NYC from a Baritonesax players point of view

Per Moberg, 24th May, 2009

The trip started early, six o'clock Friday, 8 / 5 from Luleå. There will be a long day on which the time lag extends the day with six hours. The trip is going well. After having checked in at the hotel in Manhattan I go to a Chinese restaurant with Karl-Martin Almqvist and Janne Thelin. I eat chicken with orange flavor. Very good and exciting when the roasted orange skins and the very strong pepper fruits of the same color and form mix. After dinner we went to a bar for a beer. Karl-Martin called his former teacher George Garzone from the time he studied in New York. George will be the soloist on the song "Buck Eyes" on the cd. When George answers, it appears that he is having dinner at the same Chinese restaurant we just left! He joins us after his meal. Later that evening he will play at a jazz club and we go there to listen. George is playing very well and we look forward to Monday when he comes to the studio.

On Saturday, I wake up to HAMMER BLOWS. Although I live on the 24th floor? It turns out that they are building a skyscraper across the street. Construction has reached the same height as my room. It is a vertiginous feeling to see the builders lean out to receive the cargo on the way up with the crane. In the afternoon it´s time for rehearsals. Good to loosen up the lips. I have the pleasure to play on my Selmer baritone saxophone again. It has been in repair for a few months after a less successful air cargo handling. Nice to hang out with my old friend again! Back at the hotel I play a few notes on the flute. It is always a dilemma to practice in hotel rooms, beeing afraid to disturb the other guests, but the next day we will play "Box of Canoli" and that requires a little extra practise. When I go down to the hotel lobby, I meet Mirka. She thanks me for the entertainment. In the evening we eat enormous ribs at a restaurant, When in New York!!

Sunday. Time for recording. The studio is very nice and it sounds good in the room. James Farber is our sound engineer. He and his colleague are very talented. It has not even been half an hour before we are up and running, recording the first song. It is "Rufus at Gilly" with Rufus Reid as a soloist on bass. Rufus has an amazing tone in the base and a cruel phrasing. Since I play a bass instrument myself it feels nice to be part of such a superb bass section: Rufus Reid bass, Björn Hängsel bass trombone and Janne Thelin bass clarinet. Then it is time for perhaps the most difficult song: "Box of Canoli" where I leave the bass boys to play the flute in the same register as Bo Strandberg on lead trumpet. That's extremes! The recording is going well when we have Peter Erskine rhythmic drum playing in the back.

David Liebman comes to the studio on Monday. He plays incredibly beautiful and soulful in Tim's beautiful ballad "Here With Me". George will join us later in the afternoon. He lives up to the expectations from the jazz club! In the evening I go with Janne and the trombone section to the Village Vanguard listening to their Monday band (big band). Dick Oatts play leadsax and is the soloist in a beautiful ballad. Dick played with NBB back in 1999. He recognized us (perhaps because Janne had a NBB T-shirt on) and was interested to hear about our upcoming CD. The band sounds very good and we listen to their version of Thad Jones best song "Three And One".

When we went to high school and played in the music school, the best we could listen to was the Brecker Brothers. On Tuesday, one half of that hornsection arrives at the studio: Randy Brecker on trumpet. Slightly surreal to play with a great idol, but very pleasant. Not at all terrifying as Tim suggests in the song "Booo".

Wednesday, last day in the studio and we listen through all the material. We make some corrections and additions. Tim is very pleased and invites the whole gang for champagne. Everything feels good and it will be exciting to get a copy when the cd is released this fall.
On Thursday is the flight home to northern Sweden where spring probably has arrived the week we have been away.

/Per Moberg

The last day

Mirka Siwek, 17th May, 2009

Kurt Elling stopped by the studio today for a short visit. Appearently he also was working in the studio.

All the great musicians in the NBB has done a fantastic job totally focused and with great love for this project.
In the afternoon I visited a Picasso exhibition "The Musketeers" in Chelsea and this is definitely how I see the musicians in the NBB, great Musketeers!
A big thanks to Pär for the English translation of the blog this week..

Box of Canoli

Mirka Siwek, 17th May, 2009

This day I´ve heard Tim´s composition "Box of Canoli" a lot! Tim´s directions through this song is with great care and a firm hand. I didn´t know that Canoli is a cake here in the US and that behind this song there is a love story hiding. Later for dinner I tried it for the first time, very sweet and really big with some kind of white filling wrapped up in chocolate. In the future when I listen to this song I will always remember the cake I had in New York.

Randy Brecker was in the studio today and NBB recorded the last song, that already has been a hit. It´s the song playing the intro for this website. For this song we also had a guitarist, Vic Juris from New York.

Only one day of work left and during that day we will concentrate on listening and some small repairs if necessary.

Norrbotten Big Band på Avatar Studios i New York

Dan Johansson, 15th May, 2009

Norrbotten Big Band spelar in på Avatar Studios i New York med några av Jazzens största stjärnor.

För ett år sen pratade vi i produktionsgruppen om att göra en samlings cd med musik som Tim Hagans skrivit för dom Amerikanska gästsolister som spelat med Norrbotten Big Band de senaste åren. Rätt snabbt kom vi fram till att bäst förutsättningar att få dom med på en och samma skiva är att vara på plats i New York i stället för att flyga dom separat fram och tillbaka till oss.

Efter nästan en vecka i Avatar Studios New York har vi nu avslutat inspelningen av Norrbotten Big Bands nya CD med musik av Tim Hagans och gästsolisterna Dave Liebman, George Garzone, Randy Brecker och Tim Hagans själv på trumpet. På trummor har vi haft Peter Erskine och Rufus Reid spelar bas. Både Peter och Rufus har varit gästsolister med NBB men här har vi dom med i kompsektionen på hela skivan.

