Wash & Dry Studio News, Fall-Winter 18-19
The tulips and crocuses are popping up in Brooklyn- another Fall and Winter seems to be succumbing to the relentlessly encroaching Spring. It’s a great time to look back on all the hard work that I’ve been doing in my studio, Benny’s Wash & Dry, both on my own and with a collection of talented musician artists.
I love to produce recording projects, both for instrumentalists and singers. From conceptualizing the project and picking repertoire, to finding the right band personnel, through the arranging, recording and mixing process, I enjoy the journey! Last Fall I had the pleasure of co-producing two sensational singers, Ellynne Rey and Melanie Gall. Both of their new recordings are available now.
Connecticut-based vocalist/songwriter Ellynne Rey’s The Birdsong Project features a broad-range of jazz approaches to a diverse collection of songs about birds. Ellynne and I worked together to craft the arrangements over a period of several months of rehearsal, then we recorded the album in two sessions at the Wash & Dry. The resulting album is well rounded, exciting and eminently listenable. From the classics “Skylark,” “Blackbird” and “Ornithology,” to the unexpected: Schubert’s “Die Krahe (The Crow)” and Joni Mitchell’s “Song to a Seagull,” to Rey’s original jazz waltz “The Snowy Owl,” the album features a talented group of experienced NYC-based jazz musicians, including Rey on vocals and me on piano and organ, plus Joel Frahm on sax, Alex Norris on trumpet, Freddie Bryant on guitar, Marcus Mclauraine on bass and drummers Anthony Pinciotti and Joe Strasser. The packaging also showcases her formidable talent as a wildlife photographer. This was our second recording project together and I’m delighted to have had both opportunities to grow together as artists. http://www.ellynnesings.com/
Canadian chanteuse Melanie Gall travels the world presenting her original shows in Fringe Festivals, theaters and beyond. I’ve arranged and recorded many of the soundtrack and accompaniments to these shows. When she approached me wanting to put together a recording of songs that have inspired and influenced her over the years, I jumped at the opportunity. The songs naturally divided themselves into two groups: half required a standard pop & jazz rhythm section; the other half seemed to merit an acoustic string band. I found the perfect group of folks who could fulfill both and we set out on a campaign of realizing her vision. Highway Rhapsody features Gall presenting 3 standards: “But Not for Me,” “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To” and “My Ship”, and a group of songs which were new to me, including: “Gulf Coast Highway,” “Let the Cold Wind Blow,” “The Queen and the Soldier,” “I Will Play a Rhapsody” and more… It’s a crazy collection of folk songs, standards, pop songs, country classics and more, unified by her love of all them! The album features: Gall on vocals, me on keyboards, plus Ross Martin on guitars, Jacob Joliffe on mandolin, Bobby Hawk on fiddle, Jim Whitney on bass and Robert Weiss on drums. https://www.melaniegall.com/
In addition to composing, producing, performing and recording my own music, I enjoy supporting other artists as a sideman, both playing live and also contributing keyboard tracks “remotely” from my studio. Here are two featured sideman projects from the last few months:
In his own words, Jonathan Coulton’s Some Guys “covers of 70s soft rock songs that sound exactly like the originals.” Produced by the amazing Christian Cassan, we set out to recreate the smooth magic of the songs that fueled many a long car ride with my folks back in my childhood in New Mexico. It was a joy (and a ton of work) to learn and recreate, note-for-note classics including: Baker Street, How Deep is Your Love, On and On, Make it With You and many more. Listening to it is like time travel- I’m transported back to the back of my mom’s Buick with the maroon interior. Dig it. https://www.jonathancoulton.com/
Sean McMorris’s new album C’est La Vie is the third I’ve played on for the LA-based singer/songwriter. Also produced by Christian Cassan, it’s a spirited collection of original rock and pop featuring me on vintage keyboards. https://www.seanmcmorris.com/home
Other recent clients at the Wash & Dry include: Joe Clausell, Xavier Casellas and Emillio Solla, Ethan Eubanks, Storefront Music, Stefan Litzky, John Thomas, Janie Barnett, Ricky Tinelli, Annette Genovese, Fiona Smart, Akiko Matsumoto, Aaron Morrill, Dahlia Ross, Dennis Day, Jawney Conroy, Alex Khurgen, Yuma Sung, Paul Spencer, Ed Littman, Sidecar Astronauts, Michael Harren, Kim Cameron, Juwanna Jenkins, Carol Lipnik and more…
If you’ve got a musical vision you’d like help realizing, please reach out– I’d love to discuss your project with you to explore if we’d be well suited to working together. Come join the family at Benny’s Wash & Dry!