Chapel at the Chimes
Category: Music

Being a musician is never boring. There is always an unexpected twist and turn waiting to keep the you interested.
Mary D’Orazi is a long time friend and in my opinion has been booking perhaps the most interesting music series in the bay area. Once a month for the last year and a half, the Chapel of the Chimes has been presenting music concerts. What makes it so unusual is that the Chapel of the Chimes is a crematorium/mausoleum. (Plug in all the appropriate "jazz is dead" jokes)

Located in Oakland on Piedmont street off 51st street it’s easy to get to with plenty of parking. The setting is a lovely room in the chapel with great acoustics that barely needs amplification. The series has flourished and the music has consistently been at a high level.

We were graced with the talent of the fine percussionist Carlos Caro for this concert as Michael Spiro was not available. Once again we had a great time. The audience was fun and lively (no pun intended) and the band played beautifully. We have some time off until our next concert in May. In the meantime we will be putting the final touches on our new CD.

Musically yours, Wayne

Jazz at Pearls, night two
Category: Music

Night number two at Pearls is even better then the first. Everyone settled into the groove of the gig and took their playing to the next level. I love playing with this group because of the energy and the ability everyone has to listen to what’s going on and interact. Jazz is a give and take conversation that allows everyone to have their say on whatever subject is front and center. Listening is the key to any great conversation.

"Jazz at Pearls" has an interesting layout. It’s located downtown in the heart of San Francisco’s Broadway district adjacent to Chinatown. When you walk in, the bar is to your left and the stage to the right. A few steps down from the bar is seating for the audience. The street side of the club has large windows that allow people walking on the street to look into the club. It’s sort of like a Fellini movie (story inside the story) watching the reactions of folks to the music. Makes me wish I could have seen 52nd St. in New York at it’s height.

The night ended on a high note with an encore jam and enthusiastic applause. It was fun for all.

Musically yours, Wayne

Jazz at Pearls, night one
Category: Music

Friday evening my latin jazz quintet returned to "Jazz at Pearls" for a weekend engagement. Since the early 1900s the history of jazz in San Francisco has deep roots in this part of town.I have always felt honored to play here and be a part of this great tradition. We also look forward to a chance to play together 3 days in a row to develop the music

With Paul van Wageningen on drums, Michael Spiro on percussion, Murray Low on piano, and David Belove on bass and myself on trombone it was a spirited evening of fun and surprises. In the first set we had a group of 4 gentlemen from Mexico who were totally into the music. From the first song of the first set, to the last song of the second set they were clapping the clave rhythm of each song and very vocal with their support for the soloists.
"Jazz at Pearls" is in the perfect location for this kind of interaction. With international tourist from all over the world the mix of people is always a fascinating encounter.

The gig was a chance for us to preview some of the material from our new CD. The response was was overwhelmingly positive all fronts. The plan is to premiere the CD later this year with a series of release parties in the San Francisco bay area.

Musically yours, Wayne

Check out this event: Jazz at Pearls-Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet
Current mood: artistic
Category: Music

Hosted By: Wayne Wallace
When: Friday Mar 14, 2008
at 8:00 PM
Where: Jazz at Pearls
256 Columbus Ave
san Francisco, CA 94133
United States
Description:
Wayne Wallace

Click Here To View Event

10:48 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

New band, new album, same studio, day 5
Category: Music

A vocal session is an interesting animal. You may have plenty of ideas, you may be well prepared, but inevitably there will be unforeseen challenges. Michael Spiro and Jody Noble were of invaluable help and inspiration in the creating the arrangements. I wanted to feature male vocals on this project so besides Ron Stallings I have asked Orlando Torriente, and Clayton "Claytoven" Richardson to sing the lead vocals. Our stellar vocal crew included Alexa Weber Morales, Jeanie Tracy, Karen Aczon, Jody Noble, Sakai, Sheryl Lynn Thomas, David Chaidez, and Larry Batiste. The big vocal effort that evey one sings on is Earth Wind and Fire's "Serpentine Fire". Done as a tribute to the super group, the arrangement includes lyrics in English, Spanish, and Lucumi (Yoruban language) and we worked hard to do justice to this classic song. This was a fun session because the number of vocalists offered us many sonic and musical options on the remaining songs (especially "Unchain My Heart") and all the singers were more then up to the task.
The good news arrives that John Santos and Aida have had a baby boy. (Yaaaaay!!!) Good vibes abound.
After we finish the last song, coffee and adrenaline are gone. Totally spent!!! I pack up all my horns, music, and various computers and notes. Leisurely goodbyes and hugs for all. I head out to load my car and it is raining hard. Totally tired but totally happy. We will take a break and get back to work for mixing in a week or so.

