Sparks from the Fire

From the newsletter, Insight – a weekly feature written by Peter Link, Composer, Record Producer and Creative Director of Watchfire Music.

Inspirational Music Artist Suzanna Sifter is also the Teacher of the Stars
I would love to go back to school. If I only had the time. There are so many holes in my music knowledge. I could fill ‘em up! If, in a different world, I could, I’d go to Berklee in Boston.

Berklee College of Music was founded on the revolutionary principle that the best way to prepare students for careers in music is through the study and practice of contemporary music. For more than half a century, the college has evolved to reflect the state of the art of music and the music business. With more than a dozen performance and nonperformance majors and a hugely talented student body representing more than 70 countries, Berklee is the world’s premier learning lab for the music of today—and tomorrow.

The list of graduates include a Who’s Who of American Pop and Jazz icons.

• John Blackwell (Prince) ’95 Drummer
• Gary Burton ’62 Jazz vibraphonist
• Alf Clausen ’66 Film composer
• Melissa Etheridge ’80 Rock singer-songwriter
• Donald Fagen ’66 Rock singer-songwriter
• Juan Luis Guerra ’82 Latin music guitarist, composer

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Jazz, a 20th century art form, is as American as apple pie. Like rock, it started here, developed here and then spread around the world. It has evolved into a multi-cultural and multi-dimensional form of music that includes a myriad of styles and sub-genres.

It has been a great sadness to me to watch the popularity of this great tradition wane from the 50s until now. The 30s and 40s were the hey days of this music, and its rhythms, melodies and great musicians swept up the world’s imagination and became the essence of popular music in the Big Band era.

But then a funny thing happened. The jazz musicians shot themselves in the foot. Songs with melodies that the masses could follow became songs where the melody was played once and then the musicians took off and ‘out’ in their improvisations. (more…)

By the time I’m finished producing an album, I don’t ever want to hear it again – at least for a year.  It’s not that I don’t like it; it’s just that I’ve heard it – over and over and over again, way too many times for any human.

Alabado sea Dios

The process of creation demands the repetition.  Often I’ve also written the songs, or some of them anyway, and that only increases the ear and brain fatigue.  Repetition is definitely a large part of the writing, producing, engineering process, and since I do all three, that also extends the repetition.

On top of it all, by the time I’m deeply into the making of a CD, the songs go coursing through my brain all night as well, over and over while I sleep just to add to the number.

So when I listen to that last master reference copy back from my masterer and approve it as final, I always breathe a sigh of relief that the prolonged grind is finally over.  If you were to ask me to listen to a CD that I produced when it comes in from the manufacturer, I would go screaming into the night.

Last night, while testing the ecommerce end of the new Watchfire Music site, I arbitrarily decided to download El Amor from Julia Wade’s Spanish CD, Alabado sea Dios.  Thrilled by the simple and intuitive process of purchasing and downloading, (a blatant plug) I decided to check the MP3 download as well.

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Nancy Morris with Bobby Stanton

I’m sitting here in my easy chair, Mac in my lap, hot chocolate in my cup, drifting along to the Inspirational sounds of Nancy Morris’ new CD, My Favorite Hymns. This was one rough day. Lately it just seems like an inordinate number of close friends have been called to move on.

Perhaps she was needed elsewhere

Perhaps wherever elsewhere is

They’ve got their troubles too

Perhaps that mighty spirit

Just joined Mindy and John

Yeah that’s why they’re gone

They were needed elsewhere*

Perplexing, this life. Jill, Suzanne, Chucky, Don, — all great friends, gone, but not forgotten.

So I sit here and simply remember. But the phone rings, the sirens wail, the pressures of tomorrow loom and I just can’t wrap my mind around it all. So I put on some music — Nancy Morris’ new CD, My Favorite Hymns – to be specific. And the world goes away. The images of meaningful lives pass through my consciousness and the music takes me to the heart.

Hymns. Amazing, simple, evocative hymnsongs. What could be sweeter? At this moment, nothing. I don’t get a chance to slow down very often, but this moment, right here and now, I’m in my right place – because of the music.

Ahhhh, there’s my friend Bobby Stanton on guitar adding his magic – no words, just pure music and simple straightforward classic hymns. And Jill, Suzanne, Chucky and Don are here with me smiling and laughing and singin’ along.

Thank you, Nancy.

*From: Needed Elsewhere, Lyric by Peter Link