Det har varit fantastiskt att få spela med dessa musiker som är dom bästa i världen på sina instrument. Peter Erskine får bandet att låta bra direkt. Han gör fantastiska setups och skapar tillsammans med Rufus Reid ”grymma groovs” för bandet att spela på.

Vi reste över fredag 8 maj och efter repetitioner på lördagen började vi på söndagen spela in två bandlåtar utan gästsolister. En låt som jag skrivit tillsammans med Tim för några år sedan till våran dåvarande producent Mirka Siwek som fyllde jämna år och en tribute till Rufus Reid som heter ”Rufus At Gillys” och syftar på när Tim första gången hörde Rufus live på Daytons berömda jazzklubb Gillys. Senare på eftermiddagen kom Dave Liebman in och gjorde två underbara tagningar på ”Here With me”, speciellt arrangerad till honom.

Måndag är det Goorge Garzones tur. Från början var det meningen att Joe Lovano skulle vara med, men det blev juridiska problem med hans skivbolag ”Blue Note” som förhindrade honom att vara med. Men George Garzone spelade helt fantastiskt!! Jag har inte lyssnat mycket på honom innan men det kommer jag definitivt att göra efter det här.

På tisdag kom Randy Brecker in och gjorde sina grejer. En duett med Tim Hagans som Tim kallar ”Booo!” (two scary trumpetplayers). Randy var i kanonform och andra tagningen är bland det bästa jag hört honom spela!!! Tim spelade som vanligt också grymt bra.

På onsdagen gick vi igenom allt material och gjorde små reparationer + något enstaka pålägg. Allt flöt otroligt bra under hela inspelningsperioden och Tim gör ett jättejobb med att hålla ihop hela projektet och få alla musiker och tekniker att må bra hela tiden. Skivan ska mixas i Los Angeles i sommar och kommer ut på Peter Erskines bolag Fuzzy Music i höst. Det ska bli spännande att höra resultatet.

Dan Johansson Norrbotten Big Band
www.myspace.com/dannejohansson

Dave, George and Tom!?

Mirka Siwek, 13th May, 2009

At breakfast this morning Bosse and Magnus told me about a man they met on the streets here in New York. Sitting in his car this trumpet player from Georgia was rehersing and it sounded really good, an older gentleman playing at clubs for no money. He was very disappointed and told them that the music was keeping him alive.

Today David Liebman arrived at the studio and the band records "Here With Me" .Dave plays magnificent and after a two hour session he rushes off for the next gig, In Paris!

The next guest soloist has never played with the band before; George Garzone, playing Tim and the bands favorite piece "Buckeyes".

Well, time to get back to the hotel, suddenly I'm stopped by a police man. The street has been shut down, and people are standing, waiting with cameras an mobile phones. I ask someone what's up and in that moment a door opens in the building and there is Tom Hanks! My favorite actor!! In the rush I can't find my phone to take a picture, he is gone in just a few seconds in a big black limousine.

First day of recording

Mirka Siwek, 12th May, 2009

Sunday and we have moved to studio Avatar, one of New Yorks finest.
The producer Bob Beldon is standing in the control room trying to ease up things by telling jokes, the pressure and stress among the musicians is very clear. Sound check, recordings starts in 5 minutes.

Earlier today I´ve hugged and greeted Peter Erskine and Rufus Reid when they joined The Norrbotten Big Band, both in a great mood.

Everything is ready now and through the speakers I can hear Tim´s voice -"Rufus At Gillys, take one"!

Welcome to New York

Mirka Siwek, 12th May, 2009

After a very formal welcome by the airport personnel and a two hour wait for the bus we finally arrived at the hotel.

From the 21st floor where my room is I have a magnificent view towards Lexington Avenue and I can clearly feel the building moving in the wind, kind of a boat moving against the waves.

Today is Saturday and in the morning I meet surprisingly fresh musicians after their morning run to the Brooklyn bridge and back. The most obsessed runners in the band are Dan, Håkan, Tapio and Björn. Later in the afternoon we have a meeting with the film team Pekka and Andreas who are documenting the recording.

The first day we spend at Carrols studio, I'm sitting in a chair listening to the rehearsals. Tim is leading the band as usual and he is of course in a very good mood (he also has very long hair). When the band starts to play, this days first real crescendo happens! The first song is "Song for Mirka" a composition by Tim and Danne.

I´m starting to feel jet lagged so after a while I decide to go back to the hotel to meet up with my colleagues Eva, Irene and Pär- All three very energetic starting their day at the hotel gym at 7am so they have time for some sightseeing before the start of this days work schedule.

On our way to New York

Mirka Siwek, 10th May, 2009

8/5 2009 - friday
I'm finally sitting on the plane SK903 heading for New York City. Listening to Diane Kralls romantic, seductive voice in my headphones. The aircraft is cruising towards Reykjavik at 905 km/h and it's a freezing -49 degrees Celsius outside. Local time in Sweden is now 11.52 pm and we have 7 hours flight time left before we land at Newark airport.

Since my feelings towards flying are both fascination and fear I feel that it's my duty as well as a privilege to enjoy this flight.

In the seats behind me I have the musicians of Norrbotten Big Band, very focused and everyone including myself are thinking how close we are to our goal. Our friend and artistic director Tim Hagans have gathered some great artists and jazz-musicians; Randy Brecker, Peter Erskine, David Liebman, George Garzone and Rufus Reid to record our 12th album. During the following four days we will record the album in the famous Avatar studio, located at 441 west 53d street near Central Park.

Now I'm just looking forward to meet Tim, I will call him the second we've landed in New York.
Bye for now and I'll see you all in my blog. /Mirka