May 20, 2025 • 57 mins
In this episode of Takin’ a Walk, host Buzz Knight strolls through the creative journey of Grammy-nominated vocalist Ryan Shaw and acclaimed pianist/composer Ray Angry (The Roots) as they discuss their electrifying new project, Off Broadway. Listeners get an inside look at how a chance collaboration at New York’s 54 Below sparked the idea for an album that reimagines classic Broadway hits through the lens of R&B, soul, jazz, rock, reggae, house, and even classical music, covering material from over 70 years.
Ryan and Ray share the story behind the album’s genesis: how producer Scott Jacoby, inspired after witnessing their live chemistry, proposed capturing their synergy in the studio, resulting in a whirlwind two-week recording session that brought together top-tier musicians and bold new arrangements. The duo reflects on the creative freedom and mutual respect that fueled the project, revealing how they pushed each other out of their comfort zones to deliver surprising, genre-blurring renditions of Broadway standards like “Gethsemane” and “Send in the Clowns”.
With anecdotes about their favorite tracks, the magic of live improvisation, and the thrill of bringing fresh energy to beloved songs, this episode is a must-listen for music lovers and Broadway fans alike. Tune in for a behind-the-scenes walk, recorded at Scott Jacoby's Eusonia Studio in New York City(and joined by Scott) with two prodigious talents who are redefining what it means to go “Off Broadway”.
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Buzz Knight
Founder Buzz Knight Media Productions
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Taking a Walk.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
I think we, as human beings, we forget that. You know,
you were talking about soul music. Soul music is not
as genre because we are souls. We are spirits living
in this avatar, you know. And I think we sometimes
forget that. Not to get too super spiritual, sometimes we
forget that we're all children of God.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Welcome to the Taking a Walk Podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
We're your host.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Buzz Night talks with musicians about their latest work and
their inspirations. Today, Buzz heads to the bright lights of
Broadway for a slight left turn. He heads to use
Sonia Studios in Manhattan, the home base for producer Extraordinary
Scott Jacoby. Scott has guarded awards from platinum selling albums
(00:45):
and his top the charts throughout the world. John Legend, Coldplay,
Vampire Weekend, and a host of others have partnered with Scott.
Buzz will also delve into a project celebrating some of
Broadway's biggest songs with three time Grammy nominated vocal powerhouse
Ryan Shaw and acclaimed pianist, composer and a ranger Ray Angry,
(01:07):
best known for his work with the Roots. Ryan's voice
has been called so big, so churchy, and unmistakably Southern,
full of fire and conviction and exploding with emotion. By
The Washington Post. Billboard hails him as a massive talent
with a huge voice, and Ray Angry has made his
mark as a musical innovator, collaborating with icons, pushing the
(01:30):
boundaries of genre. Together, Ryan and Ray have teamed up
for their new album Off Broadway, a bold reimagining of
Broadway hits, blending R and B, soul, jazz, rock, reggae, house,
and classical influences. Join us now as Buzz Night takes
a musical journey with Scott Jakobe, Ryan Shaw, and Ray
(01:53):
Angry right here on the Taken a Walk Podcast.
Speaker 4 (01:58):
So we've got a special Taken Walk episode here, kind
of a behind the creators episode, and we're here at
Usonia Studios, and we've got the man who was part
of bringing this all certainly together, the producer extraordinaire Scott Jacobi. Scott,
thank you for being on Taking a Walk.
Speaker 5 (02:20):
So pleased that you guys are here.
Speaker 6 (02:22):
This is a privilege for me and so thanks for
all coming making the trip so excited.
Speaker 4 (02:27):
So how did you become involved with this great project
to take us through that sure.
Speaker 6 (02:34):
Well, I have known Ray and Ryan individually going back
a number of years through various sort of music channels,
and both in both cases a huge fan of them
as people and them as talented individuals, you know. And
I was working with Ryan on his new solo project
(02:59):
and was invited to see a show between with with
Ray and Ryan at at fifty four below in Manhattan,
and my wife and I went, and I was buzzing
the whole evening. It was just it was so special
and to see you know, is one of those moments,
you know, as incredible as Ray and Ryan are individually,
(03:22):
to see them together, something explosive happened and the show
was called from from Broadway to Soul. And seeing that,
I just saw a you know, an opportunity to have
a a in record form, you know, a a an
(03:43):
album of Broadway songs done in a style that would
just work for.
Speaker 5 (03:49):
For Ray and Ryan.
Speaker 6 (03:50):
So so I spoke to Elizabeth Heally, both.
Speaker 5 (03:54):
Of their managers, the following day.
Speaker 6 (03:56):
I was so excited to speak to her and said,
you know, had this idea, explained it to her and
uh and it got its way to to Ray and Ryan,
and then it quickly materialized into doing doing an album.
We can get into that in a bit, but that's
that's really how it was. How it started. It was
so inspired that night, was saying to my wife, God,
this would be incredible, this would be so good. We
(04:18):
can do a whole album and do it this way
and that way. So that's how it started.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
It's fair to say it was a lightning bolt moment
in time, right it was.
Speaker 6 (04:27):
I mean, at this point in my life and career,
you know, I've really focused on doing the things that
are truly meaningful to me, that I find musically and
personally rewarding, and uh, fortunate enough to have a lot
of incoming work. But there's a whole different thing when
when it's almost you come up with an idea or
(04:48):
a concept, and it's it's almost outgoing in a way
that like I say, hey, what do you think of this?
It's a much different thing than someone's saying I want
to work with Scott Jakobe. That this is like me
saying I'd like to work with you guys, And so
you put yourself out there in that way. But I
think doing projects that it just goes back to the
(05:10):
original sort of spirit that brought me to the music
world in general. It's just like, I freaking love music,
want to do it all the time and be involved
in different ways. There's so much music that inspires me.
Let's make some and so that's that's where it came from.
That was a bolt of energy.
Speaker 4 (05:26):
What was the first moment when you were then in
the studio with the guys, What was that like? Take
us back to that moment and how it felt.
Speaker 5 (05:36):
Well, that was really special.
Speaker 6 (05:37):
There were a number of steps in between that, because
like you know, you could argue the magic happened that
well in a few days, but are in our day
of tracking, you know, the basic tracks for the album,
which which took place in one day. Ray had said, yeah, man,
these guys are going to be amazing the musicians. I
think we can do it in one day, and I'm
more conservative. I was like it might take two or
(05:59):
three and raise like, no, man, I think I think
they got this, and I was like, all right, better
safe and sorry whatever. Anyway, of course it happened in
one day, and but there, you know, in order to
kind of like I always feel like, in order for
magic to happen, you have to sort of set up
the circumstances. So the number of things that happened before
(06:19):
walking into the studio are choosing musicians, doing arrangements, and
that's where Ray and Ryan, you know, had had a
day together or maybe maybe more. We're kind of looking
at each tune saying, hey, here's this tune. How are
we going to do this, How are we going to
approach this, What genre is this going to be? How
are we going to freak this? How are we going
to make this hours? You know, I think that's a
(06:41):
lot of the magic too. So is the song selection,
you know, and you know, songs start from inspiration. The
song's always king. The song has to come first. It's
lyrical content, the melody, all that stuff. So once you
pick those, then you're off and running. It's onto other things.
But Ryan had to pick from a huge list of
(07:02):
potential candidates of you know, however, many years of Broadway,
which songs were most inspiring to him in different ways,
and that's where that's where it started. But the day
of the recording, you know, it's just like, you know,
we're in a relatively small space here. There are a
lot of people around, a lot of moving parts. There
(07:22):
was a lot of setup to that too. I came in,
you know, day before, spent the whole day making sure
people could basically just walk in and play and it
was going to sound good. That's that's part of that setup.
And then all of this is just to allow for
the magic that happens on that day, which hopefully it does.
It doesn't always, but it definitely did.
Speaker 4 (07:44):
So then tell me when it finally is completed, the
project is sealed and delivered, and when you first hear
it in that environment as a finished product from your perspective,
how does that end up feeling?
Speaker 3 (08:01):
Well?
Speaker 6 (08:02):
I mean, that's that's a true reward because you know,
everything associated with all of the steps before involve work
and thinking, you know, and planning and skills and talents,
and then the part that's just the listening part and
experiencing something you don't have to draw.
Speaker 5 (08:20):
Upon any of that.
Speaker 6 (08:21):
So it's just like you're you're essentially kind of getting
all of the all of the good without the challenges,
and so I find it rewarding. And I also like
I was there, it's it's great that we're doing this
podcast right now. Last night it's a full circle moment
because Ryan and Ray performed essentially the whole album last night,
(08:45):
and and and the show served as a record release,
and that was a full circle moment to see it.
Speaker 5 (08:51):
The band was incredible.
Speaker 6 (08:53):
Ray and Ryan were amazing and and so that was
a thrill on its own. And my brother and his
wife were there, and my folks were there, and they
were looking over at me. I don't you know, I'm
not conscious of what I'm doing, but like I was
just so in the zone of enjoying this, and that
sort of is what it is to kind of like
answer your question, because it's just like you hear back
(09:16):
something that didn't exist, you know, however, many months ago.
And it's the greatest pleasure. And just to see this
talent on stage and to see people resonating with the
music and with the songs and with the way that
we've reinterpreted them, it's just it's worth everything.
Speaker 4 (09:33):
Well, the reason I know it was a successful event
is Ryan and Ray had to be peeled off the ceiling.
There's still fluting on air from it, I.
Speaker 5 (09:44):
Can tell understandably.
Speaker 6 (09:45):
Yeah, everyone was who was there, I think everyone it
was a special thing to behold.
Speaker 5 (09:50):
It really was.
Speaker 4 (09:51):
Well, congratulations on the project and once again thanks for
having us here.
Speaker 5 (09:55):
Yeah, a pleasure to have you. Thank you, Thank you, Buss.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
Ray, thanks for being on. Taking a walk before we
get started here with the proceedings, I want to ask
you if you could take a walk with someone living
or dead, possibly someone in the music side of things,
but doesn't have to be. Who would it be and where.
Speaker 7 (10:19):
Would you take a walk with him?
Speaker 8 (10:24):
I would say, for me, it's I would have to
bring back two people.
Speaker 9 (10:28):
Honestly, for me, it's my two favorite singers of all time,
and I can't say that I love one more than
the other, both for different reasons, but they sort of
complete my musical psyche, if you will, And that would
be Donny Hathaway and Sam Cook. And where we would walk,
I would kind of like to start walking through their
(10:49):
childhood neighborhood and then somehow end up like in the woods,
so I can hear all the real dirt and nobody
else is around to know what we're talking about. Dirt,
the real dirt, yeah, you know, the but you know,
like their their beginnings, like where they started, what were there,
what were their influences? You know, and you can kind
of hear it. But those two artists really sort of
don't sound like anybody. And I know Sam Cook grew
(11:10):
up in the church, and I don't think Ganni grew
up in the church, but they are. But they have
such a unique Those are two arts that sort of
really changed the game. Like there was artist that back
in the day that used to make a living trying
to imitate Sam Cook, like that was their thing. They
would imitate Sam on records or backgrounds or how he
did certain things, and that was their whole livelihood. So
(11:31):
when you have an artist like that, I want to
just see, like what was in his mind and how
he grew up and you know, just some of those stories.
Speaker 4 (11:38):
Yeah, good, good one, Ray, what do you think. I
know you've got a smile on your face.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
Well, I was.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
It's just such a It's such an important question because
what you put out into universe is very important. What
you said of your mouth is important. So that's great
that Ryan had too. So since he had two, I
gotta I gotta follow the the you know what I mean,
follow the energy. This might to some people, this might
be very weird, but it makes sense to me. The
(12:06):
first person I would pick would be Duke Gallington, and
the second person I would pick would be b York
now Here's I was thinking about this and it occurred
to one thing occurs to me about music. In order
to exist as an artist, in order to exist in
(12:26):
this world, we often have to exploit our art in
order to fit in and to be heard. So when
you take away the exploit of nature of music, of
the music industry, and you get to the root of
just the music and where that comes from, which is
to me, you know I've been saying to Ether or
(12:47):
you know, for people whose spiritually can say that's God.
And so for me, Duke Ellington represents the epitome of
someone truly dedicated to the the art of musical expression.
(13:07):
And it's not really based on any particular genre because
I do feel like, you know, he was, you know,
coming up when he came up, you know, you know,
working within the frameworks for which he could work.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
Or he had all the social.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Issues that he had to deal with, but then also
dealing with the band members and also as an artist,
wanted to express himself, wanting to be in the symphony hall,
wanted to not be in the club, but wanted to
be on a bigger scale, which he to me, he's
bigger than life, you know, and it's unfortunate when artists die,
then they become bigger than life, and then where they're living,
they can't really see or express that. Not to say
(13:42):
that he didn't see that, but but to me, b
York represents the modernization and the economic genius that an
artist has to have in order to create their own world.
And so I love bew York for that. I mean
(14:02):
I could have said Prince, but I love bew York
because she started out singing jazz as a little kid.
She Dow Jazz Records, and then she expanded, I mean,
you know, she expanded from that to working with AI
and and creating you know, music that that it's incorporated
(14:24):
with electronics, you know.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
And I just love the world that she's created.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
Even if it's like to some people, they might not
really understand her artistry, but I love her expansiveness as
an artist. She's always expanding. Miles Davis was always expanding.
