New Recording: Solomon Hoffman - Esa Einai

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Solomon Hoffman is a brilliant musician, composer, arranger, artistic director, {insert literally any music-related activity here) who I have had the pleasure of working with for several years now.

In April, Solomon sent me a guide track of just vocals, piano, and guitar so I could record some percussion. To hear his vision fully realized yesterday for the first time -- now with SIXTY outstanding musicians -- was an incredible experience. My mind was blown. I am proud be one of the musicians on this track and proud to be his friend.

Percussion-wise, I played some cajon, concert bass drum, cymbal, and shaker for this one. I tracked each instrument separately and recorded them all from my apartment. If you like what you hear and are in need of some percussion tracks for your recording project, please be in touch.

In The Studio: Trumpet Wom'

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This weekend I traveled down to Philadelphia’s Milkboy to record drums for Trumpet Wom’s (née, Trumpet Grrrl) next album.

In a rare occurrence for me, it was just drums being tracked. That offered me the freedom to start, stop, and record as I like. In some ways, it was difficult to not record with others (though I was playing over pre-recorded scratch tracks), but overall it was a more relaxing recording experience, especially since I was feeling adequately prepared despite having no prior rehearsals.

I pieced together a kit from Milkboy’s in-house gear. I used a Gretsch BD and rack, a Ludwig floor tom that our engineer Mike swore by, and a maple Pearl snare. Cymbals were a mix of brands, and they all sounded great! It was truly liberating to travel with just a backpack after hauling a giant suitcase across the country for six weeks with Grinch.

Stay tuned for this album in the coming months!

Selena @ Barbes

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I am still radiating joy from the all-Selena show I played at Barbes over the weekend. This gig had been in the books for quite sometime. With only a few rehearsals, I was pretty nervous about it to tell you the truth!

I’ve played a lot of Latin styles in my career, but never cumbia, the folk music of Colombia, which is the basis for many of the grooves in Selena’s repertoire. After understanding the fundamentals of the style, I had to figure out how to adapt it to the drum set and share duties with only one other percussionist, who I only had one rehearsal with. Thankfully Brian Adler is a true pro and with his guidance, we were easily able to divvy up responsibilities.

On the day of the show, I finalized what my setup would be: after toying with it on the left, I mounted a cowbell on the right side of the kit, used mostly my left hand to cover maracones with the hi-hat, and left the snares off to play some timbale-like fills. Brian covered congas, bongos, and a ton of fun “toys."

I am happy with the way it turned out and thought I would share the entire recording. Here’s the personnel and setlist:

La carcacha—>
Techno cumbia
No me queda más
Si una vez
Como la flor
I could fall in love
Dreaming of you
Baila está cumbia—>
Amor prohibido
Tu solo tu
El chico del apartamento 512—>
Bidi Bidi bom bom
E: La carcacha —>Techno cumbia

Jenny Luna: vocals
Barrie Lobo McLain: backup vocals
Sky Steele: synths, violin, backup vocals
Joshua Camp: accordion, keys
Michael Winograd: clarinet, saxophone
Ilusha Tsinadze: guitar
Mike Lavalle: bass
Ashley Baier: drums
Brian Adler: percussion

Out Now: Sing Shalom

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The album I recorded for Music Together’s Sing Shalom program is out and being used in Fall classes as we speak. I tracked the drums live with piano, guitar, and upright bass so it’s fun hearing other elements of the songs for the first time, especially the lyrics. My favorite jam is “Sweet,” a jazzy tune about Rosh Hashanah. The album begins with a doumbek solo, too! To learn more about Sing Shalom, click here.

In The Studio: Sing Shalom

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I had a nice time tracking at MONOlisa Studios, recording music for Music Together’s Sing Shalom classes with my dear friend Solomon Hoffman (artistic director of the Songwriter’s Orchestra.) We recorded about 8 tunes Saturday and are doing a few more tonight. In addition to drum set, I played some dumbek, which I don’t believe I’ve ever played on a recording! Pictured above is the house kit, which is a 70s Ludwig kit with Slingerland snare. The studio had great vibes! Thanks for having us, Denise.