| STUDIO
NEWS
JEFF OSTER (Will Ackerman producer)
In November 2003 we started sessions for a project by trumpet and
flugelhorn player Jeff Oster. Jeff lives in the San Francisco Bay
Area and has played in bands for almost 30 years. Jeff’s music
is amazingly contemporary. Basic tracks are assembled from samples
(legal ones) which lend it a very hip sound. His horn playing is
inspired by the jazz greats, but emerges from him in a very gentle
and ambient way. He’s a brilliant player and composer.
We flew in engineer Bryan Carrigan from LA along with one of Bryan’s
percussion tracks. Phil Aaberg (Peter Gabriel, Boston Pops) flew
in from Montana for the keyboard work, T Bone Wolk was in for the
bass sessions and vocalist extraordinaire Happy Rhodes contributed
some incredible tracks. Electric guitarist Jeremy Mendocino (Gregory
Douglass) contributed some incredible ambient parts. Will wrote
one piece with Jeff in an afternoon and recorded it the same day.
The result was a four track CD entitled AT LAST which is now available
via CDBaby.
But that wasn't enough for Mr Oster. Jeff came back into the studio
to complete 5 more songs to round out an incredible album entitled
RELEASED. It has won numerous awards and is receiving high acclaim
everywhere.
CHRISTIE McCALL (Will Ackerman producer)
In early January 2004 Christie McCall walked into Imaginay Road
on a very cold winter day. The place warmed up quickly. Christie
was in the international cast of CATS and has been singing professionally
since she was 16 (to look at her you’d think that was about
two years ago, but she insists that she’s now in her 30s).
Christie is a song writer as well as singer (we’ve recorded
her Distant Voices for the CD), but most of the material on the
CD is derived from other songwriters ranging from John Lee Hooker
(Don’t Look Back) to Patty Larkin (The Book I’m Not
Reading) by way of The Jefferson Airplane (Marty Balin’s Coming
Back to Me) and Richie Haven’s (Follow). Christie is also
covering songs by other contemporary singer/songwriters Diane Zeigler
(Leap of Faith), Gregory Douglass (I Wonder), Louise Taylor (A Heart
Never Lies), Frank Tedesso (Come to Me), a bit of Ireland through
a Nashville filter from Leslie Dowdal (Sparkle and Coming up Roses)
and Ellis Paul (Conversation with a Ghost). There is a phenomenal
cover of the Youngblood’s late 60s hit Darkness Darkness and
Isle of Islay by Donovan.
The players on the project reads like a Dream Team.
Drummer Forrest Robinson (Sade and India Arie) along with bassists
T Bone Wolk (fretted) and Michael Manring (fretless) got things
started. Guitarists David Cullen, Taylor Barefoot and T Bone Wolk
and Will Ackerman contributed tracks. Vermont’s own Derrick
Jordan played percussion and worked out the dual drum/percussion
part on Darkness Darkness in the studio with Forrest Robinson. Paul
Winter cellist Eugene Friesen, pianists Jim Ridl and Gregory Douglass
and vocalists Diane Zeigler, Ellis Paul, Gregory Douglass, Louise
Taylor and with extensive vocal work from Noah Wilding as well.
Darol anger is going to be adding violin tracks and we’ve
contacted Mike Marshall about doing a mandolin session as well.
Christie has now been in the studio for three separate sessions
and will return again soon. Engineers on the project are Danny Bernini,
Bryan Carrigan, Taylor Barefoot, Corin Nelsen and Bill Esses.
ROBERT WALLING (Will Ackerman producer)
Robert Walling came into the studio in March of this year to begin
production on his guitar CD. Robert is a guitarist whose work combines
brilliant rhythms and an abundance of wonderful melody. Session
players for the project include bassists T Bone Wolk and Michael
Manring, percussionist Derrick Jordan and ambient guitarist Jeff
Pearce. Ugandan singer Samite performed on one piece as did native
American flute player John Huling (who just received a Gold Record
for one of his own CDs). Will Ackerman contributed one track so
far, but plans to do further work with Robert when he returns soon.
RUDY PERRONE (Will Ackerman producer)
Rudy is a veteran of a lot of recording, spanning years and a number
of different musical styles. This recording has the acoustic guitar
front and center, though other tracks will move this project out
of a completely acoustic realm. Rudy is playing a wide range of
different guitars and producing absolutely unique sounds in guitar
blends. The first session player to come into the studio was the
world-famous percussionist Glen Valez who contributed percussion
as well as “throat singing,” a method of singing employed
in Mongolia in which the human voice produces two notes simultaneously.
Michael Manring flew in from San Francisco to contribute some fretless
bass parts and created one ebow texture which blew everyone away.
Eugene Friesen contributed a track of cello.
The session was engineered by Taylor Barefoot.
Rudy will be returning soon to continue work on the project.
WILL ACKERMAN (produced by Will Ackerman and Corin Nelsen)
Will’s new CD is entitled: RETURNING Pieces for guitar 1970-2005
The 2005 release CD is on the Mary’s Tree label, distributed
by Universal Records.
These are all new recordings of some of Will’s favorite solos
over 35 years of writing. These renditions are far more subtle and
nuanced that the earlier versions and explore tempo and volume dynamics
far beyond what the original versions offered. To quote Will, “
these new versions are simply more expressive and reflect my years
of knowing the pieces and their potential far better.”
The recordings feature solo acoustic guitar with the exception of
a live version of Hawk Circle with Will’s long time collaborator
David Cullen.
Corin Nelsen engineered the project and was assisted by Taylor “Nightshift”
Barefoot in the mixing phase of the project. The project was mastered
by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering.
Please check the tour schedule for
Will’s concerts this fall.
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