Arranger/Orchestrator/Piano

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: Ask me to tell you the Dr. John / Wardell Quezergue story some time. Also, the Erol Josué story in Port-au-Prince and Jacmel. Then there are all the philanthropic projects and the stories behind them that have helped people profoundly and literally saved lives. There's a lot. I'm sure some of my stories will work their way into our collaboration. If we work together, our stories become merged for the time we create something. This is why we're all connected. This is why all our influences and lives are inseparable from our collective creations. I'm sure we'll both share stories based on what we're proud of. But yeah, ask me about the ones I mentioned above - some great ones I feel enormously proud of.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. Because they're both necessary.

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: Excellence, professionalism, quality, inspiration.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: Is what they're asking for actually possible? And my answer is almost without exception, yes.

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: That it's easy. That it's not a real job. That it's something I actually have a choice in doing or not doing.

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: Be honest in every way. Don't overthink or over prepare in areas that you're not comfortable. Don't waste time trying to do something half-assed that I can do easily for you. It's my job to understand your vision regardless of your starting point. Just talk to me and tell me what you dream your song or your project should be and we'll get you there.

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: An axe, a knife, a water bottle, a dark umbrella, and a row boat.

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: My career literally spans all but a few years of my life because music and the arts became such a huge part of my daily life at such an early age. There are both general and detailed bios on my website which help with some of this story. If you look at the Services section of my website (both services offered from my company and from myself personally) they all give perspective of the evolution of each of those areas of expertise in my life and career.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style is the style of the project I'm asked to contribute to. I'm the guy behind the scenes that helps everything to get to the next level. It's not my responsibility to project my own style onto someone else's song, it's my responsibility to find the style that the song and artist demands. And if I'm presented with a song or a piece that is not fully realized enough to demand any particular style, then it's my responsibility to get it to the point where it starts to demand things of the people contributing to it. A song, a script, a film, a musical - all of these things need to arrive at a place where they themselves start to demand things from their creators.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Force yourself to be resourceful rather than finding the shortcut for every challenge. Younger producers and musicians always ask me, "What plugin did you use for that sound?" "Is that the ___ app?" "Where did you find that sample?" I'd say 99 out of a 100 times the answer is that I simply played it or recorded it live myself. Sure, it's not so common anymore that producers are also professional musicians, able to read music, understand theory, have the technical capacity to record multiple instruments, etc., but even if that's not your bag, you have to learn more about music than just operating a bunch of enabling apps and messing with samples and loops. There's no soul in that. Find something you're good at and get GREAT at it with hard work and professionalism. This will always give you an edge in the industry over other people. Sadly, most music I hear now is just lazy - lazy in its inception, lazy in its execution, lazy in all the hows and whats and whys. If you want to create something that means something (or even just something which is profoundly cool) it needs to come from an inspired place. And a producer who has no skill and a shortcut-based work ethic is not inspiring.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Translation. This is essential. Every creative mind both understands their art and communicates it differently. With music this is more True than in any other expressive medium. It's my responsibility to not only understand HOW someone processes music, but also how they express it through their voice/song/instrument. Only then can I communicate with them clearly enough, help them to realize their vision, and also be an enhancing force in helping them to also take their own craft to the next level. It's all language. The language of music. The language of art. But what people don't realize a lot of time is that everyone's musical language is its own, singular dialect. I need to learn that language and that dialect for every client and it is absolutely second nature to me at this point.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Literally everything it needs. And if I'm not the absolute best resource in any category of the songj's essential areas of need, I will always recommend someone else that is (regardless of whether that person is under my umbrella or not).

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Actively listening to my client, essential/constructive questions/dialogue, practical solutions, professional and inspired results. Every client and every project is so indescribably different that there is no formula I come to the table with. The solution is strictly based on the client's needs so no creative dream is compromised by some box I force it into for my own convenience. I'm the creative machine - or more accurately, I'm responsible for building the creative machine in which a client's project will be fully realized.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My home studio setup is super simple. Because the vast majority of hours I'm hired for involves high end programming of sample instruments, creating both reference and final vocals, and writing and/or programming refs of string arrangements, vocal arrangements, and orchestrations, the setup (a premium keyboard, my powerful MacBookPro, two additional screens, an audio interface, and an AT4030 on a boom stand) keeps the space around me uncluttered for inspiration and room to breathe and create. My windows are almost always open as I look out over the 19th Century rooftops, a gorgeous row of chestnut trees, and the massive piece of sky I'm so grateful to have in view while I work. For larger projects, I either move into a more elaborate home studio of one of my primary recording partners (with an acoustic piano), one or two reliable high end recording studios, or remotely through my favorite recording space in NYC where I've literally done 100's of projects and tap into my endless resources there.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: Awwww, man. If we could put Rachmaninoff, Radiohead, Bach, U2, Joni Mitchell, Beethoven, Chris Thile, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Jacque Brel, Susanne Sundfør, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Talking Heads, Ibrahim Ferrer, Eliades Ochoa, Marvin Gaye, Joe Cocker, Lou Reed, Beethoven, R.E.M., Talk Talk, Sviatoslav Richter, The Beach Boys, and Gabor Szabo all in the same pot, then we'd start to get close to some perspective of the fluid algorithm in my head that seamlessly influences every creative decision I make. I feel like a continuation of the every influence and responsible for passing that knowledge and beauty and commitment of excellence down through my work.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: String arrangements, vocal arrangements, small to large scale orchestrations, specialized piano/keyboard/percussion recording, and demo development are at the top of my most common requests. This is usually parallel with creative consulting on whatever project the smaller tasks are associated with. The big picture always informs and improves the quality of the smaller components for me - even if that big picture has to do with the clients hopes and dreams and not necessarily directly corresponds to the task I'm asked to do.