Weak In The Presence Of Beauty

Album tracks:

» What a wonderful world
» Hit the road jack
» Mona Lisa
» Sajira
» Hush
» Weak in the presence of beauty
» When Sunny gets blue
» I do it for your love

This album paired me up again with Mike Abene, who is the consummate NY jazz cat, and at the time was producing most of the hit sessions for GRP. Working with Mike and Josiah got me started on good tube mikes, vintage Neve boards, and all the elements required to produce a great record. We recorded all around NYC, at great studios, with great musicians, and great dim sum.

This was a more smooth, produced, glossy pop jazz album, and I was starting to get a sense of what a good Selmer can do for my sound, playing a later issue Mark VI I picked up from Brandon Fields.

"Sajira" was named after a sweet little girl from an island called Koh Samui. I was traveling through Thailand right before recording this album, relaxing and getting my head together for another promo tour. Sajira was the daughter of the owner of the place we were staying, and served up a wicked banana pancake. On our last day, she insisted on picking up our tickets herself, allowing Rick and I to relax a few extra hours before our flight. When we were packed and ready to leave, there was no sign of Sajira. Her dad was looking pretty grim, and it turned out that she had broken her arm while riding a scooter into town. We felt terrible. He wouldn't accept our help, and ushered us to the airport in silence. When I got back from NY, I sent a CD to Sajira, with a get well card, and said this song was just for her to remember us by. Seven years later, I got to see her again when a Thai newspaper printed a front page story, "The Search for Sajira" during my tour there. They helped set up a surprise rendezvous where they flew Sajira to Taiwan to appear on a Taiwan show called Super Sunday that found people from your past. During my concert in Thailand, I didn't know it, but they arranged for her to sit in the front row.

"I Do It For Your Love" is a dreamy re-rendition of the original Paul Simon tune. Bill Evans covered this tune on his "Affinity" album with Toots Thielemans, and it has always haunted me. Like I said, I love ballads.

Credits:

Vocals - Group 5 (1, 3), Victoria Tan (5)
Arrangement/Keyboards - Mark Falchook (1, 2, 3, 6), Michael Abene (1, 3, 6), Neil Boisen (4), Bill Lorentzen (5), Mel Nelson (5), Rick Smith (7)
Guitars - Roberto Zayas (4), Bill Lorentzen (5), Rick Smith (7, 8)
Bass - Lincoln Goines (1, 3, 4), Mark Egan (7, 8)
Percussion - Jim Saporito (1, 3, 4, 7, 8)
Drums - Dave Ratajczak (1, 3)
Producers - Corbett Wall / Michael Abene / Neil Boisen
Recorded by - Josiah Gluck at Sear Sound / Unique Studios / Battery Sound, NYC (1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8), Bertie Foo at Plus Studios (7, 8) / E.F. Yung at Platinum Studios, Taipei (4), Bill Lorentzen at Recordarama Studios, Hollywood, CA (5)
Mixed by - Josiah Gluck at Unique Studios, NYC (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8), Steven Sharp at Juniper Studios, Burbank, CA (5)
Mastered by - Ted Jensen, Sterling Sound, NYC

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