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| THE
NEW AGE OF CHRISTMAS
Danny Gottlieb
& Pete Levin
Atlantic Records 82054-1
Copyright (P)
1989 Atlantic Recording Corporation
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| Traditional holiday music and jazz are seldom welded into an exciting musical
venture, but this set does it beautifully. Adult
Contemporary Jazz settings of 10 holiday favorites, performed by
master drummer Danny Gottlieb with electronic settings by
keyboardist/arranger Pete Levin. |
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Traditional holiday music and jazz are seldom welded into an exciting musical venture. But take an adventurous jazz player - and a drummer at that - with a different vision, and a synthesist with the same sense of adventure and the result is "THE NEW AGE OF CHRISTMAS", a new digital Atlantic album from Pete Levin & Danny Gottlieb.
"I always wanted to do a music project to go with the holiday spirit" says Gottlieb. "I started toying with the idea of a jazz-Christmas album taking some of the best-known carols and combining them with contemporary textures and improvisation. I discussed the idea with Pete Levin, a top New York session keyboardist and my band mate from the Gil Evans Orchestra. He immediately went to work on arrangements and programming. Pete is an absolute wiz with synthesizers."
The album was recorded in New York at Creative Audio's "tapeless" digital facility. All of Pete's electronic gear was brought in and interfaced with the studio's. "Its the largest most complex setup I ever created", says Levin. "The original setup took almost 8 hours." Ultimately 36 tracks of synthesizers were programmed to play "live". At the heart of the system was Voyetra SPIII software in two IBM computers running in tandem - each with its own MIDI network of synthesizers. Each network featured an EMU Emulator III sampler and the new EMU Proteus digital sound module. The drums were then recorded live direct to disc onto 8 tracks of a Synclavier Digital Synthesizer. All 42 tracks and the mix automation were then synchronized using SMPTE time code and mixed down to a second Synclavier D-To-D system. "Without any tape, if you've got a CD you're listening to the first-generation - exactly as we heard it in the control room."
Beyond just doing a holiday project, the goals were technical superiority and artistic freedom. "The combination of synthesizers and acoustic drums resulted in a very special blend of technology and organic feeling," says Gottlieb. "Using Christmas carols as a vehicle for this combination really gave the project a magical quality."
"In the studio its always special when the music is really happening", says Levin. "Usually you're lucky if there's one great song on a project, but here they're all mega-hits. Any one of them has more charisma than most writers capture in a career. Working with a whole collection of them on one project - coupled with the kind of artistic freedom we had - was especially satisfying."
The selections chosen by Danny & Pete include some of the world's favorite Christmas Carols, "JOY TO THE WORLD", "LITTLE DRUMMER BOY" featuring some Gene Krupa-style soloing by Danny, "GOOD KING WENCESLAS", "ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT", "IT CAME UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR", the contemporary classic "SILVER BELLS", a rhythm & bluesy "WE THREE KINGS", "CHRISTMAS BELLS", the traditional French "PAT-A-PAN", and "HE SHALL FEED HIS FLOCK" from the Messiah. Each one is an original statement of one of your favorite songs - never exactly what you're expecting to hear, but always a joyous celebration of the holiday season. |
| TRACKS:
Click the Tree to hear an MP3 sample. |
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2 |
Little
Drummer Boy |
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7 |
We Three
Kings Of Orient Are |
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3 |
Good King
Wenceslas |
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5 |
It Came
Upon A Midnight Clear |
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10 |
He Shall
Feed His Flock |
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| PRODUCTION
CREDITS:
Produced by: PETE LEVIN & DANNY
GOTTLIEB
Mixed by: CYNTHIA DANIELS
Recorded by: JASON BAKER
Recorded at CREATIVE AUDIO, NEW YORK, NY
Mastered by HOWIE WEINBERG at MASTERDISK, NEW YORK, NY
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| PERFORMERS:
Danny Gottlieb - Drums &
Percussion
Pete Levin - Keyboards/arrangements/programming
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REVIEWS:
Jazz fans will appreciate the influence of the legendary Gil Evans on Pete - the emphasis on textures and the unexpected rhythms and harmonies. Pop fans will recognize its musical statement. Its contemporary - you'll hear it on the radio - but doesn't hide behind the boundaries of any one style, and every so often it'll make you sit up and pay attention.
Jazz Scene Magazine
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ARTIST
BIO:
Pete Levin
Keyboardist/composer Pete Levin has been in the New York music scene for more than 30 years, recording and performing with Jazz and Pop artists including Gil Evans, John Scofield, Jaco Pastorius, Lenny White, David Sanborn, Tony Levin, Sting, Jimmy Giuffre, Paul Simon and Annie Lennox. While majoring in French Horn at Juilliard, he started gigging with Jazz and Rock groups around New York on Hammond Organ, eventually working into the recording scene as a multi keyboardist. In 1974 he got a call to play French Horn with the legendary jazz arranger Gil Evans, an association that lasted 15 years. One night, Pete brought a Moog Synthesizer along to an Evans gig. Gil loved it and Pete's role in the band was permanently changed. As Pete's developed his skills with electronic instruments, music production techniques were changing too, and he found himself a sought after "programmer" - an orchestrator who works with computer-controlled synthesizer sounds. The combination of Pete's eclectic music background and electronic skills have landed him on hundreds of recordings and film scores. Pete released 3 solo albums for Gramavision Records: PARTY IN THE BASEMENT, A SOLITARY MAN, and the original release of MASTERS IN THIS HALL, while leading his own band, "Don't Ask", featuring reedman Alex Foster and bassist Jeff Berlin. He is currently keeps a studio in Woodstock, New York, and tours with The Brubeck Brothers Quartet, Trio3 with guitarist Mike DeMicco, and blues singer Roxy Perry.
Danny Gottlieb
For many years one of the best-known drummers in Jazz and Jazz Fusion, Danny has performed with world - acclaimed artists like Sting, Pat Metheny, Gil Evans, John McLaughlin, Stan Getz and Al DeMeola. A past winner of Modern Drummer's readers' poll as best electric jazz drummer, Danny has been featured on the covers of Down Beat and Modern Drummer. Growing up in New Jersey, he studied with the legendary drummers Joe Morello and Mel Lewis. After graduating from the University of Miami, he joined Pat Metheny's original group that featured bassist Mark Egan and keyboardist Lyle Mays. In 1982 Danny and Mark formed their own group, Elements. Today, after 10 albums, Elements continues to record and perform. Also in the 80's, Danny joined the legendary Gil Evans Orchestra where he and Pete Levin first played together. For years they performed at the group's famous Monday-night engagements at Sweet Basil in New York, toured and
performed on live recordings with the band. Danny has recorded two solo albums for Atlantic, AQUAMARINE and WHIRLWIND. Currently he keeps a busy schedule as a studio sideman and drum clinician while touring with Elements and the Blues Brothers.
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