I mean I would I could have said Miles, but
I feel like Miles was you know, he would have
been kind of mean, you know, you know, have a conversation,
(14:55):
you know, but I feel like, but I strongly feel
that if I were to meet Be York and Duke Ellington,
I feel like she would be just as interested in
Duke Ellington as I am, and Duke Ellington would be
interested in her because of the way his mind works,
(15:15):
you know, as an artist, and where that would take
place in the summer, in either Montego Bay or in Iceland,
because Iceland could beautiful in the summer, you know, and
just because you know, why not being on a mountain
somewhere and it's beautiful, and we have catering, of course,
(15:39):
it sounds fantastic, a little yacht or something with children
on the yacht and you know, having champagne and eating strawberries.
Speaker 8 (15:51):
Oh my god, that's magical.
Speaker 4 (15:54):
So tell me, guys, how did this collaboration come together?
How did you guys first meet and then how did
this project come together?
Speaker 2 (16:05):
That's you know, it's funny, like we don't know how
we first met, but I do know.
Speaker 3 (16:11):
My feeling is that I saw you.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
I saw Ryan performing at the Village Underground because when
I moved to New York, the Village Underground was this
basically this creative hub where you had the best R
and B artists, the best gospel artists, coming to the
best musicians coming through, the best recording artists coming through.
And it was a singers, singers session, and Ryan would
(16:34):
go there and wear the room out.
Speaker 8 (16:37):
What year did you move here? Two thousand and one,
because I'm oud here in ninety eight.
Speaker 3 (16:42):
Yeah, I moved here a month before nine to eleven.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
I got my master's at Howard University, and I moved
to New York.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
And a month later, New York was just disaster.
Speaker 8 (16:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
Yeah, And that was my introduction to New York. And
then and then, you know, as New Yorkers became more
confident to go out and then be underground, became a
very important place for musical development, for artistic development.
Speaker 3 (17:07):
And I would see.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Ryan there singing and he would just I just remember
how killing you were. And then you did a record
and you got a Grammy nomination everywhere, and then I did.
I never saw you again because you were just every
year here everywhere.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
Performing. Yeah.
Speaker 8 (17:24):
I think we did.
Speaker 9 (17:25):
Yeah, we would see each other in those circles down there,
and I don't think we ever like we were like.
Speaker 8 (17:28):
Hey, oh man, you were great, and I was like, yo, man,
you were killing, killing organ, you know whatever. And it
was just that for years.
Speaker 9 (17:33):
And then when it was time for me, I had
even walked away from Broadway for a little while after
I did Motown, and I was talking with my manager Elizabeth,
and she was saying, well, I think it's you know,
if you want to, you know, ever get back into that.
We need to not wait so long, so reconnect with
your Broadway audience. And I think, and you haven't performed
in New York for a while for your Ryan shawfan,
(17:54):
so maybe we should do a show that combines the
two worlds.
Speaker 8 (17:56):
So we started coming up with the concept and I
was like, oh, maybe I can do this, you know from.
Speaker 3 (17:59):
Broadway and Soul.
Speaker 9 (18:00):
I can do some some Broadway stuff to connect with
that crowd and do some of my original music as well,
so that everything, you know, sort of played to both
crowds in one space. And fifty four below is a
really great place to do that because it's like cabaret style.
And then she was like, well, how do we want
to present it? And I'm like, well, it's a small room,
so I think maybe just me and one other.
Speaker 8 (18:16):
Musician would be good to be very intimate.
Speaker 9 (18:17):
And I was and she was like, well, who you
think you like to use and then and.
Speaker 8 (18:22):
Then she was like I think she said what about Ray?
And I was like, oh, yeah, I've known Ray for years,
We've never worked together.
Speaker 9 (18:27):
This might be cool to bring in, you know, you know,
some fresh blood and you know, explore a different thing,
you know, because I've I always have my my conglomerate
of musicians that I always have that I would pick from.
But I was like, you know, let's yeah, let's try
something new. And we've known each other and we've been
cordial and cool for years, so let's make it happen.
And so that's how the fifty four below show happened
the first time, the one that Scott saw.
Speaker 3 (18:47):
But the lightning bolt moment. Yeah, yes.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
But prior to the show at fifty four below, I
was composing the music for the film called sleep Apnea,
and Ryan and I wrote the title song.
Speaker 8 (19:02):
Yeah, that was the first collaboration.
Speaker 3 (19:04):
It was that title of the song, Breathe again.
Speaker 8 (19:06):
Breathe again, until we breathe again.
Speaker 9 (19:08):
Yeah, Yo, can't climb a mountain, stuck on the ocean floor,
surrendering air?
Speaker 8 (19:18):
What are you waiting for? This is the moment? Yeah,
it was a great and it goes from there song
and by the end, I'm just till we breathe a guy.
Speaker 9 (19:31):
Yeah, we did at the last show, but it didn't fit. Yeah,
this was about our record with Scott's. It wasn't about that.
But the last time that song was in the show.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Yeah, yeah, this song is in the reserves. We're waiting
for it, you know, for the film to come out
so that we can.
Speaker 9 (19:44):
Release the song and if not, we have to put
it somewhere else because it's it's amazing.
Speaker 3 (19:48):
Ray.
Speaker 4 (19:48):
After he just did that, you know what, I just went,
I went touchdown.
Speaker 3 (19:54):
Right.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
Oh my, it's a beautiful song. But that was my
intro to working with Ryan. So from there we just
started saying, this is cool we should do.
Speaker 9 (20:05):
And we end up doing a couple of segments for
the We did a title song and a couple of
For some reason, it's been such a blur. Our synergy
is just like a tornado, like we hit and just
started spinning.
Speaker 8 (20:14):
And so it's been Yeah, I forgot that happened before.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
Another song in there called the Family.
Speaker 8 (20:18):
Yep, yep, the Family.
Speaker 9 (20:20):
So it's a few yeah, a few things. So it's
been it's been a good every time we get together.
The coolest thing about like I say, working with Ray
is that he is He's you know how sometimes I
would do improv and you know, the first rule of
improv is always a yes, and you never do anything
to stop the motion. So if they say something that
you don't like, like oh you're ugly, you don't be like,
oh I'm not ugly. You go, yeah, I'm ugly. Are
(20:40):
you born from a monkey? You know, whatever you have
to say to get to keep the story going. So
you never put restrictions in with Ray. It's like, no
matter what happens, there is nothing stupid or nothing bad
and anything negative. It's just it'll hit his synergy and
then we'll just spend it and we'll just figure out
how to make this idea work. That's the that's the
kind of collaboration. It's never it's always a four almost
(21:02):
one up in a non competitive way.
Speaker 3 (21:04):
It's basically what.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
He's trying to say, it's an egoist, egoist space to create. Yeah,
because I'm finding out even even as as I'm getting
older and becoming more interested in developing my own brand
and my own sound, but also connecting other with other
artists and getting them to do the same thing.
Speaker 3 (21:25):
You know, it's the ego.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
It's the ego and what Scott is talking about him
like seeing us, and we could have been like, well, no,
I'm good now, you know, I don't want to do
the show. I mean, you know, we you know, I
don't want, you know, for whatever reason, you know. And
and working in the space where Scott is like, you know,
he's he's got all these crazy instruments in there, like
(21:48):
all this venceance gear, and I'm like, oh, let's try this,
let's try it. And he's not like, well, nah, that's
my joint. Man, don't touch that, you know what I mean.
But it's like a it's like an egoist space, and
that's when, to me, that's when the best music is made,
you know, when not.
Speaker 3 (22:04):
To get super super spiritual.
Speaker 2 (22:06):
But Quincy Jones would say, when you let God in
the room, then magic happens. And you you know he
I mean, he created thrillers, so maybe this is our thriller, right.
Speaker 8 (22:19):
I like it that, I would say, yeah.
Speaker 4 (22:21):
But Scott, I have to ask you, you know, I
see the vibe of these guys in action here. Is
it the same way when they're in the creative process,
the same vibe, I mean completely just so much fun.
Speaker 5 (22:35):
It's it's fun.
Speaker 6 (22:36):
And so what what Ryan was saying about Ray is
true of both of them first of all, like that
collaboration is at its best when people are open, you know,
And I think that Ryan and Ray are both very
open human beings and open musicians and that's when that's
that's what allows.
Speaker 5 (22:56):
For magic to happen. I think when when.
Speaker 6 (22:58):
People just say, oh, that could be cool, as opposed
to just like this again, that that attitude that I
think does come from ego, which is just like nah
or it's always a pivot into something positive and just
you know, you can hear it in the the arrangements
of these tunes and the way that they were approached.
There was like I think, no restrictions, and that was
(23:18):
as you know, you know, Ryan's a singer, but we're
all musicians and there's a spirit that musicians have. And
when you don't put any guardrails on a process, when
there's no label so to speak, when there's no this,
you just get this thing of like we can do
this because we want to do this. And I think
that's where this album came from. Like it's hugely adventurous. Right,
(23:43):
There's hardly a genre of music that is not covered
on this and that wasn't you know, from an academic
point of view, is just because like, hey, let's freak
this this way, let's do this this way, and and
that's so exciting as a as a producer, as an engineer,
as a mixer, as a musician, as a singer, no guardrails, let's.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
Just do it.
Speaker 3 (24:05):
So Scott, you were reading my mind.
Speaker 4 (24:07):
That was really where I was heading with with Ryan
and Ray, which is the whole magic from your guys
perspective of covering. You know so many genres talk about
that as artists and why that's important to you.
Speaker 9 (24:25):
Yeah, I would say for me, it's really important because
I started off my career as a session singer and
I moved to New York and you know, I always
wanted to do Broadway, but that didn't happen until like
seventeen years later.
Speaker 8 (24:38):
So I got swept away in the music world.
Speaker 9 (24:40):
In the first My first like money making gigs was
going into the studio with foreign artists, hearing them their
new song that they're writing, either singing the backgrounds that
they had come up with, and most a lot of
the times creating the backgrounds for the albums than myself
with other singers, and so everything was a different genre.
And I realized that kind of like what Ray was saying,
(25:02):
music is is just music. I think people and the
monetization of music over time required people and also the
segregation of music, if you really want to call it,
require people to put themselves or to put their artists
in a box so that it could be packaged, you know,
like cereal, Like why can't cheerios, corn flakes and you
(25:26):
know life all be in the same box. I would
eat it, but no, they have to remove this or
it's just life. You buy this, or you buy that,
you buy that.
Speaker 8 (25:32):
But really it's serious.
Speaker 10 (25:34):
Well you know what I meant, you know, Okay, well
great nuts, okay, whatever, but.
Speaker 8 (25:45):
You know how Yeah, So for me, music is just music.
Speaker 9 (25:48):
And I think I used to always get asked this
question for when I do interviews, like what is what
do you what is soul music mean to you? And
I'm like, well, soul music is not old music is
really not a genre to me. Like the first time,
when I was in the Marine Corps, I was exposed
to a lot of music there in the you know,
at the on bass and stuff, and a lot of
(26:10):
the guys would listen to like country music, and the
first time I heard Shanaia Twain is there Life After Love?
Speaker 8 (26:16):
I was moved. That was sole music to me.
Speaker 9 (26:18):
So I'm like, the genre has nothing to do with soul,
and so how we choose to package each song was
just what was very important to me, and Ray was
if it suited the song, if it worked for the song,
and if it singed like an authentic voice for me,
then that's just what it was. Now once it was finished,
people can say, oh my god, that's old to the eighties,
Oh my god, that feels like pop.
Speaker 8 (26:37):
Oh that's gospel.
Speaker 9 (26:38):
But at the time when we were creating it, it
was just the music that was happening in the room.
And then later it became the package. And I think
that's what was very special about it, because it, like
Scott was just saying, it wasn't like intention was just
while we were baking. This is just what happened. And
then I forgot finished, like oh wow, that ended up
being jazz or dang, this has a reggae feel that's eighties,
(26:58):
or this is gospel or this is funk. You know,
and this is classical, you know, all of it.
Speaker 3 (27:03):
You know. Recently I was listening to.
Speaker 2 (27:10):
A clip of someone talking about Horowitz and his journey
as a pianist, and one thing that stood out to
me is that Horowitz represents an era of showmanship and
artistic expression where he would never play the same piece
(27:33):
the same way, you know, or he would pick the
program for whatever he's you know, if he's playing in
some famous concert, or he'd picked the program the day
of the concert, and he would pick a piece he
hadn't paid in seven years. So if you can imagine
the musicality that would come, because then you're like, oh,
(27:53):
what was this? And then now you're you're having to
make choices. That being said, when you have a song
that's that's been written, say, for example, forty years ago,
you know, as an artist, it's more beneficial for me
to put my own stamp on it so that the
song evolves and it takes on a new meaning. And
(28:15):
so for Ryan to be such an incredible vocalist and
to take a song like without You and really put
a new meaning to the song, for the musicians actually
to put a new stamp on the song, just like
when Miles Davis would take any Broadway standard summertime and
made it a jazz standard. You know, but how many
(28:37):
times can we do Summertime? There's so many amazing songs
that never get covered, and why not create. I think
Herbie Hancock had a record called new Standards, you know.
You know, it's like art imitates life and nothing. I
think we, as human beings, we forget that. You know,
you were talking about soul music. Soul music is not
(28:58):
a genre because we are souls. We're spirits living in
this avatar, you know, and I think we sometimes forget that,
not to get too super spiritual, sometimes we forget that
we're all children of God, you know what I mean,
and we're here to express ourselves in ways that Number One,
(29:21):
we're storytellers and everyone loves a good story, and it
keeps people excited. It keeps young people like, oh my god,
I didn't know that. Oh that's crazy, Oh my god.
