The basic tracks are in the "can" (though it is not a can anymore, it is just a dedicated hard drive). Now the producing and editing fun begins.
All the tracks on the album were played "live", and were done in just a couple of takes in most cases (some, like "Wes' Coast" were done in one take!) At the same time, the recording studio at Brian's allows us to record each instrument in isolation - we were each in our own room, with visual view of each other and headphones for the sound. This allows each of us to go in and "fix" things, if we choose to, after the basic tracks are done.
Day 3 of the session was set aside for piano fixes. I am very picky about the quality of material that I release, and I want it to sound the very best. This style of recording allows me to go in and redo my solos, if I choose to, to really play the best that I am able. Of course, the "feel" comes first. I am not looking for the "perfect" solo, as much as the best "feel", and so very often the original take is what we ended up staying with. Sometimes, with the pressure of the initial tracks out of the way, I found that my mind and fingers found wonderful new places to go that really added to the songs.
On Day 4 I had Courtney Lemmon come back in to redo her vocals for "Use Me", and I also asked Justo if he would like to come back and play some more. This allowed Justo to play in the "big" room, where he was able to stretch out more, as opposed to the little iso room he was in when we did the initial recording. Justo really had a chance to open up with his tenor - it was great!
We were now nicely along in the project, and it was really starting to sound good! Little did I realize that, after Brian came back from a 3 week road trip in Europe, there would be so much more!
