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The post October 2024 News from House of Cha Cha first appeared on Ben Rubin.

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The post March 2024 News from House of Cha Cha first appeared on Ben Rubin.

It’s largely about genre-mashing, one of my favorite record-making techniques. I discuss a bunch of records I’ve worked on and also interviewed several folks whose work I admire. Shout outs to Ray Angry, Kris Davis, Arun Luthra, Dayna Stephens, Matana Roberts and Caleb Wheeler Curtis for their contributions.

The post My Feb 2024 Downbeat Magazine Production “Master Class” first appeared on Ben Rubin.

So honored to be among legends as a Recording Studio Rockstar!!! Please check out this podcast I cut last November with my man Lij Shaw. We had a great conversation that lasted well over two hours. Everything you ever wanted to know about me and more! Check the whole thing out here:

The post I’m on the Recording Studio Rockstars Podcast! first appeared on Ben Rubin.

New releases:

Paraphrase, the new duo record from pianist Nicki Adams and tenor saxophonist Michael Eaton via Steeplechase records. Stream it here.

Substrate, the new duo record from my compadre alto saxophonist Caleb Wheeler Curtis and pianist Laurent Nicoud is a real nice one that I mixed and mastered. Stream it here.

Also check out “Mon Cheri,” the new single from Juilet Varnedoe. It’s a great mix of genres and features Clark Gayton on brass, Jon Dryden on accordion and Konrad Meissner on drums. I play the bass as well and produced and mixed it. Buy it from BandCamp here. Stream it here.

Finally is the live single “January” from my man Paul Josephs. This is a great performance of a great song which I mastered (with a great deal of re-balancing.) Stream it here.

The post First Master Class video out, plus new releases first appeared on Ben Rubin.

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The post Mid-Winter 2022 Newsletter: new Masta Ace video, new Master Class and more first appeared on Ben Rubin.

Among my year’s highlights (in chronological-ish order):

1 – My man Stripmall Ballads won a 2021 WAMMIE Award for his awesome record “Distant” (mixed by me)

2 – Had some fantastic winter and spring producing and/or mixing releases from Dezron Douglas (mix), Caleb Wheeler Curtis (prod/mix), Queen Esther (prod/mix) and Nicki & Patrick Adams (mix), to name a few

3 – Was featured with my Analog Players Society cohort Amon Drum in Jazziz Magazine’s “When Jazz met Hip-Hop” issue

4 – Published a Downbeat Magazine Master Class article entitled “Expanding Musical Storytelling via Modern Production Methods”

5 – Released the single “Home in America” featuring hip-hop legend Masta Ace and Analog Players Society (Donny McCaslin, Orrin Evans, Dezron Douglas, Eric McPherson) on Ropeadope Records

6 – “Home in America” was featured in the final episode of Erika Alexander’s excellent podcast “Reparations: The Big Payback”

7 – Had some wonderful summer and fall producing and/or mixing or bass playing releases from James Maddock (upright bass), Shine and the Moonbeams (prod/mix), Jon Irabagon (mix) and Jon Dryden’s band Drifter (mix), to name a few.

8 – Did my first livestreamed Master Class on “Producing and Mixing you own Music,” hosted by JazzHeaven.com

9 – Earned a Grammy Nomination for co-producing and mixing Shine and the Moonbeams’ track “I Believe,” which appeared on the 1Tribe Collective’s record “All One Tribe”

Thanks for reading all the way down and hoping that 2022 is anywhere near as good. Maybe I’ll be working with YOU!

The post House of Cha Cha 2021 Year-in-Review first appeared on Ben Rubin.

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The post Dec 2021 Newsletter: a Grammy nomination and more! first appeared on Ben Rubin.

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The post Mid-Sept 2021 Newsletter: Masta Ace, Master Classes and More! first appeared on Ben Rubin.

JazzHeaven.com is a subscription service, but offers a free three-day trial. You can register here. (Single tickets avail on Sept 17.) After Sunday, the archived class will become available via subscription or purchase.

The post Making a Record Master Class Sunday Sept 19 first appeared on Ben Rubin.

The post Late summer release: Shine and the Moonbeams – I Am first appeared on Ben Rubin.

Billboard Magazine called the track “Thought-provoking Juneteenth rumination over a funky, slow-grinding sound that brings to mind the Soulquarians,” while naming it one of “10 Cool New Pop Songs to Get You Through the Week.”

The song has also landed on a lot of playlists including the cover of Tidal’s Grown Rap, The Woodie Guthrie Center’s Songs of Conscience, the Grammy Museum’s Songs of Conscience, Americana Highways and more on Spotify, Quboz, Pandora and more. Also getting airplay on KCRW and many other stations.

Check out the track below and buy it from Bandcamp.

The post “Home in America,” the new single from Analog Players Society and Masta Ace is here!!! first appeared on Ben Rubin.

