If there is one thing you can tell from just looking at me, it is that I love good food, but I really didn’t realize how much I love bad food just as equally. In another one of my eventful brainstorming meetings with my boss, and we got onto the subject of how eating really good food all the time can actually deter from the inherent greatness of the good food. For instance, if one were to get up and eat an incredible breakfast of cream poached eggs with prosciutto, fresh spinach, roma tomatoes, and griere; followed by a lunch of lobster knuckle risotto, and finish the day off with dinner including, bacon wrapped filet mignon, Garlic roasted res skin potatoes, fresh veggies, and a pint of St. Bernardus, and if we were to do it every day, the exceptional nature off this immaculate food who seemingly loose it’s effect. My Boss said that he was eating this great dinner the other evening, but remembered that each preceding meal had been equally as good and he actually thought to himself, “I bet this meal would be so much better if I had just had a PBJ for lunch.” Nothing against the PBJ! It’s just to say , think of how that filet would taste if you had a bologna sandwich and cooked spinach for lunch.

I thought about this for second and said, you know this is just like music. I hate most of the music that I hear on the radio these days, for a multitude of reasons that I would need to take a whole year to blog about, but I digress. Ultimately, I actually don’t mind the Miley Cyruses, the John Mayers, and the Yannis as much when taken into consideration how incredible they make Mozart, Duke, Bird, and Maria Schneider’s music sound. In fact, I would say that the record industry and radio rock as a whole actually magnifies and amplifies the beauty and incredible nature of the music that I do like. I never thought I would say it, but I think I’m ok with this.

Last night we finished up the second day of recording in Holland. The first tune we put in the can was a gorgeous jazz waltz written by Lee called “Blue Tuna Boulevard,” which was reminiscent of the Bill Evans trio recordings of the 1960’s tastefully mixed some of some Frisellesque styles and phrasing. The first of the other two tunes was a street beat/funk version of the Charlie Parker classic “Scrapple from the Apple,” and the second, an arrangement of Wayne Shorter’s ”Footprints” with a double-time feel reminiscent of the Scofield Uberjam Band recordings.

We’ve been delighted to be working with engineer, sound guru, and owner of Elm Street Recording in Lansing Michigan, Ryan Wert. Ryan, Lee, and I went to College together and it has been great to catch up and continue working on such a highly professional level. No matter what curve ball we throw at him, he has already taken care of it!

The project has been a great experience for everyone involved and we look forward to mixing it down on Monday July for a hopeful fall release.