datamusicata

The other day, Andrew Lael sent me a wonderful comment referencing the employing of producers or whatever masters you need to help you focus on what you do best and it got me to thinking about the great recordings that I love and how they came to be.

People have been talking about the Beatles for forty four years, about their song writing, singing and how they changed the face of the recording industry.   Let's look at the first aspect of that--their songwriting.    Now it's true that both McCartney and Lennon have written some great songs on their own, but initially they wrote together or one or the other came in later with the middle eight or whatever.    The point is, that each of the composers had the other to bounce things off of.   And even when they were no longer writing together, they still felt the presence of approval or disapproval of the other.    Their initiatl collaboration resonated long after they stopped collaborating.   So in a fashion their collaboration still existed, albeit in a passive state.

We all need a sounding board.  Someone to bounce things off of.   When they come reflected back from someone, we can hear them a little differently, see them a little differently and then make a more informed creative choice…even if it is to stay with your initial vision.

Look at their recordings.    They were initially not involved at all in the producing end of it.  They would go in and lay down their parts and leave it go George Martin and his engineers to take care of that end of it.    Slowly but surely they became more and more involved, but they always had a producer.   Someone who hadn't written the songs and wasn't attached to them thru their egos.

What made the Beatles so great, in my estimation, was their amazing songwriting talents coupled with a team of people that were all working towards the same goal.    

They had a producer who simply tried to serve their artistic vision.  Whatever they wanted to do or record, he would try to make it accessible to them and to the listening audience.

They had a string of engineers who all became successful and famous as producer engineers in their own right, Geoff Emerick being the most successful.

They had a manager who was devoted to them and the goal of bringing them to the world.    So you see, it wasn't just that they were lucky or talented.   They also had a team of very capable people to help them.

One of my favorite recordings of all times is Kind of Blue by Miles Davis.   I remember hearing that recording when I was 16 and thinking that I would never be that great a player.    That it was simply beyond my gifts.    The band that Miles put together for that recording were some of the best players alive.    All young, all gifted, all genius in my opinion.    How could I ever compare to that?  

Years later, I read an article about Teo Macero, who was the producer of that recording, and he talked about the recording.   Remembering the band coming in and them recording for three or four days and him just keeping the tape rolling and then recording everything.     He then edited all those hours down to that incomparably brilliant forty minutes.

It was an epiphany for me.   He recorded a bunch of stuff and they took the best.   Wow.   I had never even tried that.  Maybe if I recorded for three days, I might come up with something that was better than anything I had ever done.  It gave me hope that I could actually do something great.    I need a team.  We all need help.   No one is a complete great thing on their own.   and music is community stuff.  you need a community to hear it, to share it, to react to it.   It's social stuff.

And this is not to denigrate in any way the incredible artistry of Miles, but not only did the great Miles Davis not do it alone, he had an editor.    He had a team that all helped him achieve that level.    Teo Macero, producing, Miles and Bill Evans writing great tunes; the band, Miles Davis (trumpet); Julian "Cannonball" Adderley (alto saxophone); John Coltrane (tenor saxophone); Bill Evans, Wynton Kelly (piano); Paul Chambers (bass); Jimmy Cobb (drums).

From the editors at http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/music/Kind-Of-Blue:  "There aren't enough positive adjectives to describe the pure jazz genius of this album.  Miles Davis' Kind of Blue ranks among the best jazz albums of all-time, and for good reason. Recorded in New York City in 1959, this album's extraordinary line-up includes Julian "Cannonball" Adderley on alto saxophone, John Coltrane (another jazz giant - check out A Love Supreme) on tenor saxophone and Bill Evans on piano. Daring tracks like "So What," "Freddie Freeloader" and "Flamenco Sketches," make this an absolutely indispensable record for jazz fans."

The point that I'm trying to make is that you not only don't need to wear every hat and do everything yourself to create greatness, but you should, in fact, invite the best people you know to get involved.   The whole is truly greater than the sum of it's parts.    Provided you have also nutured your own creative vision.   No matter what great folks you work with, you have to also bring something valuable to the party.  Work on your own artistry and try to connect with and work with other people who can help you raise the bar on your own capabilities.