I love that, you know. It keeps the excitement of
life going. And I hope that young people are inspired
by these news by this album, because it's not just
(29:43):
for the Broadway community. It's for people that love music.
You know, we're just creating new standards.
Speaker 4 (29:51):
You know, yeah, beautifully put.
Speaker 1 (29:53):
We'll be right back with more of the Taking a
Walk Podcast. Welcome back to the Taking a Walk Podcast.
Speaker 4 (30:04):
So would you guys walk through I know they're all
your favorites of the album, so you could walk through
all of them if you want, but walk through maybe
some or all of the songs and what they mean
to you and how you created your new stamp of
(30:26):
these songs.
Speaker 8 (30:29):
I think as for all of them.
Speaker 9 (30:30):
I mean when we started this process, I think Ray
and Scott were both like, I think it's more important
that Ryan picks the song since he'll be singing.
Speaker 8 (30:39):
Most of them.
Speaker 9 (30:40):
So I went on a sort of a wild goose
chase because I love Broadway and I always wanted to
do Broadway, but I'm sort of not like the traditional
theater kid. I had certain musicals that just came to
me in certain songs that I would do, and I
love theater and I'm I think i'm some I think
I'm like a closeted director because I'll see shows and
I'll be like, oh, I would have done this, this
direction should have been this and that.
Speaker 8 (31:01):
So I used to like, you know, at my.
Speaker 9 (31:02):
Church, I would direct little plays and stuff. So I
always had a thing for music and musicals and how
theater works. And so when I said, instead of doing
just the songs we did at the fifth four below before,
which were just parts of my story that I wanted
to share, and then tied in my favorite songs or
my earliest influences of Broadway. When Scott was like, well
(31:24):
we should do a record, I said, well, let's not
pigeonhole to that. Let me just go back, and so
I took a step back and I just pulled up
like Broadway songs from the beginning till now, and just
looked up like I think I actually did a Google
search for the top ten Broadway songs for every year
since it since like nineteen fifty and forward. So and
then I would see certain songs and like certain titles
(31:45):
would jump out a certain songs that I knew.
Speaker 8 (31:47):
I'm like, oh, that would be good. I remember that song.
Speaker 9 (31:48):
I remember that, And I just pulled and I think
the initial list I compiled was about thirty five songs
of songs that I knew or had heard or remembered
the melody and something about.
Speaker 8 (31:57):
It was tangible for me.
Speaker 9 (31:59):
And then I sent it to the team and they
were like, well, okay, well we can't do thirty songs,
because Scott was like, well we could do nine well.
Speaker 8 (32:08):
You know yeah, because He's like, yeah, we're not gonna you.
Speaker 3 (32:10):
Know, well there could always be a follow up.
Speaker 9 (32:13):
Yes, uh so I said, so let me try to
wheedle this down, and then we ended up with the
nine songs that we have, which was my way surprise.
She used to be mine waving through a window without
you sending the clowns on Broadway. I'm missing too, I
(32:33):
don't have a gasemone And did I say waving through
a window? And I think I waving through a window?
Speaker 8 (32:41):
Yeah, yeah, oh no on the street where you live? Yes, yeah,
from my Fair Lady.
Speaker 9 (32:46):
And and a lot of that process was a blur
for me. Actually, it just I feel like it they
just sort of came because when me and Ray first
got together, like at his house, and I would just
be singing through you know, Ray is he's one of
those creative genius is that he in that moment, is
that moment, and if you don't capture that moment.
Speaker 8 (33:08):
That moment's not coming back. So then we have to
find a new moment.
Speaker 9 (33:10):
So sometimes and there will be every moment is a moment,
and every moment is from my where I said, it's
generally brilliant to some degree, and so I'm like, well,
and so when first like like my Way was probably
the most interesting one because that was actually Scott had
done a recording of My Way with another artist and
(33:32):
he was like, well, I have a cool version of
that song you guys want to hear. So we heard
it and I was like, oh, that's pretty cool, and
I was like it didn't super feel like me, but
we love the vibe. And then so me and Ray
he sent it to us. He said, we all listen
to it and see what.
Speaker 8 (33:43):
Happens, and then it sort of evolved into what we
have now.
Speaker 4 (33:47):
A stirring, moving rendition is how I would care think beautiful,
just amazing.
Speaker 8 (33:55):
Yeah, and we did, and it's like that was like.
Speaker 2 (33:59):
It was like an old to George Clinton too totally
you know what I mean, because uh, you know, if
I had it my way, I would work with every
type of artist. George Clinton, I work with Sarah mcgoth,
you know, I would work with her. I would work
with New York, I would work with Pink. I just
(34:19):
work with all everyone that who I love, you know,
Brandy Carlisle, Oh my gosh, it's amazing. So anyway, so
that I felt like, man, I wanted I wanted Uncle
George to like to maybe hear this and be like,
oh man, okay, yeah we still over. The funk is
still alive, you know. And but what Ryan does with that,
it's sort of like Gumbo. To me, music is it's
(34:41):
like gumbo. But also music is fluid, and there's a
through line, you know, if you if you notice it,
there's a through line where everything is connected. For me,
I live in a world where I mean I grew
up First of all, I grew up listening to classical music,
but then also listen to gospel music. And I was
listening to and then and then hearing like Pat Matheeney
(35:04):
and then hearing George Duke and Herbie Hancock and chick
Corea and all the electronic stuff that Chick Area was doing.
And all this music is in my head, you know,
and and and it just comes out when I'm working
with different people. But that's a particular song. I love
it because you have the funk meets gospel, you know,
(35:26):
the ending and then the very end, it's just.
Speaker 3 (35:29):
Ryan, that was crazy. Yeah, that was crazy.
Speaker 2 (35:33):
That was crazy. That's one of my favorite songs. But
my favorite song is Sending the Clowns because the way
that I view music, I view music as creating. I
view it as like I'm going to the library to
check out a book, so I go. I think Fore
said it was a great analogy to Forarro made. You know,
(35:54):
you go into the library to check out a book.
I take it a step further. You go into the ether,
and and you know, God lives in the ether and
he sends down messages.
Speaker 3 (36:04):
You know, see see right there, I.
Speaker 8 (36:05):
Hate it exactly exactly.
Speaker 3 (36:11):
Isn't that perfect?
Speaker 2 (36:13):
Yes, see exactly see I'm telling you and and and
and and just like that. I am so present to that,
because if you're not present to that, then you missed
the opportunity.
Speaker 3 (36:31):
And so.
Speaker 2 (36:33):
Sending the Clowns was just something I just had this notion.
I was like, Man, this would be great solo piano.
But Ryan has to sing. I'm going to play the melody,
and he answers me, but his voice is like listen
way in the back somewhere. And I saw that. To Ryan,
he was like, it sounds beautiful. I don't know if
you need me on it, I don't hear myself on it,
and then I didn't like.
Speaker 3 (36:54):
I don't when I work with people.
Speaker 2 (36:55):
I do not like to micromanage people, because I know
what it's like to be micromanaged as an artist, and
I fucking hate it, you know what I'm saying, Like
someone telling you how to fucking do your art and
you're like, you know, it really bothers me because, you know,
because I've been in so many studio situations with really
like well to do, well established producers who were just shitheads,
(37:19):
you know, and they take the light fucking life out
of the music by saying you are bringing their energy
through your fingers, you know what I mean, And it
sort of really kills That's why the music industry is
the way it is right now, because people aren't themselves.
Everyone's being micromanaged. Everyone's trying to fit into Oh are
you viral enough?
Speaker 3 (37:39):
Are you this? Are you that? What about the fucking music?
Do you like the song? You feel something okay?
Speaker 8 (37:44):
Cool?
Speaker 2 (37:45):
Put on something else next, someone's gonna love this song.
They might be in Budapest. I just feel that music
is just used in such a way that doesn't help people,
you know what I mean? With everything that you know,
the art being killed and not going on the ramp.
I feel like Kanye right now, you know.
Speaker 3 (38:05):
What I'm saying. I'm not stopping, but I just think
it's important. I just think it's important to let people
be themselves. Man.
Speaker 4 (38:14):
But isn't also with your your other job as part
of the roots. I mean, isn't that part of the
secret to that success as well? That people know that
there's so much fun and games going on.
Speaker 2 (38:30):
Of course, that's but that's a different thing from what
I'm talking about completely, you know what I'm.
Speaker 3 (38:34):
Saying, Like, that's a totally totally different type of thing.
Speaker 2 (38:39):
And and to me, that works because there is a
welled oiled machine. And it's also you know, how can
I say this, So there's no one way to skin
a cat right when you when you have a factory,
there's you have like Balenciaga, and you have Louis Time,
(39:00):
you have ton Ford. So all these different styles of
music or different ways of creating music definitely have to
be there. But you talk about my experience in the
music that I'm creating, it's a totally different thing. When
I'm working with someone else, I'm totally like, what are
we doing?
Speaker 1 (39:18):
You know?
Speaker 2 (39:19):
But if I'm a composer and I'm in a driver's seat,
let's go. But also, here's a beautiful thing. That's a
great question. The thing about leadership. In order to be
a great leader, you have to be a great follower,
you know.
Speaker 3 (39:34):
What I mean?
Speaker 2 (39:35):
And I learned from everyone that I work with, and
for me, I think I'm in a position where I
can appreciate both sides, you know. But when you talk
about micro managing someone who's creating, and they're creating, like
we're creating a record together, it's a totally different thing.
If I say, for example, if I say, if Ryan says, man,
(39:59):
I want to try and get me I want to
do a swing, and I say, now.
Speaker 3 (40:02):
I don't really like that. I don't think that idea works,
and I don't even try it, you know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (40:07):
Yeah, it's the structured road in necessary environments, of course,
and then there's the free creative spirit environment, and those
are two completely.
Speaker 2 (40:19):
When you're making a record, when you're creating a record,
when you're creating your own music, you have to have
that sort of freedom and openness to be inspired by conversation.
Be inspired by who you're working with when you're working
on your own music. But if you're for example, if
you know Prince says, you know, hey, Ray, I want
you to come to the studio, I can't say Prince,
(40:41):
you know, like, uh, you know, yeah, here's my song, right?
Speaker 3 (40:47):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 9 (40:48):
The same token, Prince would also be the one too
if he asked Ray to comes to the studio, Prince,
being the artist that he is, would listen to what
Ray would have to say. What would allow that to
be a free Yeah?
Speaker 8 (40:59):
I'm mean, really is that you are? Yeah? You are.
Speaker 9 (41:02):
But even with sending the clowns like yeah, he was
like I'm gonna play it, and I was like, that's beautiful.
And then you know, Ray was doing I call him rayisms,
So Ray had his raism. Then he started going he
was like, oh, I'm gonna put a moog on this,
and then next thing it turned to this thing and
I was like, I don't think that I.
Speaker 8 (41:17):
Fit on this record because what you're doing was so beautiful.
Speaker 9 (41:20):
Just the piano was fine, and now this is taking
it to a whole nother place and I don't think
I have a place here and so he just left
it alone. Yes, and then this is when the the
trifecta happens, because Scott has such great instincts as a producer.
I was here and we were we had just finished
all the recordings and I was kind of tired, and
I was like, Ray want me to sing on this song.
Speaker 8 (41:39):
I don't know if I'm being able to do it.
I'm just not feeling.
Speaker 9 (41:40):
And Scott says, well, just go, just do what you feel.
Just do two takes, two passes, and if you and
and if you're not feeling, they won't let it go.
Speaker 8 (41:49):
But at least do two passes.
Speaker 9 (41:50):
And then I'm like okay, and so I do the
first pass and then I see Scott just a slink
from behind the board. He goes, I think you've changed
my mind about having vocals on this record.
Speaker 8 (42:01):
Yes, and then he said do one more past.
Speaker 9 (42:02):
I did another past, and then Scott Winnen did his
his editing, and that that's what we have.
Speaker 3 (42:07):
My example of not micromanaging someone.
Speaker 2 (42:10):
That's that's the that's the that's the the result. Because
I in my mind I heard him singing on it,
but you know, I didn't want to say, oh, sing
it like this, because I hear it like this. I
just put it out there, and when he sang on it,
it was exactly.
Speaker 3 (42:26):
What I heard.
Speaker 2 (42:27):
Yeah, because I knew my instincts told me that Ryan
would kill this, because I hear his voice in my
head and I could hear how he would improvise through
the all the crazy harmonic landscape I created on that song,
and he kneeled it and to And that's my point
about micromanaging, because I allowed him the space to take
(42:48):
in what I what my idea was, and then he
internalized it and without him even knowing it, he figured
out his own way and created his own magic.
Speaker 9 (42:59):
And that's what I'm and it is probably I was
my favorite song on the record, just about Yeah. I
mean I would put it very close to Goosemone like
it is it came out. That's the one song that
I actually will when it ends, I will start it
over again. It's so calming and it's chaotic. It reminds
me of one of my favorite pieces of music, which
is it's the I can't remember how to pronounce it.
(43:22):
It's like it's the the the theme song from Babel.
Speaker 8 (43:26):
Doom Doom Doom, Doom, Doom, doom, doom, doom, doom, doom,
d D d D.
