April 30, 2022 - Winds Recording

There is a pattern when we teach winds. Ashley Jarmack mentors twice: once for flutes and once for double reeds (oboe, English horn). So what was the problem when we set our winds recording session? She couldn't play all of them.

Chuck and Karen recommended Francisco Castillo from performances they had been a part of.

Jonathan Sacdalan delivered another brilliant session on the world of clarinets, but he was unavailable for the recording. He recommended a UCLA graduate student, Kristine Llanderal, to fill in.

We met Jonathan Stehney live in person for the first time, who was even more amazing in person and performance.

And Javier flew in from New York. (To save money, we let Javier take over our apartment. My GF, Phoebe, stayed with Board member Miyeko, and I stayed with my parents. We have a great apartment for one person.)

ASMAC really supported us this time, with not only Chuck returning to the stand, but Gayle Levant joined me in the booth. To make it even more interesting, Gayle's husband, legendary engineer John Richards (he's worked on everything. IMDB him) came with her to observe. I think out of courtesy he sat out in the studio because he might have given Lucas Fehring a heart attack if he knew he was being watched.

A collage of four images: Gayle and Akira standing up looking at a score on the audio board. Chuck in studio speaking tot he wind quintet. Chuck and Karen posing with composers Aggie, Leo, and Greg. Elliana, now with blue hair, and Christopher posing for a photo at lunch after the session.

For me, this session was more fun than the strings session. It might have been because it was our second time, but also because more students attended in person. I was sitting at the mixer when young Greg came bounding in to say hello. He, Aggie, and Leo made the mood young and exciting.

Elliana also flew in from Arizona to hear her piece being recorded. And Christopher navigated COVID from a trip in Europe to make it to the session.

Chuck was amazing. Whenever we tell him that something is out of tune or out of time, he communicates it so well to the musicians frequently saying, "One more time for ensemble." I can never say enough about Chuck. He is unexpectedly generous and kind, and just sets the standard of incredible professionalism.

Lucas returned to engineer. I have nothing but positives to say here either.

A shot of the studio from behind. At the mixing Board are Akira, Gayle, and Lucas. At the table behind them are Austin Ali, Aggie, Leo, Greg, and another mentor.

What is it like working side-by-side with Gayle? It takes you the first half to get over the wow factor, and then you realize how much you are learning about what to be listening for in the booth. Gayle also is a model of grace and makes everyone around her better.

One of our students, Luca, had written a viola etude (or something) in a breakout room, and Karen decided she wanted to record it. With the promise of it only taking five minutes, it took twenty. Lucas Fehring for the win!

I would be remiss if I didn't talk about one misfire. Elliana had written another song and had flown into the session from Arizona. Karen felt that we should get a professional singer in to record it for time's sake, although I had been leaning toward Elliana.

At 1:00 pm, Chuck, John, and Gayle had to leave, so I was left with the song. I had sent the singer the mock-ups a couple weeks in advance. I put the melody in piano and flute as requested. The night before, she called me to tell me she wasn't going to come to the session because she hadn't learned the song. (I mean hadn't even looked at the material.) So late at night, and a little bit tipsy from dinner, I worked with her on the music.

At the session the next day, I took the stand, and it did not go well. The singer couldn't read music, couldn't sing in the right octave, couldn't keep the rhythm. We recorded the wind accompaniment and released the players. This was a bummer because the ending was supposed to be a rubato interplay between sax and voice, and it was now relegated to the click track. We spent the next forty-five minutes recording an unemotionally engaged song. To get her on track, Karen finally pulled out her viola and played the melody along from the booth. I felt that it solidified me as a bad conductor.

It didn't, but really?

I'm just glad Gayle and John had left. We should have had Elliana sing the song.

We did have one amazing thing happen. (There were more than one, but this one impacted the future of Inception.)

Austin Ali reviews a score with Aggie and Leo.

Jonathan's replacement clarinetist, Kristine, brought her boyfriend along. He was a composer from UCLA. I was so busy, I had no idea who this stranger was that popped up in the booth.

Sometimes it helps to have your GF as a spy. Phoebe said he was awesome working with the kids throughout the session, and we found out that he had asked Karen if he could listen in.

This was Austin Ali. A Masters/Doctorate student at UCLA. We'd come to discover he is a star composer of the future, and one of the nicest and most enthusiastic people you'd ever meet.

Jonathan Sacdalan who had referred Kristine was irritated that she brought a guest to session, as this was not protocol, but I assured him that it had a really great result. Austin would go on to be an Inception mentor in the Fall of 2022. More on this to come. But it was the most fortuitous visit in our history.

Collaboration: Akira, Chuck, John Richards, Gayle, Javier, and Karen hold up wine glasses to cheer at Geoffrey's the night before the session.

The night before the recording session, Gayle, John, Chuck, Javier, Karen, and I went out to dinner at Geoffrey's in Malibu. It was an iconic dinner with the leaders of three partnering organizations coming together in person at last.

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