I guess the smoke is finally starting to settle.
And when I say smoke, I mean the fire of getting a new computer, gathering up recording tools, learning what I’ve got, and getting everything ready to make some music.
I’ve got quite a few tools now.
So I suppose it’s time to get busy.
Funny thing is, once you finally get the tools you’ve been wanting, another question shows up:
What the hell are you gonna do with them?
I don’t know where to start. Aint that some shit !
Maybe that’s all right.
Lately, I’ve been enjoying this baritone ukulele. I haven’t done much with it before, but there’s something about it that keeps calling me back. I pick it up. Fool around with it.
And as long as its fun, I’m gonna keep playing it.
Maybe I’ll record a few tunes with it.
Never done that before.
But hell, “never done it before” might be a good reason to do it.
There’s Work Waiting on Me
I’m also working on some material with Ms. LaRonda Legette.
I think she’s a hidden treasure.
There’s something about working with a voice you believe in. You start hearing possibilities that weren’t there before. You hear where the music could go. You start building around that voice instead of trying to stand in front of it.
I love doing that.
We’ve got a few projects we want to complete together, and I’m looking forward to seeing where they lead.
That gives me something to work toward.
But then there’s another matter.
Me.
People have been asking me for an album for years.
Maybe I ought to finally give them one.
The question is: Which version of me ?
Which Musician Shows Up?
I could make an acoustic album.
Just me and a guitar.
No place to hide.
There’s a side of me that likes music that way. Strip everything down until all that’s left is the song, the strings, the voice, and whatever truth you brought into the room that day.
I could see myself making that record.
But there’s another fellow living in me too.
Give him an electric guitar and let him stretch out.
Maybe a Stratocaster.
Turn the amp up a little bit and see what happens.
I know how to play electric lead. I know how to reach into that guitar and pull something out of it. Maybe folks would enjoy hearing that side of me cut loose.
Then there’s the harmonica.
That little rascal has always been willing to talk.
I’ve got no problem blowing some harp, so maybe it’s time to finish and record some of those harmonica tracks too.
And then, just when you think you’ve got me figured out, here comes smooth jazz.
I love playing that stuff.
Maybe because it gives me room to improvise.
You’ve got to know something about your instrument when there ain’t a road map telling you exactly where to go. Theory starts showing up. Instinct starts showing up. All those years of listening start showing up.
You quit thinking about scales and start telling a story.
So maybe there’s a smooth jazz collection in me too.
Acoustic blues.
Electric guitar.
Harmonica.
Smooth jazz.
Baritone ukulele.
Hell, no wonder I don’t know where to start.
Maybe the Bigger Dream Ain’t Just My Own Record
The more I think about it, the more I realize I don’t only want to make records for myself.
I want to produce.
I believe I could produce some damn good music for other people.
Especially singers.
There’s something about the female voice that has always moved me.
Angela Winbush. Erykah Badu. Patti LaBelle. Anita Baker.
Different voices. Different worlds. But they all carry something.
Maybe some of that feeling goes all the way back to my mama. I don’t know.
I just know I hear a strong female voice and immediately start imagining the landscape around it.
Where should the bass sit?
What should the guitar say?
Where does the music need to breathe?
What do you leave out?
That fascinates me.
Because producing ain’t always about piling more stuff onto a song.
Sometimes it’s knowing when to get the hell out of the singer’s way.
Let the voice tell you what the record needs.
I think I’d like to make records like that.
Soulful records.
Records with space in them.
Records where somebody sings a line and you feel something before you even
understand why.
Maybe It’s Time to Step Out Front
I’ve even been thinking about putting myself out there for hire.
Not just as somebody who plays a little guitar or blows a little harmonica.
As a producer.
A real producer.
Somebody capable of taking a song from an idea to a finished record that can stand beside anything else out there.
Why not?
Maybe it’s time to stop thinking small about it.
Maybe it’s time to step out front, take control of the narrative, and see how far I can push this thing.
Could I produce records that really hit?
Could I help an artist find something in themselves they didn’t know was there?
Could I make music that actually makes a difference?
I don’t know yet.
But I’m looking at it closer.
For now, I’ve got the computer.
I’ve got the recording tools.
I’ve got guitars, harmonicas, songs, ideas, and more directions than I know what to do with.
The smoke has cleared.
Now comes the interesting part.
I’ve got to listen for that little voice inside me.
And if there’s one in there worth listening to, maybe it’ll tell me where to go next.
If you were standing in this room with me, which record would you tell me to make first—the acoustic blues, electric guitar, harmonica, or smooth jazz? or ?