Speaker 9 (43:31):
And then halfway it's like a seven minute piece if
you've never heard it, but it's to just google the
theme song from Babel And at the end it goes
into these like dissonant like violin started coming and then
it evens out again. And that's what it was doing
for me, the way Ray interpreted to send in the
clowns and yeah, it's it's it's yeah, it's one of
my favorites.
Speaker 3 (43:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (43:52):
And plus when you when you you know that song,
I didn't realize the history of this song, but like
you know, the song about rejection, it's also about lost
but also about re re resolution. You know, there's so
many different aspects of that song. And Ryan just killed that.
But my other favorite song is get Simony Andrew Lloyd wherever.
I hope he loves what we did with his song.
(44:12):
He you know, it's he's such a legend. But when
Ryan Christy the idea, I just could not hear that
you want to swing?
Speaker 8 (44:20):
I was like, okay, yeah, he didn't say no. That
was the only time he his hand till the sound was.
Speaker 3 (44:25):
Like really andy, and then he just said not even crazier.
Speaker 2 (44:30):
And then I was like, well if we swing and
I was like, well, we have all this other music
that's like sort of hard hitting is either gospel or
is you know.
Speaker 3 (44:39):
And then I was like, well, what if he made
it like this song hot dude, dude, dude, you know.
Speaker 2 (44:46):
And then I was thinking like, well, you know when
in different cultures around the world, when someon when someone
passes away, it's almost like a celebration as opposed to
because you're you're transitioning to the other side, and it's
not like a sad thing because we will see you
once again, because at the end of the day, we're
going to all pass away. And so I was like, well,
(45:06):
maybe we can change the meaning and energy of the
song and make it something that celebratory.
Speaker 3 (45:11):
And everyone was like, I don't know, if it's good,
can we do this? I don't know.
Speaker 8 (45:17):
It got it got pretty.
Speaker 9 (45:18):
That's the one song that we felt we took. We took,
but it just felt right for the song. And it's
like what Ray was saying, because like Elizabeth actually called
me and we were having a conversation about it. She
was like, you know, this song is about you know
the you know, Jesus surrendering like his death, you know,
about him saying okay, I'll die, and I was like,
I know, but it feels right. And from my upbringing,
(45:41):
I grew up Pentecostal, so Easter Sunday celebration is about
him rising. So for my culture, his death is just
as celebratory as his rising because we know this moment
for us in this day and time, at that moment.
For if we like in the moment in time, then yes,
it's sad. He's giving up his life, he's choosing this,
but in this day and time, he's doing that so
that he can live again, so that we can all live.
Speaker 8 (46:03):
So for me, the.
Speaker 9 (46:04):
Death is just as celebratory as that. So we don't
see death and saying that's why he said the most time,
the most like shouting that we've ever done in the
church is usually at a funeral. If somebody lived a
good life that we saw and we thought they were
holy and pure, then we are like celebrating, you know,
thank you Lord. You know I want to have that
same celebration, And so for me it was very fitting.
But it did get to the point where she was like, well,
maybe we need to call Andrews whateber you want to
see this is going to be okay, and then you know,
(46:26):
I think she even reached out to his lawyer and
he was like, did he change the melody? He was like, no,
I kept the melody. Did he change the lyrics? Same lyrics?
Let's not open that can of worms. So we ended
up with it and I think it is one of
the most joyous when.
Speaker 8 (46:37):
We performed it last night.
Speaker 3 (46:38):
It was so good.
Speaker 8 (46:40):
It was in saying the reaction that that the people got.
Speaker 9 (46:44):
Everyone is saying even I think over at the at
a center stage, I think Elizabeth asked Van Deen over there,
who is our label partner? You know, what was your
favorite song? And I think he's like, gooseimony.
Speaker 7 (46:57):
So tell me how it felt the event and just
watching the response of people As artists, how special is
that when you're seeing your work come full circle to
fruition it's in front of people.
Speaker 4 (47:14):
Describe that feeling.
Speaker 3 (47:16):
Man that.
Speaker 2 (47:19):
You know, it feels like when's the next show? Yes,
that's how I felt.
Speaker 3 (47:25):
For me. It was, you know, it was almost like
a full circle.
Speaker 2 (47:31):
Because Scott so eloquently said, you know, he was sitting
there the show with his folks and he was just
so engulfed in music. But everything started with Scott and
I can't even I can't even explain or express how
appreciative I am of Scott and his his selflessness to
(47:55):
see art and say, Okay, this could really work, let me,
let me tap into that, and to come back after
he had already done it the first time, and to
come back the second time, and to see them because
I didn't have the same keyboards that I had, you
know that I hadn't here, but it still works, you
know what I mean? And we had it was different,
(48:18):
different set of musicians. So my takeaway is that we
created such a dynamic record that anyone can perform the
music and have their own thing or that put their
own stamp on it. So we literally created a new standard.
Speaker 9 (48:34):
Yeah another thing, Yeah yeah yeah, And even with you
said me, and this is what it was like. I mean,
the collaboration was truly the three because though what Scott's
instinct was about, this show always bridge bridged any small
gap that there was between well like like even like
(48:55):
fins going back to sending the clowns like I don't
think I should sing on this song?
Speaker 8 (48:58):
Well do this?
Speaker 9 (48:59):
There was many times I would. I was in here,
I don't think what the song was. I was having
a real difficult time with something and then oh it was.
It was Ah, I learned to damn on the brigs
before I even turn the key. And I was, you know,
I'm such an aggressive singer that I will just be
like at the end, I was just like going off
(49:19):
and then Scott just sort of peaks around the board again, Hey,
maybe just try a couple of takes, you know what,
all just like like relax, like laying to it. And
I was like, okay, because you know, at the end,
I was like I'm waiting.
Speaker 8 (49:31):
Maybe not you know, I was like, okay. He's like,
but just feel the beat and just you know, just
like leaning into that.
Speaker 6 (49:36):
And I was like, oh yeah, island.
Speaker 1 (49:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 9 (49:40):
He was like, I don't feel like I'm on an island.
Like you're making me shake my drink out of my hands.
Speaker 2 (49:43):
You know, what's the song that goes dude on that
street where you're on the street where you live.
Speaker 3 (49:49):
So you know, you know it's funny. Uh so Scott?
Uh so?
Speaker 2 (49:56):
I after shout out Scott in his incredible studio, Yeah,
the gear and he needs to be talked about like
he has, like this is the history of music. Yeah,
you know, the drum machines are Sly used on the
family on side and on the family stand like he has,
and we use all of those incredible UH instruments that
(50:20):
Sly used and it's like a musical history UH museum
in here. And and there was one keyboard that he
has and I hadn't played it, and I was just
going through sounds and I.
Speaker 3 (50:34):
Literally I was like, oh, this is cool. Oh what's this?
And I started playing the intro to UH on the
street where she lives. I just.
Speaker 2 (50:47):
You know, and I just the music just happened, just
like that, you know. Yeah, the studio is such.
Speaker 9 (50:54):
And that was the other thing about it because a
lot of these ranges like we had because we don't
we didn't sit in like arrangements like I think Ray
was so confident because me and Scott was like, well,
I don't know about He was like, no, these kids we.
Speaker 8 (51:06):
Got, you know, they they they're great. Well, one is
Papa Bear.
Speaker 9 (51:09):
Papa Bear is my is my godson actually, and he
grew up in the church and he's actually a child project.
He started off on the I mean he's just as
good a drummer as he is a bass player. He
don't want me to say. He probably mad that I
said that, because he don't like to play the drums
no more.
Speaker 8 (51:20):
But he's really dope.
Speaker 9 (51:21):
And as a child he was like a prodigy and
like getting these kids together.
Speaker 8 (51:25):
And he was like one day and me and Scott
was like, no, we're too old for that. We need
two days. Uh. He was like, no, they're gonna do
it one day. It's gonna be great. So we got
We did all the homework really before.
Speaker 9 (51:35):
And once we got in here just to see like
the concepts that we have, and then I was just
kind of standing back and you know, and you know,
because the collaboration were Ray, and Ray knew these guys,
he had worked with him before, and just to take
the concept then to see Ray just sort of like
take them as almost like throwing paint, like painting with
these guys like in real time. And so some of
the arrangements we saw him shift and I was like, oh,
(51:55):
that's not and then we hit and I would just
bust through the door like.
Speaker 8 (51:57):
That's it, that is it right, let's go and it
will be that.
Speaker 9 (52:01):
And it was such a it was like a lot
of I don't remember a lot of it. It was just
it was in real time. It was like and Scott
just captured all of those magical moments.
Speaker 3 (52:10):
You know. It's funny.
Speaker 2 (52:11):
I was thinking about the the the intro to My Way.
I was like, yo, Jalen Man, can you you know
that song that could rock with you? You know, intro
to rock with you? We need like, ayo, like, what's
your signature drum intro that people from twenty years from
now are going to say, Yo, what's.
Speaker 3 (52:30):
That they are?
Speaker 8 (52:31):
And they will, oh, yeah.
Speaker 2 (52:33):
We need we need you to have your own rock
with you intro. We need that on this song. And
he was like he thought about it and he was
playing something. I say, no, that's not no, no, no, but
try to try it again. And then he was okay,
cool and he killed it. And what's the song where
I had him do the seven seven three ninety eleven?
Speaker 5 (52:50):
Oh yeah?
Speaker 3 (52:51):
Was it the reggae song?
Speaker 6 (52:52):
It was No, I think I think it was the
on the Street where you live.
Speaker 5 (52:57):
In the Street where you live?
Speaker 6 (52:59):
Yeah, in the chorus, but yeah, yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 3 (53:05):
Yeah, I would just take I was just we were
just painting. Man.
Speaker 1 (53:09):
It was.
Speaker 2 (53:11):
With great musicians. We're going back to not micromanaging people.
Speaker 3 (53:15):
You know.
Speaker 2 (53:16):
That's the central theme of this record. You know, it's
like being letting God be in the room. That's what
I'm That's what I really meant to say. It's not
about micromanager. It's about just letting the energy be what
it's supposed to be, you know. And there's no and
it's nothing to anyone that feels like they need to micromanage,
but for this particular record, we wanted God to be
(53:39):
in the room so that we can have a more
universal outreach and effect with people that listen to this record.
But anyway, it was really great to work with these guys,
and there was they were they thought it was crazy
when I was like, no, we could do the record
in one day.
Speaker 3 (53:55):
And we did it one day. Unbelievable, at least at
least the tracks you know, we did.
Speaker 2 (54:02):
I mean, of course you have to do the you know,
the additional production and record all the vocals, but in
terms of like the actual tracks with the band, we
did in one day. But you can do any when
you have great musicians, and we did come prepared. We
did have a general idea of what we're going to do.
And then it's just easier when you're working with really
(54:23):
great musicians to say, okay, so let's let's go down
Broadway and then make.
Speaker 3 (54:28):
A left on on.
Speaker 2 (54:30):
Twenty third Street. Actually, you know what, twenty third Street
is crowded. Let's go down to forty second and make
it right. Yeah, you know, and we can go to
Central Maybe maybe we'll go up one hundred and tenth
of Central Park, you know what I mean, Let's go
get some food at Lincoln Center.
Speaker 3 (54:45):
Okay, cool.
Speaker 9 (54:46):
And that happened at the end of because, like I say,
I could have done out distress, I will say of
the one day, but it was.
Speaker 8 (54:53):
But you know, it was great, It was really great.
But at the end dress Yeah.
Speaker 9 (54:56):
But at the end of the day, like everybody was
getting ready to leave, and I think the last song
we ended up try backing was waving through a window
and everybody was like, but what are we gonna do
with this? And everybody and it was doing things and
I was like, and then suddenly it came in and
I was like, I think we should do some reggae and.
Speaker 8 (55:11):
Then it came in.
Speaker 9 (55:12):
It just at the last minute because were stressed like
how we're gonna do and it wasn't feeling right, and
I was like, let's just let's just rag, let's try that.
And then it was like okay, and it is jumped
in it was like d.
Speaker 8 (55:23):
And I was like, that's it.
Speaker 9 (55:24):
Yeah, And it ended up just being but like I said,
just being able to come in and paint and just
be in the vibe and be collaborating.
Speaker 3 (55:31):
And that song was because you know, I was playing that.
Speaker 2 (55:34):
I was playing that line because it's, uh, you know,
I love Wayne Shorter and and it's weird because Wayne.
Speaker 3 (55:43):
I feel like like.
Speaker 2 (55:44):
Wayne Shorter has been like talking to me, you know,
because there's a song he has called Deluge.
Speaker 3 (55:50):
I literally keep.
Speaker 2 (55:52):
Hearing this song and I'm like, yo, what is this song?
And someone told me what the song was and I
was like, oh wow, And then that puts you the
song that uh the intro is uh, you know, a
take on his composition for weather.
Speaker 3 (56:08):
Report dude do.
Speaker 2 (56:20):
Blin exactly, exactly. Yeah, So we just kind of like
just riffed off that.
Speaker 8 (56:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (56:26):
Yeah, yeah, but with Rege Yes, Yes.
Speaker 8 (56:32):
It's just all these worlds that just met. It was
so much fun.
Speaker 3 (56:35):
I mean, but that's the way music.
Speaker 2 (56:37):
In my mind, that's the way music is because you know,
even in classical music, you have so many composers that
you know, they study back and they'll do their own version.
Speaker 3 (56:48):
Of the of the will typic clavier. And you know
what I mean.
