Today's Listening

Bill Withers, man. He is so great. The simplicity, the elegance, the essential American quality, and then there is his life story. I think it's so cool that he lived life before writing about life in his songs--9 years in the military before he became a working musician. I just love the song "Grandma's Hands," the humor and the story. Also, those bass lines of his are so infectious. I still haven't written a good bass line yet. I'm listening to him and Stevie Wonder in hopes of learning how to do it.

Also, Manolito y su Trabuco. We bought this CD in Cuba. His voice is so clear and bell-like--reminds me a bit of Marc Anthony. I dig salsa where the melody shines through; sometimes people get too gymnastic for my taste in their pregones.

And then, after a few months of not hearing my album, I listened to myself. It's nice to come back to the music/arrangement/production after a break and be reminded of all the moments and details that turned out well. It reminds me of something Nancy Wilson said at IAJE, about how when she listened to herself she'd go, "Wow, I'm good!" And she said, be honest, isn't that what you're thinking? Her self-confidence is so inspiring. Why not focus on the accomplishment and positive instead of false modesty. No one wants to see a performer shuffling and apologizing, so why do it in the studio or when you look at your work? Trust me, I'm trying to convince myself of this--on a good day, like today, I listen to what I've done and am thrilled, but on a bad day, or framed by some criticism, I listen and hear only the flaws.

But producing a CD is like childbirth: After you're done, you're so proud of the result that eventually you forget the pain involved.