There’s another missing element to jazz these days that the pop/rock genre has jazzers beat hands down. That is going into the studio and really crafting a sound. To me the studio is an instrument just like the guitar. I’ve lost that macho image of thinking that everything should be recorded live off the floor. Who cares?!! That’s only something you can brag to others about at parties. I have never bought an album based on this premise...and no one else does either. You would never have bands like the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd...etc. Unfortunately, most jazz guys never put any thought into the actual SOUND of their records...and the records sound like it. They’re dull, lifeless, and boring.
One thing I did before starting the new project was simply ask others what they thought of the last album. The jazz critics thought it wasn’t “jazzy” enough...too easy listening. The pop critics said it was “too jazzy”...others thought it was just plain nerdy...lol. In a way, I take all of those statements as compliments. I did want to make something unique...and I think I was pretty successful in that regard. Unfortunately it was a hard price to pay as it left the album in commercial limbo.
Fortunately there are actually people that did like the album for what it was. I can still put the album on and listen to it with a smile...I was a college music nerd who had just graduated...and the tunes were more about playing around with all these cool modal voicings and fancy shmancy chord progressions. I wanted to impress people with it. Typical college grad mentality I guess.
Being away from the academic life has been a really good thing for me. There comes a point where the appreciation of music can become so academic that that it becomes void of any real emotion. It’s no secret that professional artists don’t know everything...sometimes inspired amateurs know something.
Another reality I was aware of is that the way people listen to music these days has changed dramatically. Most people are passive listeners...they listen to music in the car...or in the morning while they’re getting ready for work...or at work. I say passive as opposed to active listening...where you totally engage with the music and tune out everything else. People are just plain busy these days...and don’t have time during the day to listen to an album all the way through and do nothing else.
With all this in mind, I made some real simple and deliberate decisions with regard to the writing process. Less ballads and more up tempo material. More major key oriented music...and less minor stuff. Bluesy....earthy textures. Punchier...heavier...and shorter songs. I also knew that the overall sound of the record had to be a little more “in your face” so to speak...in order to be something that people would want to play in the car.