Speaker 2 (56:52):
You have Chopin doing the His all His A Tubes
which is patterned after will Tipic clavier.
Speaker 3 (56:57):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (56:58):
And so to me, there's so many through lines when
it comes to music, and everything affects each other.
Speaker 4 (57:07):
You knows, I could I could spend hours. I already
have spent hours, but I could spend more hours, uh,
having you dig into the creative process and all the
things that move you and how you move us with
your music. But congratulations Scott on off Broadway. An amazing,
(57:32):
amazing output here of joy and beauty and creativity. And
thank you for sharing it with our our taking a
walk audiences for having us. It's really been a treasure.
Speaker 8 (57:46):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (57:48):
Thanks
Taking a Walk.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
I think we, as human beings, we forget that. You know,
you were talking about soul music. Soul music is not
as genre because we are souls. We are spirits living
in this avatar, you know. And I think we sometimes
forget that. Not to get too super spiritual, sometimes we
forget that we're all children of God.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Welcome to the Taking a Walk Podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
We're your host.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Buzz Night talks with musicians about their latest work and
their inspirations. Today, Buzz heads to the bright lights of
Broadway for a slight left turn. He heads to use
Sonia Studios in Manhattan, the home base for producer Extraordinary
Scott Jacoby. Scott has guarded awards from platinum selling albums
(00:45):
and his top the charts throughout the world. John Legend, Coldplay,
Vampire Weekend, and a host of others have partnered with Scott.
Buzz will also delve into a project celebrating some of
Broadway's biggest songs with three time Grammy nominated vocal powerhouse
Ryan Shaw and acclaimed pianist, composer and a ranger Ray Angry,
(01:07):
best known for his work with the Roots. Ryan's voice
has been called so big, so churchy, and unmistakably Southern,
full of fire and conviction and exploding with emotion. By
The Washington Post. Billboard hails him as a massive talent
with a huge voice, and Ray Angry has made his
mark as a musical innovator, collaborating with icons, pushing the
(01:30):
boundaries of genre. Together, Ryan and Ray have teamed up
for their new album Off Broadway, a bold reimagining of
Broadway hits, blending R and B, soul, jazz, rock, reggae, house,
and classical influences. Join us now as Buzz Night takes
a musical journey with Scott Jakobe, Ryan Shaw, and Ray
(01:53):
Angry right here on the Taken a Walk Podcast.
Speaker 4 (01:58):
So we've got a special Taken Walk episode here, kind
of a behind the creators episode, and we're here at
Usonia Studios, and we've got the man who was part
of bringing this all certainly together, the producer extraordinaire Scott Jacobi. Scott,
thank you for being on Taking a Walk.
Speaker 5 (02:20):
So pleased that you guys are here.
Speaker 6 (02:22):
This is a privilege for me and so thanks for
all coming making the trip so excited.
Speaker 4 (02:27):
So how did you become involved with this great project
to take us through that sure.
Speaker 6 (02:34):
Well, I have known Ray and Ryan individually going back
a number of years through various sort of music channels,
and both in both cases a huge fan of them
as people and them as talented individuals, you know. And
I was working with Ryan on his new solo project
(02:59):
and was invited to see a show between with with
Ray and Ryan at at fifty four below in Manhattan,
and my wife and I went, and I was buzzing
the whole evening. It was just it was so special
and to see you know, is one of those moments,
you know, as incredible as Ray and Ryan are individually,
(03:22):
to see them together, something explosive happened and the show
was called from from Broadway to Soul. And seeing that,
I just saw a you know, an opportunity to have
a a in record form, you know, a a an
(03:43):
album of Broadway songs done in a style that would
just work for.
Speaker 5 (03:49):
For Ray and Ryan.
Speaker 6 (03:50):
So so I spoke to Elizabeth Heally, both.
Speaker 5 (03:54):
Of their managers, the following day.
Speaker 6 (03:56):
I was so excited to speak to her and said,
you know, had this idea, explained it to her and
uh and it got its way to to Ray and Ryan,
and then it quickly materialized into doing doing an album.
We can get into that in a bit, but that's
that's really how it was. How it started. It was
so inspired that night, was saying to my wife, God,
this would be incredible, this would be so good. We
(04:18):
can do a whole album and do it this way
and that way. So that's how it started.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
It's fair to say it was a lightning bolt moment
in time, right it was.
Speaker 6 (04:27):
I mean, at this point in my life and career,
you know, I've really focused on doing the things that
are truly meaningful to me, that I find musically and
personally rewarding, and uh, fortunate enough to have a lot
of incoming work. But there's a whole different thing when
when it's almost you come up with an idea or
(04:48):
a concept, and it's it's almost outgoing in a way
that like I say, hey, what do you think of this?
It's a much different thing than someone's saying I want
to work with Scott Jakobe. That this is like me
saying I'd like to work with you guys, And so
you put yourself out there in that way. But I
think doing projects that it just goes back to the
(05:10):
original sort of spirit that brought me to the music
world in general. It's just like, I freaking love music,
want to do it all the time and be involved
in different ways. There's so much music that inspires me.
Let's make some and so that's that's where it came from.
That was a bolt of energy.
Speaker 4 (05:26):
What was the first moment when you were then in
the studio with the guys, What was that like? Take
us back to that moment and how it felt.
Speaker 5 (05:36):
Well, that was really special.
Speaker 6 (05:37):
There were a number of steps in between that, because
like you know, you could argue the magic happened that
well in a few days, but are in our day
of tracking, you know, the basic tracks for the album,
which which took place in one day. Ray had said, yeah, man,
these guys are going to be amazing the musicians. I
think we can do it in one day, and I'm
more conservative. I was like it might take two or
(05:59):
three and raise like, no, man, I think I think
they got this, and I was like, all right, better
safe and sorry whatever. Anyway, of course it happened in
one day, and but there, you know, in order to
kind of like I always feel like, in order for
magic to happen, you have to sort of set up
the circumstances. So the number of things that happened before
(06:19):
walking into the studio are choosing musicians, doing arrangements, and
that's where Ray and Ryan, you know, had had a
day together or maybe maybe more. We're kind of looking
at each tune saying, hey, here's this tune. How are
we going to do this, How are we going to
approach this, What genre is this going to be? How
are we going to freak this? How are we going
to make this hours? You know, I think that's a
(06:41):
lot of the magic too. So is the song selection,
you know, and you know, songs start from inspiration. The
song's always king. The song has to come first. It's
lyrical content, the melody, all that stuff. So once you
pick those, then you're off and running. It's onto other things.
But Ryan had to pick from a huge list of
(07:02):
potential candidates of you know, however, many years of Broadway,
which songs were most inspiring to him in different ways,
and that's where that's where it started. But the day
of the recording, you know, it's just like, you know,
we're in a relatively small space here. There are a
lot of people around, a lot of moving parts. There
(07:22):
was a lot of setup to that too. I came in,
you know, day before, spent the whole day making sure
people could basically just walk in and play and it
was going to sound good. That's that's part of that setup.
And then all of this is just to allow for
the magic that happens on that day, which hopefully it does.
It doesn't always, but it definitely did.
Speaker 4 (07:44):
So then tell me when it finally is completed, the
project is sealed and delivered, and when you first hear
it in that environment as a finished product from your perspective,
how does that end up feeling?
Speaker 3 (08:01):
Well?
Speaker 6 (08:02):
I mean, that's that's a true reward because you know,
everything associated with all of the steps before involve work
and thinking, you know, and planning and skills and talents,
and then the part that's just the listening part and
experiencing something you don't have to draw.
Speaker 5 (08:20):
Upon any of that.
Speaker 6 (08:21):
So it's just like you're you're essentially kind of getting
all of the all of the good without the challenges,
and so I find it rewarding. And I also like
I was there, it's it's great that we're doing this
podcast right now. Last night it's a full circle moment
because Ryan and Ray performed essentially the whole album last night,
(08:45):
and and and the show served as a record release,
and that was a full circle moment to see it.
Speaker 5 (08:51):
The band was incredible.
Speaker 6 (08:53):
Ray and Ryan were amazing and and so that was
a thrill on its own. And my brother and his
wife were there, and my folks were there, and they
were looking over at me. I don't you know, I'm
not conscious of what I'm doing, but like I was
just so in the zone of enjoying this, and that
sort of is what it is to kind of like
answer your question, because it's just like you hear back
(09:16):
something that didn't exist, you know, however, many months ago.
And it's the greatest pleasure. And just to see this
talent on stage and to see people resonating with the
music and with the songs and with the way that
we've reinterpreted them, it's just it's worth everything.
Speaker 4 (09:33):
Well, the reason I know it was a successful event
is Ryan and Ray had to be peeled off the ceiling.
There's still fluting on air from it, I.
Speaker 5 (09:44):
Can tell understandably.
Speaker 6 (09:45):
Yeah, everyone was who was there, I think everyone it
was a special thing to behold.
Speaker 5 (09:50):
It really was.
Speaker 4 (09:51):
Well, congratulations on the project and once again thanks for
having us here.
Speaker 5 (09:55):
Yeah, a pleasure to have you. Thank you, Thank you, Buss.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
Ray, thanks for being on. Taking a walk before we
get started here with the proceedings, I want to ask
you if you could take a walk with someone living
or dead, possibly someone in the music side of things,
but doesn't have to be. Who would it be and where.
Speaker 7 (10:19):
Would you take a walk with him?
Speaker 8 (10:24):
I would say, for me, it's I would have to
bring back two people.
Speaker 9 (10:28):
Honestly, for me, it's my two favorite singers of all time,
and I can't say that I love one more than
the other, both for different reasons, but they sort of
complete my musical psyche, if you will, And that would
be Donny Hathaway and Sam Cook. And where we would walk,
I would kind of like to start walking through their
(10:49):
childhood neighborhood and then somehow end up like in the woods,
so I can hear all the real dirt and nobody
else is around to know what we're talking about. Dirt,
the real dirt, yeah, you know, the but you know,
like their their beginnings, like where they started, what were there,
what were their influences? You know, and you can kind
of hear it. But those two artists really sort of
don't sound like anybody. And I know Sam Cook grew
(11:10):
up in the church, and I don't think Ganni grew
up in the church, but they are. But they have
such a unique Those are two arts that sort of
really changed the game. Like there was artist that back
in the day that used to make a living trying
to imitate Sam Cook, like that was their thing. They
would imitate Sam on records or backgrounds or how he
did certain things, and that was their whole livelihood. So
(11:31):
when you have an artist like that, I want to
just see, like what was in his mind and how
he grew up and you know, just some of those stories.
Speaker 4 (11:38):
Yeah, good, good one, Ray, what do you think. I
know you've got a smile on your face.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
Well, I was.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
It's just such a It's such an important question because
what you put out into universe is very important. What
you said of your mouth is important. So that's great
that Ryan had too. So since he had two, I
gotta I gotta follow the the you know what I mean,
follow the energy. This might to some people, this might
be very weird, but it makes sense to me. The
(12:06):
first person I would pick would be Duke Gallington, and
the second person I would pick would be b York
now Here's I was thinking about this and it occurred
to one thing occurs to me about music. In order
to exist as an artist, in order to exist in
(12:26):
this world, we often have to exploit our art in
order to fit in and to be heard. So when
you take away the exploit of nature of music, of
the music industry, and you get to the root of
just the music and where that comes from, which is
to me, you know I've been saying to Ether or
(12:47):
you know, for people whose spiritually can say that's God.
And so for me, Duke Ellington represents the epitome of
someone truly dedicated to the the art of musical expression.
(13:07):
And it's not really based on any particular genre because
I do feel like, you know, he was, you know,
coming up when he came up, you know, you know,
working within the frameworks for which he could work.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
Or he had all the social.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Issues that he had to deal with, but then also
dealing with the band members and also as an artist,
wanted to express himself, wanting to be in the symphony hall,
wanted to not be in the club, but wanted to
be on a bigger scale, which he to me, he's
bigger than life, you know, and it's unfortunate when artists die,
then they become bigger than life, and then where they're living,
they can't really see or express that. Not to say
(13:42):
that he didn't see that, but but to me, b
York represents the modernization and the economic genius that an
artist has to have in order to create their own world.
And so I love bew York for that. I mean
(14:02):
I could have said Prince, but I love bew York
because she started out singing jazz as a little kid.
She Dow Jazz Records, and then she expanded, I mean,
you know, she expanded from that to working with AI
and and creating you know, music that that it's incorporated
(14:24):
with electronics, you know.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
And I just love the world that she's created.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
Even if it's like to some people, they might not
really understand her artistry, but I love her expansiveness as
an artist. She's always expanding. Miles Davis was always expanding.
I mean I would I could have said Miles, but
I feel like Miles was you know, he would have
been kind of mean, you know, you know, have a conversation,
(14:55):
you know, but I feel like, but I strongly feel
that if I were to meet Be York and Duke Ellington,
I feel like she would be just as interested in
Duke Ellington as I am, and Duke Ellington would be
interested in her because of the way his mind works,
(15:15):
you know, as an artist, and where that would take
place in the summer, in either Montego Bay or in Iceland,
because Iceland could beautiful in the summer, you know, and
just because you know, why not being on a mountain
somewhere and it's beautiful, and we have catering, of course,
(15:39):
it sounds fantastic, a little yacht or something with children
on the yacht and you know, having champagne and eating strawberries.
Speaker 8 (15:51):
Oh my god, that's magical.
