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September 25, 2014:

A WHOLE LOT OF HEAVEN

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, once again it is late and I must write these here notes in a hurry because I just got home from the first night of finessing the Sandy mixes.  The most important thing to mention about this was the wonderful Astroburger cheeseburger and zucchini fries.  Originally the evening was supposed to be just mine, for me to finesse the engineer’s final mixes.  Then tonight it would be Lanny’s turn to do his finesses.  But after lunching with Lanny yesterday it turns out he thought his night was last night – he was fine with coming tonight, but I told him to just be with us, to sit and take notes and that way we could just jump in and address them quickly and easily.  But in the end, after I did my pass, I just turned to Lanny and we did his finesses right then.  Because what we found was that the engineer’s mixes were really good and very close.  My nitpicks were really tiny – raising this or that, smoothing something out, or raising the vocal here and there.  And Lanny’s nitpicks were as small as mine.  As I sat and listened I just marveled at how incredibly his work on this album is.  He brings such marvelous imagination and color to my songs and I find it truly moving.  Sandy’s vocals, now that they are in the mix, sound gorgeous, too.  The band sounds fantastic – it’s that Studio A at Capitol – it’s just all there and requires not nearly as much work as when we record elsewhere.  This is, in fact, perhaps the most pleasurable mix I’ve ever done and I’ve done a lot.  We got nine songs completed so there are only six left for tonight.  We’ll finish them and then take an hour and listen to everything to make sure we’re absolutely happy, which I’m pretty positive we will be.  All that and Astroburger, too – it’s just a whole lot of heaven.

Prior to that, I’d gotten a little over eight hours of sleep, then got up, did work on the computer, and finished the commentary.  Then I had a work session with the MD of the October Kritzerland show.  Still on the fence about the trio/two solos decision, which I won’t make until Monday’s rehearsal – that should tell me what I need to know.  The work session was actually very simple and went quickly and painlessly.  Then Lanny came by and we went to Jerry’s Deli and I had a cup of chicken corn chowder to tide me over, and we had a wonderful chat and caught up on all manner of things.  Sitting nearby was lovely Donna Pescow and sitting at the next booth was film historian Rudy Behlmer.

After that, I came home, read through the commentary and finessed it.  I had a couple of long telephonic conversations, and then I got ready to mosey on over to Westlake Audio.

Today, I’ll do some writing, eat something light to tide me over, hopefully pick up some packages, and then I’ll mosey on over to Westlake Audio to finish up the final mixes.  Our drummer is coming in to do a couple of quick percussion overdubs on one song – just some fun toys.  We’ll do the six songs, have something to eat, and then listen to everything we’ve done and that will be that.

Tomorrow, I can relax during the day, and then I’m doing the Ray Courts Celebrity Show from five to nine, after which I’ll grab a bite to eat, probably at the Coral Café.  Saturday, I’m at the Courts show all day, then I’m seeing a play in NoHo that evening.  Sunday is mine all mine, and then we begin our busy Kritzerland rehearsal and show week.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, write, eat, hopefully pick up packages, and then finish our final mixes.  Today’s topic of discussion: What do you think the greatest year for movies was?  And the greatest year for Broadway musicals?  Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, thrilled with our first night of final mixes, which was a whole lot of heaven.

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