new jazz recordings

RobinBetton · #1 12-06-2006, 06:19 AM

any comments would be appreciated.

http://homepage.mac.com/robinbetton/FileSharing6.html

RobinBetton · #2 12-11-2006, 01:18 AM

again, any comments would be appreciated. I also put other stuff up there of my friends playing.

Sam Sherry · #3 12-11-2006, 08:13 AM

Africa: The introduction is very muddy sounding, to the point where it made it hard to focus and hard to tell where you were going musically. Frankly, on my computer/system you're so buried on this tune it's hard to offer any constructive critique at all. It sounds like a band with no bassist. That is not a musical criticism; it's just a sonic fact.

Fee Fi: Aroo! Your pianist dropped the last beat of the melody, turning the time around on the first bar of the solo! Bravo to you and the drummer for following, but . . .

Probably as a result of the false start you're not ideally positioned when the soloing starts. You've got the first couple of bars in two and then you're into walking before bar five. You miss a whole raft of creative options in two or broken-time.

Your pulse is strong. You seem to like building big jumps into your lines while walking. I'm not always hearing the clearest outline of the changes; one example is around 1:47-48.

In general, you're playing with great guys and it doubtless reflects that they value what you have to offer. Consider changes that provide some more sonic clarity (whether gear, approach or both) and by all means post some more!

RobinBetton · #4 12-11-2006, 09:53 AM

Thank you very much for your time. I had some of the same thoughts. I was upset on how we were made to set up as the format of the class is to have us play in the middle while people sit around us. It makes things quite hard. It's weird. I'm also kinda of weirded out because the people i play with always want more bass so sonically it doesn't sit well in the mix at all. They hate it when i put any midrange or treble to cut through the other frequencies. QUITE FRUSTRATING.

Sam Sherry · #5 12-11-2006, 11:57 AM

I've responded to most of this by email. I did want to take a moment to highlight this comment, though:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robin

I was upset on how we were made to set up as the format of the class is to have us play in the middle while people sit around us. It makes things quite hard. It's weird.

That's the kind of stuff you're just going to have to slough off. Y'know, you're jammed into a corner at a bar full of yakkers, TV and cash-register, and then you find out that the guy who just walked out is a player whose CDs you were listening to on the way in. You have to work on being able to deliver all the time -- even in rehearsal. Each time you play counts for the whole thing. Period.

All good things, and post some more when you've got more. BEST, SAM