Audio and Music Production
Working on mixing new tracks for Grand Junction solo artist Tammie Martin. Just completed Broken Wing, a song that had several incarnations in the local GJ studio before it got to me. She says,
“Oh Yea! You softened the guitar, and the fiddle break and fills in the end are awesome. Just what I was looking for. Nice job putting it together Jim. Thanks”
Will get some samples up later after the project is completed. We are almost there! stay tuned – dj.
Barn Jazz Productions is proud to announce that our new recording studio is open for business! All the hard work of wiring, construction, acoustic treatment, and configuration of gear took some time but the wait was worth it. Here is a photo of the new space. We now have room for an entire band, a luxury that we did not have in our prior space. If you would like to book some time please send me a message using our Contact Page and I will get back to you promptly. Here are some before and after photos.
Work is progressing on our new studio space in Grand Junction, Colorado. We have acquired a house with a large, walkout basement are fitting it with acoustic treatment and sound isolation for the doors and windows. The new studio does not have a name yet, but we are excited. The space is twice as large as the previous Double Diamond Studio in Oracle, AZ.
So far this year we have produced two CD projects for local singers and bands. There is a lot of acoustic music happening in the Grand Valley, and I am excited to be a part of it. Here is a shot of the far end of the room with some initial acoustic treatment in place, TriTraps (bass traps) from GIK Acoustics.
The Bone Tree CD was recorded in our temporary facilities in a rental house in GJ, so it looks a bit crowded. The new space will be a welcome change. Bone Tree is from Whitewater, CO nearby. Here is Bob Eakle of Bone Tree. Bob and Lisa made a great debut CD that is available from them at http://bonetreeblog.wordpress.com/
Way Down Yonder
Joe “Que” Quesenberry on mandolin
REVIEW of CALABAZAS 2003-2006 CD by David Auerbach
This is real country music, ladies and gentlemen. The day before I listened to the Best of CD by various Calabazas artists, I came up with the following rule, which in an attack of Texas-sized ego I’ll call Dave’s law of fake country: If a song makes use of any electronics save a microphone and some speakers, and maybe, just maybe a mixing board, it’s not country music, regardless of how ‘Southern’ the singer sounds. And we’re not too sure about that mixing board. Now, there’s nothing wrong with liking Carrie Underwood so long as you admit that you’re listening to a type of pop music. Don’t get me wrong. I like Carrie Underwood. I like pop music sometimes. But calling it “country” when it’s not peeves me just a little bit. I wonder how many of our “country” stars live in the country. Here’s a hint: Nashville has 607,000 people in its metropolitan statistical area. Maybe that’s a small town in China, but not here. And Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington-etc-etc-etc would be considered a major metropolis anywhere. And one more thing: Texas and Tennessee don’t have a duopoly on countryside. I think I lost the point. What was it? Ah, yes, this CD is real country, even though they call it Jazz for reasons that remain unclear.
It has non-electric instruments and non-modified voices and that’s it. There’s no synth, no computer making their voices sound like they can do things they can’t, no fake Southern accents, no fireworks or laser shows, and no “earworm” beats designed by sound engineers in Los Angeles (metro population: 16 million plus). It’s just a few ordinary folks who are singing because they like to sing, not because they want to be rich or famous or popular. And they live in Oracle, which you can see is in the country – for the time being, at least – just by looking around. This isn’t Hollywood or Dallas or even Nashville, it’s just Oracle. It admits what it is, unlike big-money “country” pop music. But it’s good. It’s music for listening, not dancing or marketing or whatever else.
Track 6 (Gina Lollobrigida, The Carnivaleros) is awesome. I didn’t know a harmonica could do that. Track 5 (Lost in the Graveyard, Carnivaleros) is spooky like Kansas before a storm where the ground is a smooth featureless green and the sky a creamy gray – and that’s it. Track 4 (Vamp in the Middle, Greg Morton Trio) is like a gathering of friends at the state park. Several songs are actually about here – sky islands, cacti, and whatnot. Track 9 (Sky Island Home, Freddie Terry) feels like there are real saguaros around, not cartoon ones. You can laugh (just a little) at the one and only Bob Dylan (wink wink) on Track 12 (I Am Bob Dylan, Rod Mac Donald) if you want. I know that not all of these singers are from this particular patch of countryside, but you can tell they love it the same as a native – maybe more. It has the obligatory dueling banjos and home on the range tribute, though you have to listen pretty closely to hear that tune – I’ll let you find it. Really, they have something for most moods.
Buy this CD. Support Oracle. Support Oracle State Park. I’m keeping my copy.
(David is the Music Critic for The ONE Newsletter, Oracle. He is taking this CD with him to China on a teaching gig.)
Good for background music — and foreground music
Reviewer: Martha Retallick
True confession: I recently made several hundred cold calls to drum up business for my design studio. If you’ve ever cold-called, you know how stressful it can be. So, to calm my nerves, I had “Standing Stones” playing softly in the background. It REALLY helped. And Jim, you’ll be happy to know that your music just helped me land a new client. Thank you! Now it’s time to put the CD back in the player, turn up the volume, and dance around the living room…
Reviewer: Cactus Cathy / KXCI 91.3 FM Tucson
In 2000, I hiked for 2 weeks in Cork and Kerry Counties, and thought I would never be able to recreate in my mind the haunting beauty of the Beara Peninsula. When I heard Diamond Jim’s Standing Stones, I was engulfed in the nostalgia of everything Irish. Personal favorite tunes are Glenrastel and Standing Stones.
Jan. 12, 2006 – Diamond Jim & the Barn Jazz Ensemble wow us again by spanning the genres from “I am a Pilgrim” to “Jeepers Creepers”, two of my favorites on the Live! CD. The one I play most on the air is “Caravan”, exotic and down home at the same time —- How do they do that? – Cactus Cathy DJ on KXCI
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