Back in 2006, while I was recording "Front and Center", the whole idea was to basically introduce myself to the listeners. Additionally, I wanted to show my versatility as a musician, which is why there were such a variety of subgenres of jazz that was present. This time around, though it seems versatility may still play a role judging by the tunes I have composed so far, I decided that there are a few things that I want.
First, I want all of the tunes to be original compositions...no standards this time. Second, I don't want to have to resort to using 2 different guys for each position in the rhythm section. Last time around, schedules were so scattered for the guys in my quartet that I could only use one of them (drummer Kyle Struve), and that was for only two or three of the nine tunes on the album. For this project, I really want to use the guys that I play with on a regular basis from my quartet. Especially considering that, by the time we record, we would have performed the tunes in live situations a few times. And third, I want the album to be centered around a concept that everyone can relate to. It's because of this last reason that I have decided to name the album "A Day in the Life of...". I leave a space after the word "of", because I want the listener to fill in the blank with the name of someone they know that the style, personality, and titles of the tunes remind them of.
Each song title on the album will have something to do with everyday life that we all experience, whether it's running around and trying to get everything done, or just the relief you may feel when you realize it's time for lunch. For example, the three tunes that I have composed so far are called "12:00 Strut", "Runnin'", and "Quiet". "Quiet" is interesting because it sounds more like a classical music piece than anything from the jazz idiom. I even had to compose a full score for it, rather than a lead sheet, which is how I usually write the charts for my tunes.
As May 26th (D-Day for the recording) gets ever closer, I'm getting more an more excited. And, for that matter, so are the cats involved! In fact ,the recording engineer for the project (John Zych) and I visited the recital hall of the Staller Center on the campus of Stony Brook University in New York to figure out some of the logistics regarding how we will be setting things up. During that visit, John said that he has been looking forward to this session for months and can't wait to do it. That sure felt good to hear!
by Shenole Latimer
