Son of August #5 on College Music Journal
Jazz Radio Charts in North America!
Review:
Peter Scherr is an American jazz bassist who resides in Hong Kong and spends his time trying to foster creative music within China. A few years ago, he got the urge to fulfill a longtime goal of making music with saxophonist Michael Blake, and he wanted to make sure it was going to be done right. So, he headed over halfway around the globe to NYC where the studio Brooklyn Recording is located and pulled together some of his favorite musicians for the session. That meant his brother Tony Scherr on guitar (and a second bass for one track), Mike Sarin on drums and Brad Shepik on a second guitar. Scherr likes Blake for his soulful, gruff but warm tenor sound, and made the music fit perfectly around it; listen to the slow blues rock of "August" for a good place to find just how well the music meshes with the man. Though Scherr set out to do an album that walks the line between jazz and rock, the two-guitar lineup and the forceful playing of Sarin put this more over on the rock side. That's okay, as it still rocks with some swing, mainly due to the boppish, rhythmically precise playing of Scherr himself. Shepik sounds as loose and relaxed as I've ever heard him; his solo on the funky "Son Of August" is righteously bluesy with a bit of an edge. "Lucky 13" is an exception in that it is pretty much straight-up jazz and the group plays with a laid back but steady stride. Son Of August, out on Scherr's own 1 Hour Music label, is heady---and head-nodding---fusion that was well worth the thirty-six hour flight Peter Scherr endured in order to make this record a reality.
-Something Else Reviews, S. Victor Aaron
About the Son of August project:
Michael Blake, saxophones; Brad Shepik, guitar; Tony Scherr, guitar, bass guitar; Mike Sarin, drums; Peter Scherr, bass, leader
The idea for this album was simple: I wanted to make music with a saxophones whom I have dreamed about playing with for years: Michael Blake. Michael has this soulful, bluesy feeling that puts me in a certain kind of mood. It’s present in everything that he plays, no matter how abstract. And he’s one of a very few horn players that I know who has an instantly recognizable sound. I first heard Michael in Slow Poke in the late 90’s, and was hooked. Though I felt a deep affinity for his thing, I could not imagine that I would have a chance to make music with him.
Michael Blake and Mike Sarin. In Brooklyn. It's a colorful place, with colorful characters.
Michael played with Lounge Lizards in the early 90’s. This version of the group was a breeding ground for many great NY bands, with drummer Calvin Weston (Ornette Coleman’s Prime Time!), guitarist Dave Tronzo (Slow Poke), percussionist Billy Martin (Martin Medeski and Wood), Stephen Bernstein on trumpet and my brother Tony Scherr on bass. (Sex Mob) Michael Blake has continued to grow over the last twenty years, and he’s become a NY favorite.
…Originally we were going to do a tour of China in the summer of 2008, but the 2008 Olympics in Beijing complicated arrangements surrounding this trip to the point where I felt it best to cancel. I put the record date together because I still needed to make music with Mr. Blake, and the easy thing seemed to be to go to New York, where MB and all those great musicians lived, and do it there.
…I wrote most of the music in the scorching month of August 08, hence all of the songs with August in the title. There were a lot of sweaty palms at the piano. I wanted the music to rock, and to stink of jazz. So I chose players that I loved, and whom I knew would be sympathetic to the material.
I wanted to have my brother Tony on electric guitar. He is my favorite electric guitarist. Of course I am prejudiced, but I feel that he is one of the most interesting slide guitarists on the planet. Of course you need all the great ones. But Tony is right up there. I wanted Mike Sarin on drums. I had played with him once before in NY with my band Headache, and I knew that he would make the most out of material that straddled jazz and rock, placing his very rhythmic feet firmly in both styles. And I needed another voice as well. I wanted someone who would provide contrast to Tony's beautifully ham-fisted approach with one of literacy, sophistication and urgency. Brad Shepik. Perfect. I'd wanted to jam with him for years as well.
Mr. Brad Shepik. Handsome as the day is long... Brother Tony reaching for something.
And the choice of studio was clear: Brooklyn Recording. Andrew Taub gets righteous tones, and his staff is very accommodating. They know how to host a creative music session -or any kind of session, for that matter. They’ve done a lot of historic stuff there: Yo La Tengo, Death Cab for Cutie, Norah Jones, Rufus Wainwright, etc. Plus it's just down the street from Tony's house. Andrew Taub, long may you prosper.
Andrew Taub expertly placing a C12a. He does look prosperous, come to think of it.
Last time I recorded in Brooklyn, I did the session within 36 hours of flying in from Hong Kong. We had a marathon day, and though we got some exciting music down, I have hardly ever felt more disembodied. So I decided to spend a few days in the states, getting my feet on the ground before the sessions. Good idea. It turned out that I would need all the energy that I could muster.
We had a day of rehearsals to make sense of about a dozen new tunes. We did it over at Michael Blake's place in Carroll Gardens. Everybody helped me out, giving shape to my new music. I made some notes, and that evening, I modified several of the tunes so that they would play better. I can't over stress how much Mike Sarin's ideas for grooves and group feeling helped to shape this record.
We got to the studio on Sept 4, 2008, and after a bit of confusion, loaded in and set up. It took us quite a while to get rolling. I must admit that I was feeling a bit nervous about the whole thing, and I don’t think Tony was feeling very good either.
It was one of those laborious days. However, we were getting some vibes down. It just went a little slower than usual. We worked hard, sweated it out, and drank huge quantities of water and coffee. The guys were extremely patient and helpful –and they played their asses off.
Andy and I went to Astoria afterwards and had a killer Sichuan meal, which definitely helped to take the edge off.
The next day seemed to go a lot smoother. It seemed like we were finding the nature of the songs a bit faster, and were getting better results with fewer takes. We wrapped about 6 pm, because all the young fathers in the band had to go home to their kids.
And then I went back home to Hong Kong, and got busy. So busy that I didn't even get a chance to properly review the material that we did until September 09. And I finally got into the mix in October and November. By this time, I had acquired a lot of new and interesting outboard gear for the studio, and it came in very handy on this session. I was looking for a thick, aggressive, colored sound on the rock material, and I wanted to tart up the jazzier stuff as well. I had a lot of fun with it, and since it's my record, I felt I had license to take the sounds as far as I wanted. A lot of people are cautious about changing the tones on their jazz records, and I respect that. But I love a record that has a rich texture. Hair.
Finally at the end of November 2009 it was done, and I had it mastered by Scott Hull at 24/88.2, the original sampling rate.
I think that the record came out great, and the other guys on the project dig it too: It’s steamy, bluesy, sexy, and rocking, and it stinks of the original jazz cradle... I hope that you pick it up. And find your own adjectives.
Kind Mind by Masako Hamamura
Masako Hamamura’s 1Hr Music debut.The gorgeous Kind Mind, featuring her compositions, pianism and vocals, supported by Edward Perraud on drums and myself on Bass. Spacious, elegant music. Also very compelling sonically. Recorded at high resolution, there is a relaxed detail in the sound that is breathtaking.
Review:
"...Throughout this disc, Hammamura delivers a remarkably restrained performance, but it's also remarkably attuned to her instrument. Her sidemen are clearly on the same wavelength... This disk has remarkable trio interplay, and everyone seems attuned to each other. Incidentally this is a beautiful sound recording where every little pluck and scrape is evident and one gets a total picture of the music..."
- Robert Ianappollo, Cadence Magazine
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