Speaker 4 (15:54):
So tell me, guys, how did this collaboration come together?
How did you guys first meet and then how did
this project come together?
Speaker 2 (16:05):
That's you know, it's funny, like we don't know how
we first met, but I do know.
Speaker 3 (16:11):
My feeling is that I saw you.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
I saw Ryan performing at the Village Underground because when
I moved to New York, the Village Underground was this
basically this creative hub where you had the best R
and B artists, the best gospel artists, coming to the
best musicians coming through, the best recording artists coming through.
And it was a singers, singers session, and Ryan would
(16:34):
go there and wear the room out.
Speaker 8 (16:37):
What year did you move here? Two thousand and one,
because I'm oud here in ninety eight.
Speaker 3 (16:42):
Yeah, I moved here a month before nine to eleven.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
I got my master's at Howard University, and I moved
to New York.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
And a month later, New York was just disaster.
Speaker 8 (16:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
Yeah, And that was my introduction to New York. And
then and then, you know, as New Yorkers became more
confident to go out and then be underground, became a
very important place for musical development, for artistic development.
Speaker 3 (17:07):
And I would see.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Ryan there singing and he would just I just remember
how killing you were. And then you did a record
and you got a Grammy nomination everywhere, and then I did.
I never saw you again because you were just every
year here everywhere.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
Performing. Yeah.
Speaker 8 (17:24):
I think we did.
Speaker 9 (17:25):
Yeah, we would see each other in those circles down there,
and I don't think we ever like we were like.
Speaker 8 (17:28):
Hey, oh man, you were great, and I was like, yo, man,
you were killing, killing organ, you know whatever. And it
was just that for years.
Speaker 9 (17:33):
And then when it was time for me, I had
even walked away from Broadway for a little while after
I did Motown, and I was talking with my manager Elizabeth,
and she was saying, well, I think it's you know,
if you want to, you know, ever get back into that.
We need to not wait so long, so reconnect with
your Broadway audience. And I think, and you haven't performed
in New York for a while for your Ryan shawfan,
(17:54):
so maybe we should do a show that combines the
two worlds.
Speaker 8 (17:56):
So we started coming up with the concept and I
was like, oh, maybe I can do this, you know from.
Speaker 3 (17:59):
Broadway and Soul.
Speaker 9 (18:00):
I can do some some Broadway stuff to connect with
that crowd and do some of my original music as well,
so that everything, you know, sort of played to both
crowds in one space. And fifty four below is a
really great place to do that because it's like cabaret style.
And then she was like, well, how do we want
to present it? And I'm like, well, it's a small room,
so I think maybe just me and one other.
Speaker 8 (18:16):
Musician would be good to be very intimate.
Speaker 9 (18:17):
And I was and she was like, well, who you
think you like to use and then and.
Speaker 8 (18:22):
Then she was like I think she said what about Ray?
And I was like, oh, yeah, I've known Ray for years,
We've never worked together.
Speaker 9 (18:27):
This might be cool to bring in, you know, you know,
some fresh blood and you know, explore a different thing,
you know, because I've I always have my my conglomerate
of musicians that I always have that I would pick from.
But I was like, you know, let's yeah, let's try
something new. And we've known each other and we've been
cordial and cool for years, so let's make it happen.
And so that's how the fifty four below show happened
the first time, the one that Scott saw.
Speaker 3 (18:47):
But the lightning bolt moment. Yeah, yes.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
But prior to the show at fifty four below, I
was composing the music for the film called sleep Apnea,
and Ryan and I wrote the title song.
Speaker 8 (19:02):
Yeah, that was the first collaboration.
Speaker 3 (19:04):
It was that title of the song, Breathe again.
Speaker 8 (19:06):
Breathe again, until we breathe again.
Speaker 9 (19:08):
Yeah, Yo, can't climb a mountain, stuck on the ocean floor,
surrendering air?
Speaker 8 (19:18):
What are you waiting for? This is the moment? Yeah,
it was a great and it goes from there song
and by the end, I'm just till we breathe a guy.
Speaker 9 (19:31):
Yeah, we did at the last show, but it didn't fit. Yeah,
this was about our record with Scott's. It wasn't about that.
But the last time that song was in the show.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Yeah, yeah, this song is in the reserves. We're waiting
for it, you know, for the film to come out
so that we can.
Speaker 9 (19:44):
Release the song and if not, we have to put
it somewhere else because it's it's amazing.
Speaker 3 (19:48):
Ray.
Speaker 4 (19:48):
After he just did that, you know what, I just went,
I went touchdown.
Speaker 3 (19:54):
Right.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
Oh my, it's a beautiful song. But that was my
intro to working with Ryan. So from there we just
started saying, this is cool we should do.
Speaker 9 (20:05):
And we end up doing a couple of segments for
the We did a title song and a couple of
For some reason, it's been such a blur. Our synergy
is just like a tornado, like we hit and just
started spinning.
Speaker 8 (20:14):
And so it's been Yeah, I forgot that happened before.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
Another song in there called the Family.
Speaker 8 (20:18):
Yep, yep, the Family.
Speaker 9 (20:20):
So it's a few yeah, a few things. So it's
been it's been a good every time we get together.
The coolest thing about like I say, working with Ray
is that he is He's you know how sometimes I
would do improv and you know, the first rule of
improv is always a yes, and you never do anything
to stop the motion. So if they say something that
you don't like, like oh you're ugly, you don't be like,
oh I'm not ugly. You go, yeah, I'm ugly. Are
(20:40):
you born from a monkey? You know, whatever you have
to say to get to keep the story going. So
you never put restrictions in with Ray. It's like, no
matter what happens, there is nothing stupid or nothing bad
and anything negative. It's just it'll hit his synergy and
then we'll just spend it and we'll just figure out
how to make this idea work. That's the that's the
kind of collaboration. It's never it's always a four almost
(21:02):
one up in a non competitive way.
Speaker 3 (21:04):
It's basically what.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
He's trying to say, it's an egoist, egoist space to create. Yeah,
because I'm finding out even even as as I'm getting
older and becoming more interested in developing my own brand
and my own sound, but also connecting other with other
artists and getting them to do the same thing.
Speaker 3 (21:25):
You know, it's the ego.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
It's the ego and what Scott is talking about him
like seeing us, and we could have been like, well, no,
I'm good now, you know, I don't want to do
the show. I mean, you know, we you know, I
don't want, you know, for whatever reason, you know. And
and working in the space where Scott is like, you know,
he's he's got all these crazy instruments in there, like
(21:48):
all this venceance gear, and I'm like, oh, let's try this,
let's try it. And he's not like, well, nah, that's
my joint. Man, don't touch that, you know what I mean.
But it's like a it's like an egoist space, and
that's when, to me, that's when the best music is made,
you know, when not.
Speaker 3 (22:04):
To get super super spiritual.
Speaker 2 (22:06):
But Quincy Jones would say, when you let God in
the room, then magic happens. And you you know he
I mean, he created thrillers, so maybe this is our thriller, right.
Speaker 8 (22:19):
I like it that, I would say, yeah.
Speaker 4 (22:21):
But Scott, I have to ask you, you know, I
see the vibe of these guys in action here. Is
it the same way when they're in the creative process,
the same vibe, I mean completely just so much fun.
Speaker 5 (22:35):
It's it's fun.
Speaker 6 (22:36):
And so what what Ryan was saying about Ray is
true of both of them first of all, like that
collaboration is at its best when people are open, you know,
And I think that Ryan and Ray are both very
open human beings and open musicians and that's when that's
that's what allows.
Speaker 5 (22:56):
For magic to happen. I think when when.
Speaker 6 (22:58):
People just say, oh, that could be cool, as opposed
to just like this again, that that attitude that I
think does come from ego, which is just like nah
or it's always a pivot into something positive and just
you know, you can hear it in the the arrangements
of these tunes and the way that they were approached.
There was like I think, no restrictions, and that was
(23:18):
as you know, you know, Ryan's a singer, but we're
all musicians and there's a spirit that musicians have. And
when you don't put any guardrails on a process, when
there's no label so to speak, when there's no this,
you just get this thing of like we can do
this because we want to do this. And I think
that's where this album came from. Like it's hugely adventurous. Right,
(23:43):
There's hardly a genre of music that is not covered
on this and that wasn't you know, from an academic
point of view, is just because like, hey, let's freak
this this way, let's do this this way, and and
that's so exciting as a as a producer, as an engineer,
as a mixer, as a musician, as a singer, no guardrails, let's.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
Just do it.
Speaker 3 (24:05):
So Scott, you were reading my mind.
Speaker 4 (24:07):
That was really where I was heading with with Ryan
and Ray, which is the whole magic from your guys
perspective of covering. You know so many genres talk about
that as artists and why that's important to you.
Speaker 9 (24:25):
Yeah, I would say for me, it's really important because
I started off my career as a session singer and
I moved to New York and you know, I always
wanted to do Broadway, but that didn't happen until like
seventeen years later.
Speaker 8 (24:38):
So I got swept away in the music world.
Speaker 9 (24:40):
In the first My first like money making gigs was
going into the studio with foreign artists, hearing them their
new song that they're writing, either singing the backgrounds that
they had come up with, and most a lot of
the times creating the backgrounds for the albums than myself
with other singers, and so everything was a different genre.
And I realized that kind of like what Ray was saying,
(25:02):
music is is just music. I think people and the
monetization of music over time required people and also the
segregation of music, if you really want to call it,
require people to put themselves or to put their artists
in a box so that it could be packaged, you know,
like cereal, Like why can't cheerios, corn flakes and you
(25:26):
know life all be in the same box. I would
eat it, but no, they have to remove this or
it's just life. You buy this, or you buy that,
you buy that.
Speaker 8 (25:32):
But really it's serious.
Speaker 10 (25:34):
Well you know what I meant, you know, Okay, well
great nuts, okay, whatever, but.
Speaker 8 (25:45):
You know how Yeah, So for me, music is just music.
Speaker 9 (25:48):
And I think I used to always get asked this
question for when I do interviews, like what is what
do you what is soul music mean to you? And
I'm like, well, soul music is not old music is
really not a genre to me. Like the first time,
when I was in the Marine Corps, I was exposed
to a lot of music there in the you know,
at the on bass and stuff, and a lot of
(26:10):
the guys would listen to like country music, and the
first time I heard Shanaia Twain is there Life After Love?
Speaker 8 (26:16):
I was moved. That was sole music to me.
Speaker 9 (26:18):
So I'm like, the genre has nothing to do with soul,
and so how we choose to package each song was
just what was very important to me, and Ray was
if it suited the song, if it worked for the song,
and if it singed like an authentic voice for me,
then that's just what it was. Now once it was finished,
people can say, oh my god, that's old to the eighties,
Oh my god, that feels like pop.
Speaker 8 (26:37):
Oh that's gospel.
Speaker 9 (26:38):
But at the time when we were creating it, it
was just the music that was happening in the room.
And then later it became the package. And I think
that's what was very special about it, because it, like
Scott was just saying, it wasn't like intention was just
while we were baking. This is just what happened. And
then I forgot finished, like oh wow, that ended up
being jazz or dang, this has a reggae feel that's eighties,
(26:58):
or this is gospel or this is funk. You know,
and this is classical, you know, all of it.
Speaker 3 (27:03):
You know. Recently I was listening to.
Speaker 2 (27:10):
A clip of someone talking about Horowitz and his journey
as a pianist, and one thing that stood out to
me is that Horowitz represents an era of showmanship and
artistic expression where he would never play the same piece
(27:33):
the same way, you know, or he would pick the
program for whatever he's you know, if he's playing in
some famous concert, or he'd picked the program the day
of the concert, and he would pick a piece he
hadn't paid in seven years. So if you can imagine
the musicality that would come, because then you're like, oh,
(27:53):
what was this? And then now you're you're having to
make choices. That being said, when you have a song
that's that's been written, say, for example, forty years ago,
you know, as an artist, it's more beneficial for me
to put my own stamp on it so that the
song evolves and it takes on a new meaning. And
(28:15):
so for Ryan to be such an incredible vocalist and
to take a song like without You and really put
a new meaning to the song, for the musicians actually
to put a new stamp on the song, just like
when Miles Davis would take any Broadway standard summertime and
made it a jazz standard. You know, but how many
(28:37):
times can we do Summertime? There's so many amazing songs
that never get covered, and why not create. I think
Herbie Hancock had a record called new Standards, you know.
You know, it's like art imitates life and nothing. I
think we, as human beings, we forget that. You know,
you were talking about soul music. Soul music is not
(28:58):
a genre because we are souls. We're spirits living in
this avatar, you know, and I think we sometimes forget that,
not to get too super spiritual, sometimes we forget that
we're all children of God, you know what I mean,
and we're here to express ourselves in ways that Number One,
(29:21):
we're storytellers and everyone loves a good story, and it
keeps people excited. It keeps young people like, oh my god,
I didn't know that. Oh that's crazy, Oh my god.
I love that, you know. It keeps the excitement of
life going. And I hope that young people are inspired
by these news by this album, because it's not just
(29:43):
for the Broadway community. It's for people that love music.
You know, we're just creating new standards.
Speaker 4 (29:51):
You know, yeah, beautifully put.
Speaker 1 (29:53):
We'll be right back with more of the Taking a
Walk Podcast. Welcome back to the Taking a Walk Podcast.
