Holidaze (Tiger Turn)
John Beasley
Released in 2022
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nHCa91qLXGPCosIiY0GqJTdyujnAsIp7U
Spotify:
About:
My recording career as a solo artist has been predominantly in the jazz genre, with 15 such albums to my name. Budgets for my recording projects have ranged from $30K for my debut album, Cauldron (Windham Hill, 1991), with a major jazz label, to the last one I just released in November 2022, an indie project called Holidaze with an extremely limited budget.
Why do musicians go to the trouble of recording, especially when budgets can be “starving artist” situations? We play because it’s our calling. We record because it’s a tangible document for a legacy, but also because we have the urge to share our art with the world. We share a human need to see if others like what we’ve created.
Even if we have no budget or a low budget, we persist. If we are given the key to the kingdom, we blitz! I’ve worked on around 250-plus records and count 20 as a producer. Here are my tips using the KISS (keep it simple, stupid) method when you have a no-frills budget to have an enjoyable recording experience and make a great-sounding album.
Keeping Things Simple
Pre-production is key to keeping the recording process simple. Plan your course of action diligently. Find the studio to fit the sound you want with the right equipment at the right price. Music charts should be written for the budget. They should be ready and easy to read with clear roadmaps. There is nothing wrong with writing difficult music; we all love a challenge. Just don’t expect to get it done in a short time. Better to write for your budget than to half-ass your music with subpar performances.
Spend your money on making music rather than editing. Bring more tunes to the studio than you need, but aim for about 35–45 minutes of music. Longer records mean more expenses.
Keep the following tips in mind when casting your ensemble and leading rehearsals for your recordings:
· Hire top-talent musicians and engineers who are artful and know your identity, vision and intention for the recording.
· Rehearse elsewhere to work out kinks and get the feel and the essence of the music. Book gigs (where you’re paid to rehearse), rent a union hall ($25/3 hours) or use free school facilities if they’re available during non-school hours. (Remember, favors cost $0.)
· At the studio, do a run-through, but press “record” to capture spontaneity. After the run-through, listen to make sure you like the sounds. Then start doing takes.
· Create an atmosphere of relaxation and camaraderie in the studio, because this will help reduce the number of takes you need. Tell jokes if you have to. And take breaks for the clouds to clear up and restore creativity.
· Talent is what really makes a record. Hell, music can be recorded on an iPhone. As long as the music is good, that’s the key.
Keeping ‘Stupid’ Things Simple
Always remember to mind the ticking clock. Do whatever is necessary to not waste time and money in the studio.
Avoid stressors, distractions and drama. Time is money, so don’t waste it.
Avoid “microscoping.” Do a maximum of three takes. I recommend doing two takes and then listen — you’ll know how it feels when you are recording and can make changes to forms, solo lengths, etc.
Time is wasted when you go back and forth to listen to every take. Remember, you are all good musicians — and you heard it the first time! After you’ve done two takes, go in and listen. If you still don’t have it, do another. But after three takes we all start to lose spontaneity. I recommend leaving it and going back to the song later.
Task someone to handle the administrative work and logistics of the rehearsals and recording sessions such as parking, food orders, errands, answering phones and facilitating guests or photo/videographers.
Holidaze is a trio album of Christmas music, six songs recorded in a three-hour session with no rehearsal (because I’ve worked the drummer and bassist before). Christian Euman would bring his creative spontaneity and Edwin Livingston would give the music his big sound and swing. Recorded by Tally Sherwood at True Tone Studios, I knew Tally had the experience to mix live. And because we recorded at his studio, we were up and recording in no time.
We talked through the vision: Since we were familiar with the timeless Christmas songs, we discussed the personality we wanted to give to each song, whether it would be lush, humorous but with a lot of groove. The idea was to listen, respond and to trust each other that we would take the song through the arc of the story with some surprises. It was to be a press-and-play — so keep the not-so-obvious blemishes because we wanted to make a record that captures being in the moment, like the iconic jazz records of the ’50 and ’60s before multitracks.
It doesn’t take a fortune to create a successful record. Plan, be prudent, anticipate moving parts, surround yourself with a purposeful and passionate team, and you will make a record that you will hold dear to your heart and be proud of for many years to come.
And, as the great Quincy Jones once advised, “Leave the door of the studio open for God to walk in.” That’s my mantra: Be flexible, and always be open to new ideas. DB
Holidaze Song List
“It was fun to decide what additional songs to include in this Christmas album.
I chose I’ll Be Home for Christmas as a tease to my wife who was away at Christmas in Kenya last year working for Doctors Without Borders. She’s coming home this Christmas.
I love Duke Ellington’s version of the Nutcracker so I wanted to play with Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.
I wanted a jazz waltz so Greensleeves fit that wish.
Every Christmas album has to have Deck the Halls.
I arranged Auld Lang Syne for the TV series Bosch and thought it was a perfect closing song as we count down the 12 Days of Christmas to the New Year.
And, Silent Night and Away in the Manger pulls my heartstrings.”
John Beasley
Track Listing:
1. Greensleeves 04:31
2. I’ll Be Home for Christmas 03:32
3. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy 04:31
4. Twelve days of Christmas 04:31
5. Away in the Manger 04:56
6. Auld Lang Syne (to count down the New Year) 04:20
7. Deck the Halls 03:28
8. Silent Night 03:59
Personnel:
Christian Euman: bass
Edwin Livingston: drums
John Beasley: piano
Producer and Arranger: John Beasley
Review:
Back again after a flawed release two Christmases ago, Holidaze is a proper and precise holiday celebration from long-acclaimed pianist John Beasley and cohorts Edwin Livingston on bass and Christian Evman behind the kit. Beasley, once part of Freddie Hubbard’s group, brings a keen intelligence and a mature conviction to his arrangements of “Greensleeves” and seven more seasonal standards. The best present of all might be the redesigned Nutcracker Suite gem “Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy,” where his lyricism is touched by the fanciful.
Frank-John Hadley (DownBeat)
