Recording - October 2011 - 14

Jeremy Cohen: All of these decisions were made by me, but always with the input and advice of my colleagues and peers, who in fact have more depth of knowledge in their specific fields than I do. I do tend to trust my instincts, but always remain open to the suggestions of peers. I consider every one of these decisions critical, and each decision will impact the quality of the entire project: After the creation of the music, and rehearsals to get it in shape for recording, the decision to use a certain space, to working closely with the engineer in achieving an optimum sound, all the way through editing, mixing and mastering. Creation of the data (tech data as well as track notes and credits) for the disc, choosing the art, graphic design, printing and packaging...they all represent the art and artist, and consequentially need as much attention as the creation of the music itself. I’m sure that’s why our CDs have met with the critical success they have, attention to all of the details so that you can listen to the final product, hold the artwork in your hand, and feel as though there is an artistic connection between all aspects of production. Your recorded repertoire includes such divergent styles as Tango, Jazz à la Dave Brubeck (an entire CD of transcriptions/arrangements) and Chick Corea (“Spain”), Blues, and more. While in the studio, what adjustments do you make to capture the sounds of these various non-classical styles at their best? Some of these songs call for different recording techniques. We use multiple mics in several locations in order to achieve these sounds. For example, “Bluette” on our Brubeck CD calls for more “air” in the sound, and we prefer to mix this song with a more homogenized and distant sound. This was best achieved by using microphones that were 10–12 feet away from the center of the group. At Skywalker, with that distance between
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the group and the microphones, we can naturally combine the resonant sound of the room along with a well-blended quartet sound, as if the listener was standing a few feet from the performers. Other pieces, such as “Pick Up The Pieces” and “Crowdambo”, relied on combining the close mics (2–3 ft. from the surface of each instrument) with the midrange mics, so that we could get a more “in your face” present and grittier sound appropriate to these pieces. It’s a balancing act, but the mics really do become players on the CD, and our engineers (Leslie Ann Jones and Judy Kirschner) as well as our mic placement and music editing guru (Andre Zweers) have all made significant and fantastic contributions to all of the QSF CDs. They were a critical part of our process and we are deeply grateful to all of them. You also run a company with a website called www.violinjazz.com that sells books and sheet music, CDs and DVDs, and produces educational videos. Your bio lists your musical studies—what other educational paths led you to be successful in these diverse fields? Two years in New York (studying violin with Itzhak Perlman), and six years in Los Angeles, gave me a broad and

own concept of becoming a business person and bandleader (and eventually a composer and arranger) had me keenly observing the people in charge of these various areas I was working in. From composers to producers, engineers and editors, from film and television to CDs and commercials, there were common themes I could see developing between the more and less successful people in these roles. I have easily learned as much from my own and others’ mistakes as I have from the successes. I have kept an open ear and eye and continue to learn on a daily basis. This business moves fast; new tech developments as well as marketing strategies are coming into view almost daily if you keep an eye out for them. How do you manage your time and energy between being the practicing and performing musician, and being the band leader and running your commercial company? Well, that’s a good question. I am usually working on the thing that is knocking on my door for the most attention at any given time. I spend a certain amount of hours on a regular basis in matters of administration because there is always plenty to do, but when the violinist in

Alisha Rose (violin) and Keith Lawrence (viola) at Skywalker Sound. Neumann mics include KM 1184 and KM 184 D above, TLM 103 D and M 147 down low. Photos: www.ChrisHansen.com
diverse education in the music business. My nine years as a Jazz and Tango violin instructor as well as the String co-ordinator at the Henry Mancini Institute in Los Angeles offered me a brilliant and unparalleled view into the music business. Not only was I navigating as a musician and teacher in multiple work situations, but developing my me has a performance coming up, practice and preparation have a tendency to overtake the administration side. This is the tricky part, because it takes investment of both time and money to carry these business matters forward. It seems as if I am doing about three to four full time jobs. But I think that is the way it goes these days, and

http://www.violinjazz.com http://www.ChrisHansen.com

Recording - October 2011

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