Speaker 4 (30:04):
So would you guys walk through I know they're all
your favorites of the album, so you could walk through
all of them if you want, but walk through maybe
some or all of the songs and what they mean
to you and how you created your new stamp of
(30:26):
these songs.
Speaker 8 (30:29):
I think as for all of them.
Speaker 9 (30:30):
I mean when we started this process, I think Ray
and Scott were both like, I think it's more important
that Ryan picks the song since he'll be singing.
Speaker 8 (30:39):
Most of them.
Speaker 9 (30:40):
So I went on a sort of a wild goose
chase because I love Broadway and I always wanted to
do Broadway, but I'm sort of not like the traditional
theater kid. I had certain musicals that just came to
me in certain songs that I would do, and I
love theater and I'm I think i'm some I think
I'm like a closeted director because I'll see shows and
I'll be like, oh, I would have done this, this
direction should have been this and that.
Speaker 8 (31:01):
So I used to like, you know, at my.
Speaker 9 (31:02):
Church, I would direct little plays and stuff. So I
always had a thing for music and musicals and how
theater works. And so when I said, instead of doing
just the songs we did at the fifth four below before,
which were just parts of my story that I wanted
to share, and then tied in my favorite songs or
my earliest influences of Broadway. When Scott was like, well
(31:24):
we should do a record, I said, well, let's not
pigeonhole to that. Let me just go back, and so
I took a step back and I just pulled up
like Broadway songs from the beginning till now, and just
looked up like I think I actually did a Google
search for the top ten Broadway songs for every year
since it since like nineteen fifty and forward. So and
then I would see certain songs and like certain titles
(31:45):
would jump out a certain songs that I knew.
Speaker 8 (31:47):
I'm like, oh, that would be good. I remember that song.
Speaker 9 (31:48):
I remember that, And I just pulled and I think
the initial list I compiled was about thirty five songs
of songs that I knew or had heard or remembered
the melody and something about.
Speaker 8 (31:57):
It was tangible for me.
Speaker 9 (31:59):
And then I sent it to the team and they
were like, well, okay, well we can't do thirty songs,
because Scott was like, well we could do nine well.
Speaker 8 (32:08):
You know yeah, because He's like, yeah, we're not gonna you.
Speaker 3 (32:10):
Know, well there could always be a follow up.
Speaker 9 (32:13):
Yes, uh so I said, so let me try to
wheedle this down, and then we ended up with the
nine songs that we have, which was my way surprise.
She used to be mine waving through a window without
you sending the clowns on Broadway. I'm missing too, I
(32:33):
don't have a gasemone And did I say waving through
a window? And I think I waving through a window?
Speaker 8 (32:41):
Yeah, yeah, oh no on the street where you live? Yes, yeah,
from my Fair Lady.
Speaker 9 (32:46):
And and a lot of that process was a blur
for me. Actually, it just I feel like it they
just sort of came because when me and Ray first
got together, like at his house, and I would just
be singing through you know, Ray is he's one of
those creative genius is that he in that moment, is
that moment, and if you don't capture that moment.
Speaker 8 (33:08):
That moment's not coming back. So then we have to
find a new moment.
Speaker 9 (33:10):
So sometimes and there will be every moment is a moment,
and every moment is from my where I said, it's
generally brilliant to some degree, and so I'm like, well,
and so when first like like my Way was probably
the most interesting one because that was actually Scott had
done a recording of My Way with another artist and
(33:32):
he was like, well, I have a cool version of
that song you guys want to hear. So we heard
it and I was like, oh, that's pretty cool, and
I was like it didn't super feel like me, but
we love the vibe. And then so me and Ray
he sent it to us. He said, we all listen
to it and see what.
Speaker 8 (33:43):
Happens, and then it sort of evolved into what we
have now.
Speaker 4 (33:47):
A stirring, moving rendition is how I would care think beautiful,
just amazing.
Speaker 8 (33:55):
Yeah, and we did, and it's like that was like.
Speaker 2 (33:59):
It was like an old to George Clinton too totally
you know what I mean, because uh, you know, if
I had it my way, I would work with every
type of artist. George Clinton, I work with Sarah mcgoth,
you know, I would work with her. I would work
with New York, I would work with Pink. I just
(34:19):
work with all everyone that who I love, you know,
Brandy Carlisle, Oh my gosh, it's amazing. So anyway, so
that I felt like, man, I wanted I wanted Uncle
George to like to maybe hear this and be like,
oh man, okay, yeah we still over. The funk is
still alive, you know. And but what Ryan does with that,
it's sort of like Gumbo. To me, music is it's
(34:41):
like gumbo. But also music is fluid, and there's a
through line, you know, if you if you notice it,
there's a through line where everything is connected. For me,
I live in a world where I mean I grew
up First of all, I grew up listening to classical music,
but then also listen to gospel music. And I was
listening to and then and then hearing like Pat Matheeney
(35:04):
and then hearing George Duke and Herbie Hancock and chick
Corea and all the electronic stuff that Chick Area was doing.
And all this music is in my head, you know,
and and and it just comes out when I'm working
with different people. But that's a particular song. I love
it because you have the funk meets gospel, you know,
(35:26):
the ending and then the very end, it's just.
Speaker 3 (35:29):
Ryan, that was crazy. Yeah, that was crazy.
Speaker 2 (35:33):
That was crazy. That's one of my favorite songs. But
my favorite song is Sending the Clowns because the way
that I view music, I view music as creating. I
view it as like I'm going to the library to
check out a book, so I go. I think Fore
said it was a great analogy to Forarro made. You know,
(35:54):
you go into the library to check out a book.
I take it a step further. You go into the ether,
and and you know, God lives in the ether and
he sends down messages.
Speaker 3 (36:04):
You know, see see right there, I.
Speaker 8 (36:05):
Hate it exactly exactly.
Speaker 3 (36:11):
Isn't that perfect?
Speaker 2 (36:13):
Yes, see exactly see I'm telling you and and and
and and just like that. I am so present to that,
because if you're not present to that, then you missed
the opportunity.
Speaker 3 (36:31):
And so.
Speaker 2 (36:33):
Sending the Clowns was just something I just had this notion.
I was like, Man, this would be great solo piano.
But Ryan has to sing. I'm going to play the melody,
and he answers me, but his voice is like listen
way in the back somewhere. And I saw that. To Ryan,
he was like, it sounds beautiful. I don't know if
you need me on it, I don't hear myself on it,
and then I didn't like.
Speaker 3 (36:54):
I don't when I work with people.
Speaker 2 (36:55):
I do not like to micromanage people, because I know
what it's like to be micromanaged as an artist, and
I fucking hate it, you know what I'm saying, Like
someone telling you how to fucking do your art and
you're like, you know, it really bothers me because, you know,
because I've been in so many studio situations with really
like well to do, well established producers who were just shitheads,
(37:19):
you know, and they take the light fucking life out
of the music by saying you are bringing their energy
through your fingers, you know what I mean, And it
sort of really kills That's why the music industry is
the way it is right now, because people aren't themselves.
Everyone's being micromanaged. Everyone's trying to fit into Oh are
you viral enough?
Speaker 3 (37:39):
Are you this? Are you that? What about the fucking music?
Do you like the song? You feel something okay?
Speaker 8 (37:44):
Cool?
Speaker 2 (37:45):
Put on something else next, someone's gonna love this song.
They might be in Budapest. I just feel that music
is just used in such a way that doesn't help people,
you know what I mean? With everything that you know,
the art being killed and not going on the ramp.
I feel like Kanye right now, you know.
Speaker 3 (38:05):
What I'm saying. I'm not stopping, but I just think
it's important. I just think it's important to let people
be themselves. Man.
Speaker 4 (38:14):
But isn't also with your your other job as part
of the roots. I mean, isn't that part of the
secret to that success as well? That people know that
there's so much fun and games going on.
Speaker 2 (38:30):
Of course, that's but that's a different thing from what
I'm talking about completely, you know what I'm.
Speaker 3 (38:34):
Saying, Like, that's a totally totally different type of thing.
Speaker 2 (38:39):
And and to me, that works because there is a
welled oiled machine. And it's also you know, how can
I say this, So there's no one way to skin
a cat right when you when you have a factory,
there's you have like Balenciaga, and you have Louis Time,
(39:00):
you have ton Ford. So all these different styles of
music or different ways of creating music definitely have to
be there. But you talk about my experience in the
music that I'm creating, it's a totally different thing. When
I'm working with someone else, I'm totally like, what are
we doing?
Speaker 1 (39:18):
You know?
Speaker 2 (39:19):
But if I'm a composer and I'm in a driver's seat,
let's go. But also, here's a beautiful thing. That's a
great question. The thing about leadership. In order to be
a great leader, you have to be a great follower,
you know.
Speaker 3 (39:34):
What I mean?
Speaker 2 (39:35):
And I learned from everyone that I work with, and
for me, I think I'm in a position where I
can appreciate both sides, you know. But when you talk
about micro managing someone who's creating, and they're creating, like
we're creating a record together, it's a totally different thing.
If I say, for example, if I say, if Ryan says, man,
(39:59):
I want to try and get me I want to
do a swing, and I say, now.
Speaker 3 (40:02):
I don't really like that. I don't think that idea works,
and I don't even try it, you know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (40:07):
Yeah, it's the structured road in necessary environments, of course,
and then there's the free creative spirit environment, and those
are two completely.
Speaker 2 (40:19):
When you're making a record, when you're creating a record,
when you're creating your own music, you have to have
that sort of freedom and openness to be inspired by conversation.
Be inspired by who you're working with when you're working
on your own music. But if you're for example, if
you know Prince says, you know, hey, Ray, I want
you to come to the studio, I can't say Prince,
(40:41):
you know, like, uh, you know, yeah, here's my song, right?
Speaker 3 (40:47):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 9 (40:48):
The same token, Prince would also be the one too
if he asked Ray to comes to the studio, Prince,
being the artist that he is, would listen to what
Ray would have to say. What would allow that to
be a free Yeah?
Speaker 8 (40:59):
I'm mean, really is that you are? Yeah? You are.
Speaker 9 (41:02):
But even with sending the clowns like yeah, he was
like I'm gonna play it, and I was like, that's beautiful.
And then you know, Ray was doing I call him rayisms,
So Ray had his raism. Then he started going he
was like, oh, I'm gonna put a moog on this,
and then next thing it turned to this thing and
I was like, I don't think that I.
Speaker 8 (41:17):
Fit on this record because what you're doing was so beautiful.
Speaker 9 (41:20):
Just the piano was fine, and now this is taking
it to a whole nother place and I don't think
I have a place here and so he just left
it alone. Yes, and then this is when the the
trifecta happens, because Scott has such great instincts as a producer.
I was here and we were we had just finished
all the recordings and I was kind of tired, and
I was like, Ray want me to sing on this song.
Speaker 8 (41:39):
I don't know if I'm being able to do it.
I'm just not feeling.
Speaker 9 (41:40):
And Scott says, well, just go, just do what you feel.
Just do two takes, two passes, and if you and
and if you're not feeling, they won't let it go.
Speaker 8 (41:49):
But at least do two passes.
Speaker 9 (41:50):
And then I'm like okay, and so I do the
first pass and then I see Scott just a slink
from behind the board. He goes, I think you've changed
my mind about having vocals on this record.
Speaker 8 (42:01):
Yes, and then he said do one more past.
Speaker 9 (42:02):
I did another past, and then Scott Winnen did his
his editing, and that that's what we have.
Speaker 3 (42:07):
My example of not micromanaging someone.
Speaker 2 (42:10):
That's that's the that's the that's the the result. Because
I in my mind I heard him singing on it,
but you know, I didn't want to say, oh, sing
it like this, because I hear it like this. I
just put it out there, and when he sang on it,
it was exactly.
Speaker 3 (42:26):
What I heard.
Speaker 2 (42:27):
Yeah, because I knew my instincts told me that Ryan
would kill this, because I hear his voice in my
head and I could hear how he would improvise through
the all the crazy harmonic landscape I created on that song,
and he kneeled it and to And that's my point
about micromanaging, because I allowed him the space to take
(42:48):
in what I what my idea was, and then he
internalized it and without him even knowing it, he figured
out his own way and created his own magic.
Speaker 9 (42:59):
And that's what I'm and it is probably I was
my favorite song on the record, just about Yeah. I
mean I would put it very close to Goosemone like
it is it came out. That's the one song that
I actually will when it ends, I will start it
over again. It's so calming and it's chaotic. It reminds
me of one of my favorite pieces of music, which
is it's the I can't remember how to pronounce it.
(43:22):
It's like it's the the the theme song from Babel.
Speaker 8 (43:26):
Doom Doom Doom, Doom, Doom, doom, doom, doom, doom, doom,
d D d D.
Speaker 9 (43:31):
And then halfway it's like a seven minute piece if
you've never heard it, but it's to just google the
theme song from Babel And at the end it goes
into these like dissonant like violin started coming and then
it evens out again. And that's what it was doing
for me, the way Ray interpreted to send in the
clowns and yeah, it's it's it's yeah, it's one of
my favorites.
Speaker 3 (43:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (43:52):
And plus when you when you you know that song,
I didn't realize the history of this song, but like
you know, the song about rejection, it's also about lost
but also about re re resolution. You know, there's so
many different aspects of that song. And Ryan just killed that.
But my other favorite song is get Simony Andrew Lloyd wherever.
I hope he loves what we did with his song.
(44:12):
He you know, it's he's such a legend. But when
Ryan Christy the idea, I just could not hear that
you want to swing?