New band, new album, same studio, day 4
Category: Music

The need for coffee is lessened with extra sleep, but we still need it!!
Today is the calm before the storm as tomorrow we will have 12 vocalists in studio to record cuts on both CDs. David Yamasaki's flight to Hawaii is tomorrow so we spend the day going over his tracking. John Santos and Aida are still in waiting mode but John makes a herculean effort to come in and finish up his work before a mad dash to the hospital to be with Aida. I have known Ron Stallings for years and wanted to feature his fine vocal talents on this recording. For those that haven't heard Ron, he is going to be featured on the Ray Charles classic "Unchain My Heart" with a twist. I have to say it again that recording is fun!! Kenny Washington drops by to hang, we have many friends and family who come by to listen and just hang out. Michael Spiro does some more work before dashing off to a gig, David Belove comes by and takes more photos, and generally a good time is had by all.

For once we finish before 6:00 P.M. and actually see daylight before going home.

1:33 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

New band, new album, same studio, day 3
Category: Music

The coffee is flowing, the energy expands and contracts, but we push on. Day three of the sessions is even better than the first two days. So far we have tracked 7 songs. I wanted to do 11 total but I think we would be sacrificing quality in the effort for quantity. Someone said "an army marches on it's stomach" so with Sheryl Lynn's help we try to keep our musicians well fed if not sated. Around 3:00 P.M. we finish with the final two tracks and set ourselves to the task of going over our work. Everyone takes great pride in their work. Fine tooth combs are pulled out and sleeves are rolled up. During the sessions, Jayne Sanchez, David Belove, Sue McCasey, and Michael Aczon have been taking photographs of the recording. We will have a full documented account of our "work" up on the Patois website very soon so watch out for that.

Gary Mankin has great ears and because there are so many of us we put them to good use every time we record. As we listen back everyone alternately says "that's good" or "I can do that better". I have to say that as an arranger, it is incredibly satisfying to hear your hard work come to life with the help of great musicians adding their talent and experience to the total mix. We break early and will come back tomorrow to start anew.

1:17 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

New band, new album, same studio, day 2
Category: Music

Our guitarist David Yamasaki flew in from Hawaii to join us today, so we are now at full force as a group. Aida is still in waiting mode so John Santos is working double duty.
A lot of folks have asked me why I record with all the musicians at the same time. I wanted to try to capture the feeling we get on stage, so for the afro-cuban and funkier tunes we are going to record everyone live and strive for group interaction and "conversation. The process can be slow, but the energy we get on the recording is more then worth it. I especially like it for the urgency of the solos. As a soloist you never know which take is going to be the one, so it really forces you to play your best at all times.

The other thing I like about recording is that no matter how small, I learn something new every time.
The playback captures every nuance and imperfection without judgement and will never lie to you. Instant feedback. Everyone played spectacularly and of equal importance, we had fun.

Who needs sleep!

1:16 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

New band, new album, same studio, day 2
Category: Music

The coffee is flowing, the energy expands and contracts, but we push on. Day three of the sessions is even better than the first two days. So far we have tracked 7 songs. I wanted to do 11 total but I think we would be sacrificing quality in the effort for quantity. Someone said "an army marches on it's stomach" so with Sheryl Lynn's help we try to keep our musicians well fed if not sated. Around 3:00 P.M. we finish with the final two tracks and set ourselves to the task of going over our work. Everyone takes great pride in their work. Fine tooth combs are pulled out and sleeves are rolled up. During the sessions, Jayne Sanchez, David Belove, Sue McCasey, and Michael Aczon have been taking photographs of the recording. We will have a full documented account of our "work" up on the Patois website very soon so watch out for that.

Gary Mankin has great ears and because there are so many of us we put them to good use every time we record. As we listen back everyone alternately says "that's good" or "I can do that better". I have to say that as an arranger, it is incredibly satisfying to hear your hard work come to life with the help of great musicians adding their talent and experience to the total mix. We break early and will come back tomorrow to start anew.

New band, new album, same studio, day 1
Category: Music

In my musical career I am blessed to have been surrounded by great musicians who always strive to reach for that "extra"! Those who are willing to fail in order to seek the sublime. Paul Van Wageningen, John Santos, Michael Spiro, David Belove, David Yamasaki, Murray Low, Frank Martin, Melecio Magdaluyo,
Ron Stallings,John Worley, and Louis Fasman are those kind of musicians. This group of musicians is like a family . We have shared much over the years.

Going into these sessions we all knew that John Santos and his wife Aida, were expecting their second child around Christmas. With this in mind we set John's timbales up for recording knowing that he might have to bolt at a moments notice. Setting up a 12 piece group to record live is no easy feat. Gary Mankin exhibited the patience of Job in getting everything just right. We recorded 3 songs, the classic bolero "Besame Mucho", Herbie Hancock's "Come Running To Me" as a cha-cha and the Gerry Mulligan composition "Jeru" from the "Birth Of The Cool" with a very suave latin jazz touch.

Recording can be mentally and physically exhausting, but within that sphere it also creates a energy that raises one's level of creativity. I love recording because it gives you instant and honest feedback to where you are at. Hearing everyone interpret the arrangements is a joy. This is going to be a fun 5 days.


Wayne

1:45 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment