 | Dearest Friends, Colleagues, Fans and Fam, I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy during this era of insanity. Just
wanted to send a quick update on what’s been happening over here at my
studio, House of Cha Cha, for the past couple few years. (Wow, it’s been
soooo long since I’ve sent out a newsletter. I promise they'll be
shorter in the future.) First, Master Classes Please join me this Sunday, Sept. 19 at 1 pm EDT for a live online Master Class, “Producing and Mixing Your Own Music,” via JazzHeaven.com. | I’ll
be teaching everything you need to know to make a record from beginning
to end, DIY-style. This DAW-agnostic class will focus on mixing an
acoustic jazz record. You can register here.
JazzHeaven.com is a subscription service, but offers a free three-day
trial. Afterwards, the archived class will be available via subscription
or purchase and I'll be following up with more in-depth classes in the
near future. | Along these same lines, I was honored to publish a Downbeat Magazine Woodshed Master Class article entitled “Expanding Musical Storytelling Through Modern Production Methods,” this past June. The piece details how I approach producing and mixing records to enhance the sonic narrative of songs. Check it out here. | And of course, I’ve been working on a ton of records lately! Most recently, I’ve been producing and mixing for Amon Drum’s collective Analog Players Society. In 2020, we released two instrumental records based on a single three-hour session with Donny McCaslin, Orrin Evans, Dezron Douglas and Eric McPherson: Soundtrack For a Nonexistent Film, a chopped-up hip-hip record, and Tilted, three stellar uninterrupted performances by the band. | Then legendary Brooklyn MC Masta Ace took “Starry Night” from Soundtrack and transformed it into “Home in America,”
using lyrical mastery to lay down some searching and scathing social
commentary. The track dropped digitally on June 18th and an Olise Forel video and a vinyl 7" are forthcoming. (Thanks to Ropeadope Records for releasing all this music.) | “Home in America” was also used to great effect in the final episode of Erika Alexander’s excellent podcast Reparations: The Big Payback. It's a series well-worth your time. | Other incredible artists whose music I’ve been fortunate to produce and/or mix recently include: Queen Esther, Shine and the Moonbeams (funkiest kids record EVER), Donny McCaslin, Dezron Douglas, Lower Power, Stripmall Ballads (winner of a 2021 WAMMIE), Dred Scott, Jon Irabagon, Walking Distance ft. Jason Moran, Caleb Wheeler Curtis, Rachel Eckroth, Jon Dryden’s Drifter, and more! Visit my Recent Releases page for all the streaming links and info. | I also have quite a few records in the can or in production including James Maddock’s new record Little Bird in the Neighborhood (I play the bass parts), and new records/singles with Steve Conte, Theo Bleckmann, Kenny Pexton, and JD Walter, among others. Please visit my mostly-up-to-date website, benrubin.com, to hear some music, check out my interviews, view my film reel, videos, and more. Here's a Spotify playlist of my work. | Now Let's Get to Work! I would love to make some music with you. So please reach out about producing, mixing, bass playing, mix consultations, or lessons so we can get started! More importantly, I’d really love to know what you’re up to. This pandemic is pretty isolating. Let’s reconnect! | Finally, before I let you go, I must shout out my partner Jessica DuLong on the publication of the paperback edition of Saved at the Seawall, her chronicle of the epic waterborne evacuation of ~500,000 people from Manhattan on Sept. 11. Spike Lee used Saved as a source for Chapter 6 of his HBO documentary essay NYC Epicenters,
and Jessica appears in the film as well. The book is a riveting example
of pointillist narrative non-fiction that will have you turning pages
and missing your subway stop (if you’re back to that these days). | Thanks for reading this far down, and be safe out there! All the best, Ben |
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