The post “Home in America” lands on Billboard Magazine’s “10 Cool New Pop Songs” first appeared on Ben Rubin.

Next are the latest two singles from maestro Jon Dryden’s Drifter. “Souvenir” is an adaptation of an Edna St. Vincent Millay poem, beautifully sung by Ren Geisick and featuring Will Graefe on guitar, Aron Caceres on bass and Josh Bailey on drums. “A Fistful of Blood” evokes Sergio Leone films and the noir films of the American West. This one features Daniella Crook on vocals, Will and Aron again, and the great Dan Rieser on drums (also making his engineering debut.) Lose you yourself in the noir, martini-drenched sounds of Drifter. I was the mixer here. Go buy them both from Bandcamp.

Next is first track for the kids funk/soul band Shine & the Moonbeams new record, I Am, which I am currently mixing and should be out by fall 2021. The song is called “I Believe” and it appears on the compilation All One Tribe. Available now at all of the streaming services. Be warned, it’s crazy funky.

Finally we have, “Footprints” by singer/songwriter Harper Cole, released last week by my favorite Ropeadope Records. Buy it at Bandcamp.

The post Early Summer new releases from House of Cha Cha: Jon Irabagon, Drifter, Shine & the Moonbeams, Harper Cole first appeared on Ben Rubin.

The post Masta Ace, Ben and Amon Drum on Ropeadope TV’s Juneteenth Episode first appeared on Ben Rubin.

The post Get a sneak peak of “Home in America” on the podcast “Reparations: the Big Payback” first appeared on Ben Rubin.

The post Me and Amon Drum of Analog Players Society on the Songfacts.com podcast first appeared on Ben Rubin.

Boom!

The post Great review of “Home in America” on Bklyner.com first appeared on Ben Rubin.

The post Me and Amon Drum on the Mythaxis podcast first appeared on Ben Rubin.

The post DONNY MCCASLIN – “Reckoning” music video first appeared on Ben Rubin.

I cover a whole bunch of my clients including: Analog Players Society x Masta Ace (ft. Donny McCaslin, Orrin Evans, Dezron Douglas and Eric McPherson), Walking Distance ft. Jason Moran, Erik Deutsch & Theo Bleckmann, Jon Irabagon, Dezron Douglas solo, Nicki & Patrick Adams, and more.

The post My June 2021 Downbeat Magazine Production “Master Class” first appeared on Ben Rubin.

The post Spring 2021 Jazziz Magazine article on me and Amon Drum and Analog Players Society first appeared on Ben Rubin.

The post STRIPMALL BALLADS Wins a WAMMIE!!! first appeared on Ben Rubin.

The post My interview with PostGenre.org first appeared on Ben Rubin.

Donny says: “Reckoning is just that… it’s well past time for us, as a nation, to reckon with the past and how it has and continues to manifest in today’s reality of social and racial inequality. It runs deep and we all have to be accountable to make real change and that includes me as I come to terms with my own white privilege.

“I worked on this piece with producer, (re-)mixer, bassist and composer Ben Rubin. Ben used news coverage samples of recent protests at start and end along with a DJ Premier-inspired boom-bap beat to set the song’s focus.”

Stream it from your preferred service here or just play in from the playlist at the bottom.

Check out the video here:

The post “Reckoning” by DONNY MCCASLIN and ME is out today! first appeared on Ben Rubin.

First up is Lower Power‘s One Planet at Time. This is some political hard rock for hard times. Excellent, excellent singing and songwriting from Pat Daugherty. Full disclosure: not only did I co-produce and mix this record, I played the bass as well. In fact, we recorded this entire record in four hours without using any headphones.

Watch the video for “All About Me” here.     Listen here: Bandcamp Spotify Tidal     Apple Music Amazon Music

Next up is the new Stripmall Ballads record Distant. Now Phillips Saylor Wisor is one of my favorite songwriters ever. We’ve worked together on records and gigs for a long time and this one does not disappoint.  If this record doesn’t make you feel something deep, then you are doing it wrong!

Listen here: Artist Website CDBaby Spotify Tidal Apple Music Amazon Music

The post LOWER POWER and STRIPMALL BALLADS: New 2/20 releases from House of Cha Cha first appeared on Ben Rubin.

Hopefully a future album release will occur.

CHECK OUT BUZZED ARMSTRONG HERE

The post Buzzed Armstrong’s “Live from Spaceship Earth” debuts May 16 first appeared on Ben Rubin.

The post RACHEL ECKROTH – “5” first appeared on Ben Rubin.

The post LOWER POWER – “4 Leaf Clover” music video first appeared on Ben Rubin.

produced/mixed/bass by me. trumpet and keys by josh lawrence. drums by anwar marshall.

The post BUZZED ARMSTRONG – “Live From Spaceship Earth” trailer first appeared on Ben Rubin.