Speaker 8 (44:20):
I was like, okay, yeah, he didn't say no. That
was the only time he his hand till the sound was.
Speaker 3 (44:25):
Like really andy, and then he just said not even crazier.
Speaker 2 (44:30):
And then I was like, well if we swing and
I was like, well, we have all this other music
that's like sort of hard hitting is either gospel or
is you know.
Speaker 3 (44:39):
And then I was like, well, what if he made
it like this song hot dude, dude, dude, you know.
Speaker 2 (44:46):
And then I was thinking like, well, you know when
in different cultures around the world, when someon when someone
passes away, it's almost like a celebration as opposed to
because you're you're transitioning to the other side, and it's
not like a sad thing because we will see you
once again, because at the end of the day, we're
going to all pass away. And so I was like, well,
(45:06):
maybe we can change the meaning and energy of the
song and make it something that celebratory.
Speaker 3 (45:11):
And everyone was like, I don't know, if it's good,
can we do this? I don't know.
Speaker 8 (45:17):
It got it got pretty.
Speaker 9 (45:18):
That's the one song that we felt we took. We took,
but it just felt right for the song. And it's
like what Ray was saying, because like Elizabeth actually called
me and we were having a conversation about it. She
was like, you know, this song is about you know
the you know, Jesus surrendering like his death, you know,
about him saying okay, I'll die, and I was like,
I know, but it feels right. And from my upbringing,
(45:41):
I grew up Pentecostal, so Easter Sunday celebration is about
him rising. So for my culture, his death is just
as celebratory as his rising because we know this moment
for us in this day and time, at that moment.
For if we like in the moment in time, then yes,
it's sad. He's giving up his life, he's choosing this,
but in this day and time, he's doing that so
that he can live again, so that we can all live.
Speaker 8 (46:03):
So for me, the.
Speaker 9 (46:04):
Death is just as celebratory as that. So we don't
see death and saying that's why he said the most time,
the most like shouting that we've ever done in the
church is usually at a funeral. If somebody lived a
good life that we saw and we thought they were
holy and pure, then we are like celebrating, you know,
thank you Lord. You know I want to have that
same celebration, And so for me it was very fitting.
But it did get to the point where she was like, well,
maybe we need to call Andrews whateber you want to
see this is going to be okay, and then you know,
(46:26):
I think she even reached out to his lawyer and
he was like, did he change the melody? He was like, no,
I kept the melody. Did he change the lyrics? Same lyrics?
Let's not open that can of worms. So we ended
up with it and I think it is one of
the most joyous when.
Speaker 8 (46:37):
We performed it last night.
Speaker 3 (46:38):
It was so good.
Speaker 8 (46:40):
It was in saying the reaction that that the people got.
Speaker 9 (46:44):
Everyone is saying even I think over at the at
a center stage, I think Elizabeth asked Van Deen over there,
who is our label partner? You know, what was your
favorite song? And I think he's like, gooseimony.
Speaker 7 (46:57):
So tell me how it felt the event and just
watching the response of people As artists, how special is
that when you're seeing your work come full circle to
fruition it's in front of people.
Speaker 4 (47:14):
Describe that feeling.
Speaker 3 (47:16):
Man that.
Speaker 2 (47:19):
You know, it feels like when's the next show? Yes,
that's how I felt.
Speaker 3 (47:25):
For me. It was, you know, it was almost like
a full circle.
Speaker 2 (47:31):
Because Scott so eloquently said, you know, he was sitting
there the show with his folks and he was just
so engulfed in music. But everything started with Scott and
I can't even I can't even explain or express how
appreciative I am of Scott and his his selflessness to
(47:55):
see art and say, Okay, this could really work, let me,
let me tap into that, and to come back after
he had already done it the first time, and to
come back the second time, and to see them because
I didn't have the same keyboards that I had, you
know that I hadn't here, but it still works, you
know what I mean? And we had it was different,
(48:18):
different set of musicians. So my takeaway is that we
created such a dynamic record that anyone can perform the
music and have their own thing or that put their
own stamp on it. So we literally created a new standard.
Speaker 9 (48:34):
Yeah another thing, Yeah yeah yeah, And even with you
said me, and this is what it was like. I mean,
the collaboration was truly the three because though what Scott's
instinct was about, this show always bridge bridged any small
gap that there was between well like like even like
(48:55):
fins going back to sending the clowns like I don't
think I should sing on this song?
Speaker 8 (48:58):
Well do this?
Speaker 9 (48:59):
There was many times I would. I was in here,
I don't think what the song was. I was having
a real difficult time with something and then oh it was.
It was Ah, I learned to damn on the brigs
before I even turn the key. And I was, you know,
I'm such an aggressive singer that I will just be
like at the end, I was just like going off
(49:19):
and then Scott just sort of peaks around the board again, Hey,
maybe just try a couple of takes, you know what,
all just like like relax, like laying to it. And
I was like, okay, because you know, at the end,
I was like I'm waiting.
Speaker 8 (49:31):
Maybe not you know, I was like, okay. He's like,
but just feel the beat and just you know, just
like leaning into that.
Speaker 6 (49:36):
And I was like, oh yeah, island.
Speaker 1 (49:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 9 (49:40):
He was like, I don't feel like I'm on an island.
Like you're making me shake my drink out of my hands.
Speaker 2 (49:43):
You know, what's the song that goes dude on that
street where you're on the street where you live.
Speaker 3 (49:49):
So you know, you know it's funny. Uh so Scott?
Uh so?
Speaker 2 (49:56):
I after shout out Scott in his incredible studio, Yeah,
the gear and he needs to be talked about like
he has, like this is the history of music. Yeah,
you know, the drum machines are Sly used on the
family on side and on the family stand like he has,
and we use all of those incredible UH instruments that
(50:20):
Sly used and it's like a musical history UH museum
in here. And and there was one keyboard that he
has and I hadn't played it, and I was just
going through sounds and I.
Speaker 3 (50:34):
Literally I was like, oh, this is cool. Oh what's this?
And I started playing the intro to UH on the
street where she lives. I just.
Speaker 2 (50:47):
You know, and I just the music just happened, just
like that, you know. Yeah, the studio is such.
Speaker 9 (50:54):
And that was the other thing about it because a
lot of these ranges like we had because we don't
we didn't sit in like arrangements like I think Ray
was so confident because me and Scott was like, well,
I don't know about He was like, no, these kids we.
Speaker 8 (51:06):
Got, you know, they they they're great. Well, one is
Papa Bear.
Speaker 9 (51:09):
Papa Bear is my is my godson actually, and he
grew up in the church and he's actually a child project.
He started off on the I mean he's just as
good a drummer as he is a bass player. He
don't want me to say. He probably mad that I
said that, because he don't like to play the drums
no more.
Speaker 8 (51:20):
But he's really dope.
Speaker 9 (51:21):
And as a child he was like a prodigy and
like getting these kids together.
Speaker 8 (51:25):
And he was like one day and me and Scott
was like, no, we're too old for that. We need
two days. Uh. He was like, no, they're gonna do
it one day. It's gonna be great. So we got
We did all the homework really before.
Speaker 9 (51:35):
And once we got in here just to see like
the concepts that we have, and then I was just
kind of standing back and you know, and you know,
because the collaboration were Ray, and Ray knew these guys,
he had worked with him before, and just to take
the concept then to see Ray just sort of like
take them as almost like throwing paint, like painting with
these guys like in real time. And so some of
the arrangements we saw him shift and I was like, oh,
(51:55):
that's not and then we hit and I would just
bust through the door like.
Speaker 8 (51:57):
That's it, that is it right, let's go and it
will be that.
Speaker 9 (52:01):
And it was such a it was like a lot
of I don't remember a lot of it. It was just
it was in real time. It was like and Scott
just captured all of those magical moments.
Speaker 3 (52:10):
You know. It's funny.
Speaker 2 (52:11):
I was thinking about the the the intro to My Way.
I was like, yo, Jalen Man, can you you know
that song that could rock with you? You know, intro
to rock with you? We need like, ayo, like, what's
your signature drum intro that people from twenty years from
now are going to say, Yo, what's.
Speaker 3 (52:30):
That they are?
Speaker 8 (52:31):
And they will, oh, yeah.
Speaker 2 (52:33):
We need we need you to have your own rock
with you intro. We need that on this song. And
he was like he thought about it and he was
playing something. I say, no, that's not no, no, no, but
try to try it again. And then he was okay,
cool and he killed it. And what's the song where
I had him do the seven seven three ninety eleven?
Speaker 5 (52:50):
Oh yeah?
Speaker 3 (52:51):
Was it the reggae song?
Speaker 6 (52:52):
It was No, I think I think it was the
on the Street where you live.
Speaker 5 (52:57):
In the Street where you live?
Speaker 6 (52:59):
Yeah, in the chorus, but yeah, yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 3 (53:05):
Yeah, I would just take I was just we were
just painting. Man.
Speaker 1 (53:09):
It was.
Speaker 2 (53:11):
With great musicians. We're going back to not micromanaging people.
Speaker 3 (53:15):
You know.
Speaker 2 (53:16):
That's the central theme of this record. You know, it's
like being letting God be in the room. That's what
I'm That's what I really meant to say. It's not
about micromanager. It's about just letting the energy be what
it's supposed to be, you know. And there's no and
it's nothing to anyone that feels like they need to micromanage,
but for this particular record, we wanted God to be
(53:39):
in the room so that we can have a more
universal outreach and effect with people that listen to this record.
But anyway, it was really great to work with these guys,
and there was they were they thought it was crazy
when I was like, no, we could do the record
in one day.
Speaker 3 (53:55):
And we did it one day. Unbelievable, at least at
least the tracks you know, we did.
Speaker 2 (54:02):
I mean, of course you have to do the you know,
the additional production and record all the vocals, but in
terms of like the actual tracks with the band, we
did in one day. But you can do any when
you have great musicians, and we did come prepared. We
did have a general idea of what we're going to do.
And then it's just easier when you're working with really
(54:23):
great musicians to say, okay, so let's let's go down
Broadway and then make.
Speaker 3 (54:28):
A left on on.
Speaker 2 (54:30):
Twenty third Street. Actually, you know what, twenty third Street
is crowded. Let's go down to forty second and make
it right. Yeah, you know, and we can go to
Central Maybe maybe we'll go up one hundred and tenth
of Central Park, you know what I mean, Let's go
get some food at Lincoln Center.
Speaker 3 (54:45):
Okay, cool.
Speaker 9 (54:46):
And that happened at the end of because, like I say,
I could have done out distress, I will say of
the one day, but it was.
Speaker 8 (54:53):
But you know, it was great, It was really great.
But at the end dress Yeah.
Speaker 9 (54:56):
But at the end of the day, like everybody was
getting ready to leave, and I think the last song
we ended up try backing was waving through a window
and everybody was like, but what are we gonna do
with this? And everybody and it was doing things and
I was like, and then suddenly it came in and
I was like, I think we should do some reggae and.
Speaker 8 (55:11):
Then it came in.
Speaker 9 (55:12):
It just at the last minute because were stressed like
how we're gonna do and it wasn't feeling right, and
I was like, let's just let's just rag, let's try that.
And then it was like okay, and it is jumped
in it was like d.
Speaker 8 (55:23):
And I was like, that's it.
Speaker 9 (55:24):
Yeah, And it ended up just being but like I said,
just being able to come in and paint and just
be in the vibe and be collaborating.
Speaker 3 (55:31):
And that song was because you know, I was playing that.
Speaker 2 (55:34):
I was playing that line because it's, uh, you know,
I love Wayne Shorter and and it's weird because Wayne.
Speaker 3 (55:43):
I feel like like.
Speaker 2 (55:44):
Wayne Shorter has been like talking to me, you know,
because there's a song he has called Deluge.
Speaker 3 (55:50):
I literally keep.
Speaker 2 (55:52):
Hearing this song and I'm like, yo, what is this song?
And someone told me what the song was and I
was like, oh wow, And then that puts you the
song that uh the intro is uh, you know, a
take on his composition for weather.
Speaker 3 (56:08):
Report dude do.
Speaker 2 (56:20):
Blin exactly, exactly. Yeah, So we just kind of like
just riffed off that.
Speaker 8 (56:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (56:26):
Yeah, yeah, but with Rege Yes, Yes.
Speaker 8 (56:32):
It's just all these worlds that just met. It was
so much fun.
Speaker 3 (56:35):
I mean, but that's the way music.
Speaker 2 (56:37):
In my mind, that's the way music is because you know,
even in classical music, you have so many composers that
you know, they study back and they'll do their own version.
Speaker 3 (56:48):
Of the of the will typic clavier. And you know
what I mean.
Speaker 2 (56:52):
You have Chopin doing the His all His A Tubes
which is patterned after will Tipic clavier.
Speaker 3 (56:57):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (56:58):
And so to me, there's so many through lines when
it comes to music, and everything affects each other.
Speaker 4 (57:07):
You knows, I could I could spend hours. I already
have spent hours, but I could spend more hours, uh,
having you dig into the creative process and all the
things that move you and how you move us with
your music. But congratulations Scott on off Broadway. An amazing,
(57:32):
amazing output here of joy and beauty and creativity. And
thank you for sharing it with our our taking a
walk audiences for having us. It's really been a treasure.
Speaker 8 (57:46):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (57:48):
Thanks
Host
Lynn Hoffman
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