j-raj :: Bassist for "Jake Sharp Band"

James Hart · #1 09-20-2005, 07:17 PM

Hey Check this out! My partner-in-groove here in "Bassists [BG]" hooked me up with some linkage to his Jazz thang's demo. I twisted his arm and he let me share it with y'all

I'm really digging the tunes... The bass sounds great!

She
Will and Oh Well
Tones for T-Bones
Sun Warms It

Maybe we can get j-raj to give the studio breakdown?
What basses? What amps / mics / DI?
How and where recorded?

Maybe even give us a little info / history on the band? (you cats need a website!)

emjazz · #2 09-20-2005, 08:14 PM

Great stuff. I'd love to hear about his bass and how he recorded it. It really fits well in this context being an electric bass. That's hard to do. Very nice! Great playing and ideas all around. I like the 3rd one best.

fraublugher · #3 09-20-2005, 09:09 PM

good job j-raj

NJL · #4 09-20-2005, 09:35 PM

Yeah, I listened to his stuff last week and finally sent him an IM...

I thought his stuff was great as well.....the cool part is that he can play and he's such a cool person too.... there are not many like that around...

JAUQO III-X · #5 09-20-2005, 09:44 PM

I have to agree j-raj definately has skills,his bass playing is very nice and he seems to only give each song what it needs no less or no more therefore j-raj I would just like to say keep doing what you do.

Brian Barrett · #6 09-20-2005, 09:56 PM

Very Nice j-raj! I really like Sun Warms, but all are great. Talented AND a super nice guy!

emjazz · #7 09-20-2005, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JAUQO III-X

he seems to only give each song what it needs no less or no more...

Dead on! Many of us get into the chops and miss a lot of what the music is about (me included). His playing has a nice Steve Swallow feel to it.

**j-raj** · #8 09-20-2005, 11:17 PM

wow! thanx guys!! It is really a blast playing with Jake... great writer and cool cat as well.

As for the specifics of the recording methods used, I'll try to remember what I can...

First off these four and the other 7 tunes on the album were recorded at Ledge7 Studios in Dallas, GA. The recording engineer is a talented cat by the name of Tony Copley.

What Tony did for my signal/s was use two tracks, one with my bass plugged into a DI (can't remember which kind) then into a Grace Design Model 801 Preamp to the board. The other track was done by having my Aguilar GS112 mic'd by B.L.U.E. Baby Bottle (1 foot away, @ 2 o'clock on the speaker, 4 inches in from the edge). The mic'd signal is then going into that Grace Design Model 801 pre as well. The Pre and Power amp I used into the Aguilar GS112 was my trusty V-Type/PLX 1602 rig.

What Tony recorded it on was the ProTools HD (w/ a Focusrite board) set up and saved on a LaCie firewire drive.

...As for the bass I used, it was my blue one.

(I'm really due for a new bass)!

.... It's true, we really need a website, hmm.

Thanks again!

James Hart · #9 09-21-2005, 07:18 AM

very cool! I can't wait to hear the rest of it.

GrooveWarrior · #10 09-21-2005, 07:45 AM

Very Cool. I also have to say that j-raj is a terrific guy. Top notch. Great player. What a smooth walking line on the last one. Very well voiced.

Juneau · #11 09-21-2005, 09:36 AM

I really enjoyed this J-Raj

jerry · #12 09-21-2005, 02:22 PM

Is the CD available at CDbaby, or a web site? I want to support the cause......linky please

.....sounds great from my dialup!!

James Hart · #13 09-21-2005, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jerry

.....sounds great from my dialup!!

I had to download them at work, load onto my MP3 player and take home

my home dialup connection is KILLING me!

uglycicles · #14 09-21-2005, 09:57 PM

j-raj,

Sounds great. I've been diggin on all 4 tracks while working tonight. Very nice vibe. The lower register of your bass sounds fantastic through headphones.

Nice work!

**Bryan R. Tyler** · #15 09-22-2005, 08:09 AM

That was great stuff! It was groovy and dark (not Bitches Brew-type ominous dark....good dark) yet it retained warmth. I really liked it!

James Hart · #16 09-23-2005, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bryan R. Tyler

That was great stuff! It was groovy and dark (not Bitches Brew-type ominous dark....good dark) yet it retained warmth. I really liked it!

Yes, dark in a good way! I hate explaining how music sounds to me, words just don't always mean what I think they should once someone else hears/reads them.

Once again, excelent job j-raj! y'all need to do a little tour up the coast so I can catch you live!

**j-raj** · #17 09-25-2005, 12:02 PM

thanks uglyc, jerry, BT, sped....

Really love to hear feeback and stuff like this... especially after an odd gig-weekend and a mess load of car probs (starter on the V-Dub is shot... so is the wallet!), thx!

Quote:

Originally Posted by James Hart

Yes, dark in a good way! I hate explaining how music sounds to me, words just don't always mean what I think they should once someone else hears/reads them.

I hear ya, that stuff usually only sounds like it makes sense to me, then when descriptions of other's tunes and such leave my mouth... cats usually turn-around and say to me: "what'd you say, J?

Quote:

Originally Posted by James Hart

Once again, excelent job j-raj! y'all need to do a little tour up the coast so I can catch you live!

Yeah I'd love to tour the east coast... from my stomping grounds in Boston to ATL...and points in-between! Hopefully that will be a reality sometime soon.

...or y'all could make it down for the webcast/'fo-real' CD-release/Jami's and Mine's B-day party on November 18th at the Five Spot...

Garry Goodman · #18 09-30-2005, 04:51 PM

Sounds great! Very refreshing original tunes and I like the bass.

Woodchuck · #19 10-01-2005, 07:21 AM

I really like The Sun Warms It! Great job!

Alan Vorse · #20 10-10-2005, 06:02 PM

I feel bad for not posting anything earlier. This stuff is incredible. It sounds like the kind of music I have been trying to get out of my head, and on to disc for years. Do you guys play "jazz" clubs or more mainstream type places and how well do you go over in front of these crowds?