My Downbeat MasterClass on producing live jazz records

February 1, 2015

On the heels of producing and mixing over thirty live records for SmallsLive, the record label of the New York jazz club Smalls, late last year I was asked by the magazine to write a story for their “Recording School” section on how to produce live jazz records. While my approach to producing isn’t much different for studio and live records (though there are some different technical considerations,) I was happy to oblige. The piece ran in their February 2015 issue and they even put my name on the cover! Read on…

On the cover of DownBeat, Feb 2015
  1. Home In America *producer/mixer* *hip-hop* Analog Players Society x Masta Ace 4:23
  2. Reckoning *producer/mixer/engineer* *jazz meets boom bap* Donny McCaslin 3:15
  3. Wicked *performer/co-writer/producer/mixer/engineer* *trip-hop* Mudville 4:27
  4. All That We Are *producer/mixer/performer* *black americana pop* Queen Esther 4:07
  5. Bigment *producer/mixer/engineer* *jazz movie* Walking Distance feat. Jason Moran 4:22
  6. I Believe *co-producer/mixer* *funk/soul* Shine and the Moonbeams 3:12
  7. All About Me *bassist/producer/mixer/engineer* *political rock* Lower Power 2:13
  8. Rock The Block (feat. Ben Rubin) *producer/mixer* *hip-hop* Analog Players Society (feat. Donny McCaslin & Orrin Evans) 2:28
  9. Manifest (Benny Cha Cha Remix) *bolly-hop* Karsh Kale 6:09
  10. Williamsburg Bridge *upright bass* *folk rock* James Maddock 4:14
  11. Ain't No Storm *co-producer/mixer* *avant-vocal-jazz* Caleb Wheeler Curtis ft. Sarah Elizabeth Charles 4:39
  12. Ghost Town *producer/mixer/performer* *space music* Buzzed Armstrong feat. Josh Lawrence & Anwar Marshall 4:19
  13. Simple Ghilnooorty *producer/mixer/performer/engineer* *jazz meets nine inch nails* Walking Distance feat. Jason Moran 3:20
  14. Deja Vu (Benny Cha Cha Remix) *hip-hop* Killah Priest 3:53
  15. We Know *co-producer/mixer* *pop* Shine and the Moonbeams 3:24
  16. Someone Else *performer/producer/mixer/engineer* *trip-hop* Mudville 4:12
  17. The Hero Of The World *performer/co-writer/producer/mixer/engineer* *trip-hop* Mudville 4:29
  18. "Long Distance" - End Credits *composer/producer/performer/mixer* *film score* Ben Rubin feat. Michael Blake 1:19
  19. My Favorite Waste of Time *producer/performer/mixer/engineer* *dance pop* Marshall Crenshaw feat. Keva Hargrove 3:10
  20. Businessman Of The Heart *bassist/producer/mixer/engineer* *political rock* Lower Power 3:07
  21. Today Means More *producer/bassist/mixer/engineer* *country* Stripmall Ballads feat. Jolie Holland & Sam Parton 3:19
  22. "Someone Else" - Opening Titles *composer/performerproducer/engineer/mixer* *film score* Ben Rubin 1:39
  23. Pussy (Benny Cha Cha Remix) *hip-hop* Brazilian Girls 5:41
  24. "7x6x2" - End Credits *composer/producer/perfomer/mixer/engineer* *space western rock film score* Ben Rubin 4:33
  25. Doggie and Cookie *bassist/mixer* *jazz* Dred Scott Trio 6:46
  26. When I'm Writing (Benny Cha Cha Remix) *hip-hop* Killah Priest 4:30
  27. Goodbye Blue Sky (Benny Cha Cha's Hee-House Remix) Luther Wright & The Wrongs 4:03
  28. That Lick I Invented *bassist/co-producer/mixer* *jazz* Dred Scott Trio 6:12