Discussion of The Number White

[TomR]

Hey guys, I don't see where anyone has actually discussed the music on this tape or the sound quality. Everything else seems to be about ship dates. Anyway, this is my own first exposure to Jacqui Naylor, and I just finished listening to it for the first time. She is an impressive singer, and actually, it is a little hard to believe that one is listening to a single singer the first time through - she voices each song differently, and sometimes changes her voice mid song. There is lots to listen to and keep one interested.

The sound quality is interesting - it is not at first as impressive as Waltz for Debby, possibly because I already knew that recording, but it really grows on you, and is non fatiguing in the extreme.

I thought that this might be the tape I listen to the least - but I enjoyed it thoroughly.

[Ben]

Ok, I admit I talk too much about other stuff, but until I get any tapes I can't make a comment. I too would like to know feelings about the tapes received. The tapes are
to be played, not collected is my feeling on the subject.

Footnote:  My tape came in today.- Jan 20 Had to add  $20.25 more for tax.I plan to play it soon, but I need to wait a bit while the tapes thaw out.

[ironbut]

Hey Tom, it's one of my favorites too. I agree with what you said about the different styles she sings in. The band is fantastic too. It takes a little while to dig past Jacqui's wonderful voice but Art's piano work and arrangements are another whole layer to be enjoyed. Do yourself a favor and check her website and go see her when she's playing in the area (she's from the bay area). It's doesn't get a whole lot better than that! Very nice folks ta boot.

[TomR]

Steve, thanks for the pointer - I would love to hear her live. I visited her web site, and looks like she is on the east coast now and headed to Europe for February. Hopefully there will be a time in the not too distant future.

[docb]

Hi Tom,

A lot of the lack of fatigue is due, IMO, to the mics we used. Jacqui sang into a Brauner VMA, the drum overhead was a C24 (sorry to day I don't remember the rest of the drum miking, maybe Earthworks?), the piano had two Neumanns - a U67 and IIRC a KM84, and Romo mic'd pretty much all else with a Royer ribbon. Electric bass was a mix of DI and mic'd speaker.

[TomR]

Thanks, Doc. Very interesting info. Say, do you guys have plans to do more original material for the Tape Project?

[steveidosound]

Was a large part of it done with everyone in the studio playing live at the same time?
Personal opinion here, but it seems as if something magic happens when that is the case as opposed to each part being tracked on it's own.

[ironbut]

Well, if Doc won't do it, I guess I will.
Here's a link to some pictures from his birthday party/recording session. Nice pictures of Paul, Michael, PJ, Eileen and the rest of the Bottlehead family.
http://www.bottlehead.com/et/music/bday.htm
Hey, I never noticed the picture with Mikey in there before.
Mike Paschetto builds some nice stuff BTW. http://www.progressive-engineering.com/turntable_news.htm

[Ben]

Well I bought the Number White since I sorta could see the titles on the back of the cover.  So does live recording raise or decrease the price of tapes? :)
Well this brings back the idea is that great music is from people with talent both
in recording, singing and playing music.

[docb]

I stand corrected it was a U67 and M47 on the piano. Thanks for the link, Steve, I forgot about that page.

To TomR, yes we hope to do one of our own recordings in each series. We have blast doing it, access to the best live room in San Francisco, and a couple of ideas for killer sessions in development.

Steveidosound, yes, some of the tracks, like Here's to Life, are straight takes. At the very least all other tracks were with all four artists playing in the tracking session. Obviously with Art playing three or four instruments in some tracks, those tracks had overdubs. Ditto with Josh on conga and bongos. I completely agree that getting the band to play together, and even better with an audience like was provided at my b'day party, you get the best out of the artists.

To Ben, oh yeah, if we did a session with the intention of only putting it out for TP subscribers the tapes would cost a fortune. Many tracks from The Number White session were also used on The Color Five CD, with different mixes. We recorded on tape and digital at the same time, so The Number White is from the tape and The Color Five CD is from the digitally recorded files.

[High and Outside]

I stand corrected it was a U67 and M47 on the piano. Thanks for the link, Steve, I forgot about that page.

Actually, it was a Neumann U-67 and  a Neumann U-87, both modified by Klaus Heyne.

[docb]

Oh for crying out loud. Now you know why they don't let me set up the mics.