For my friends, a little music and chat with me on my live stream #4!
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S1E3 broadcast from Singapore on 31MaySUN 9:45am (UTC+8)/30MaySAT 9:45pm Eastern.
Guest today: Dean Parks, session guitarist and record producer (Steely Dan, Madonna, Bacharach, Bublé just to name a few).
Pieces performed today:
Summertime (Gershwin), Izeibil2, Escape
© Shueh-li Ong. Songs available for download at ShuehliOng.Band...
Livestream 2020 © Shueh-li Ong.
2:19 I chat with my viewers and perform some music live.
28:36 I welcome Dean Parks.
31:52 In your various tracking sessions, has there been one that strikes you as memorable positively or negatively? Dean mentions doing acoustic guitar on Stevie Wonder’s “Visions” on album “Innervisions”. Stevie used both takes from steel and nylon string guitars that Dean brought, panned left and right, and how Stevie seemed to like first takes.
He also remarks on why the album might sound like a string of jam sessions by Stevie.
35:03 I ask Dean if his clients leave the “part” to him to play? “As a musician my job is to make that part sound like it was my part,” e.g. like an orchestral musician.
Dean talks about working with different producers for the first time; some like first takes, some require much discussion.
37:28 And clients who want to be involved in every detail? Even with effects? Dean mentions Rock and Roll sessions in the 60s/70s would dictate effects needs.
39:32 The current trend (esp. during the 2020 pandemic) is of sending tracks remotely for overdubbing and the decisions one has to make.
40:30 Does he change his mind midway through a take? He does like sessions where several people; such as a rhythm section, are playing, due to the discussion that goes on and the down time that allows him to consider his part.
43:17 The biggest change in the session biz in this current pandemic is working remotely. Dean talks about the use of audio-sharing apps and hoping to find one with less latency.
A major change in the entire process from 1970 when Dean started working, was that there was no click tracks in rock music, which only began in the 80s along with the creation of loops e.g. the Beegies measured the bass drum and snare, making sure they were edited til perfect.
Another was having racks in the ‘80s to compile the precise “sound” that he wanted.
Stereo headphones was another (mono in the ‘70s).
50:28 I asked about delay settings. Dean imprints his settings in studio recordings (there is tap tempo as well), but in working from home, he uses them “virtually” re: plugins useful when he has to "repair" parts.
53:55 Viewer - Your personal fav collaborative experience? Dean mentioned Tony Peluso, producer/guitarist, and Larry Klein, producer who gave “subtractive direction”. Steely Dan gave “quality control” direction - recordings were all made dry with no eq - though “Josie” had the Roland Jazz chorus pedal.
57:52 Dean’s other instrument is the saxophone, which he played in the jazz band at North Texas U. Dean tells us about moving to LA and ramping his reading skills on the guitar, and about versatility being a good thing to have in the profession, and where he picked it up - playing different tunes in different bands. More anecdotes of his Alto Sax/Clarinet playing!
1:04:08 A valuable skill that you’ve had to acquire? Practising with the metronome and making the beat your friend; “it loosens your playing.”
1:07:05 The biz of being a session musician? Dean mentions how the union was involved in dictating hours, rate etc when he first started in the ‘70s. Busy rhythm players would get double scale etc. These days there are no record labels involved.
LA compared to other scenes re:recording session then? The vibe was upbeat and positive.
1:13:08 Dean reels off a list of musicians who have been inspirational and the era of Cool Jazz in the ‘50s - noting how the intent of Jazz is not to make original material.
And we head towards the end but not before he mentions: playing drums in a band, the role of the bass line, randomly picking radio stations while driving for inspiration, and how Linda Ronstadt started the trend of romancing past music eras in an album w/Nelson Riddle Orchestra (’83,) giving rise to the resurgence of the Great American Songbook etc etc!
Thought for the day from Dean re: how doing covers perhaps allows one to let their genius come through clearly as the listener can identify where the “genius” is. Citing Jacob Collier doing covers as an example.
Composer, producer, theremin-synthesist, sound designer, educator and multimedia nerd, Shueh-li Ong, is an Australian-born Singapore artist, based in America. She accepts commissions to work with groups, venues or on projects of her interest.
International Booking: info@shuehli.com
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