, 07:05 PM

As I said on FB Jerry, Kudos to you, Greg and Rocio. I love seeing young talent "back in the day" and look forward to hearing him with headliners some day.
That must have been rewarding. Thanks.

VroomVroom · #15 10-20-2011, 08:31 PM

Thanks, fellas. This one really was a blast. Interestingly, the studio gets a lot of these kinds of sessions, but they're mostly for orchestral players...strings, piano, and some woodwinds. This was the first drum-oriented one they've booked, and between their tech gurus and Rocio, I was really impressed with the production effort. Obviously, the video editing was top notch as well. A few nice things along the way:

- Playing with Remy was a blast. It was kind of a trip at first, because he was a little shy and seemed intimidated. We quickly dispelled that, and he totally stepped up. He and I had a blast working together, and even though his chops and sense of time are terrific, I'm most impressed with his ears.

- Along those lines, the sweetest little moment for me was at the end of the rehearsal. He quietly asked if he and I could just play together for a few minutes, cooking on some grooves and trading ideas.

- Definitely helps when the engineer is a bass player, and a fine one at that. Forrest @ The Annex has GIGANTIC ears, and a wicked sense of humor. Turns out he was the inspiration for me picking up a GrooveTubes DITTO box...he's had one for a long time now, which was the one I used on Rocio's first tracking session. Mine has a few demons lurking in there, and in only a few minutes' time, he dialed out the buzz.

- Along those lines, if I end up with more sessions on the books for next year, I think I'm going to have to ping our man Greg to pick up a REDDI. Seems like they've really trumped what GrooveTubes has done with the DITTO and Brick, so even though the buy-in is pretty steep, the incredible trouble-free tone is worth it.

- Compression. Ain't it amazing? That slap tone on this bass doesn't exist in a live setting, unfortunately. And since Rocio and Remy insisted my little thing in 'Stolen Moments' be in that vein, I'm really glad we were running into the board.

There we have it. This one was really fun, and I also had fun sharing the experience with youse guys. I hope I'll cross paths with Remy again, and I have no doubt I'll be hearing about him in the future.

RocketMusic · #16 10-21-2011, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VroomVroom

- Along those lines, if I end up with more sessions on the books for next year, I think I'm going to have to ping our man Greg to pick up a REDDI. Seems like they've really trumped what GrooveTubes has done with the DITTO and Brick, so even though the buy-in is pretty steep, the incredible trouble-free tone is worth it.

Bring it! I can't believe I haven't sold one of those things yet. If you eavesdrop on the DITTO mega-thread, there's no shortage of cats who own one. I don't know where they're buying them, but it's sadly not from me!

Quote:

Originally Posted by VroomVroom

- Compression. Ain't it amazing? That slap tone on this bass doesn't exist in a live setting, unfortunately. And since Rocio and Remy insisted my little thing in 'Stolen Moments' be in that vein, I'm really glad we were running into the board.

Weren't we just talking the other day about how you need a pedal board? MXR recently came out with a bitchin' compressor pedal. Just saying.

Gard · #17 10-21-2011, 08:29 AM

Wow.

I'm certain we'll be hearing his name in the future...kid is GOOOOOD....

...the rest of the band is OK too...

bobunit · #18 10-21-2011, 10:11 AM

Cool jams. Do you know if they were using outboard compression or a plugin?

shackled · #19 10-21-2011, 10:27 AM

I really enjoyed that!

VroomVroom · #20 10-22-2011, 10:38 AM

Thanks, everyone!

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobunit

Cool jams. Do you know if they were using outboard compression or a plugin?

It was a plugin. Everything was very quick...Remy left that day with the final mix in-hand. As you can imagine...and hear...the focus was on a quality drum mix. Keys & bass were just there for support.

Greg, I'm sure I'll pick your brain at some point. I've been contemplating the idea of a compressor for years now.