3/5/11

...Something about a Duet

Jeff Coffin + Jeff Sipe ~ 'DUET' on Compass Records

(available now on iTunes)

A musical conversation. We all have stories to tell and to share them with friends is something we all like to do. We laugh with each other, we feel the joys, the sorrows, the beauty, the pain, the experience of being alive and the experience of being together.

Out of these stories and conversation is how our “Duet” recording came to pass. Jeff Sipe and I have been playing music and touring together for many years with various incarnations of my group, of his trio, playing in jam sessions at festivals, as well as talking about music, swapping stories, hanging out at each others homes, and becoming lifelong friends along the way. We share similar views about music and creating and of allowing the spirit of what we do overtake us and be led by it. For this project, we decided to ‘just play’, record everything, and see what came out the other side of the rabbit hole. No expectations.

We recorded in Brevard, NC, at the Porter Music Center, for nearly 3 days. We recorded everything ourselves with only 3 microphones. We brought horns, drums, gongs, bells, flutes, whistles, etc.... We had a few sketches of tunes but didn’t want that to be the focus, rather we wanted the tunes to spring forth from the improvisations. We wanted to experience the ebb and flow of creating musical conversations between two people familiar with each other who like to talk.

After the sessions were finished, I took the recording home but waited a while before I listened so I could work with fresh ears. As we figured, there was a lot to work with and listen to. After talking it over with Jeff Sipe, we decided we would make the piece one ‘seamless’ work where each piece we chose would morph into the next for a unique listening experience. After a lot of work and trying many combinations of pieces, I finally came up with the final version. We feel good about the music we shared and recorded and of the process of allowing the creative moments to find us. We hope you enjoy listening to the music as much as we enjoyed playing it.

JC

check out more here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvUB5393ObY

1 comment:

  1. The bells, I love. I remember you told me that you strung bells from trees outside of your house; I have started doing the same. The fragility and richness of sounds interwoven is nothing short of beautiful.

    ReplyDelete