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Interview with Grammy
Award-winning songwriter, producer, studio musician Jay Graydon Part 2 (Page
2)
Jay Graydon is a Grammy award
winning songwriter and producer, as well as a successful studio guitarist
and songwriter for film and television.He
did the guitar solo on Steely Dan's song, "Peg," had a role in Al Jarreau's
success in the 1980's, and won Grammys for co-writing George Benson's "Turn
Your Love Around" and Earth Wind & Fire's "After the Love Has Gone."Jay Graydon his own music label,
Sonic Thrust Records,
and is currently writing a series of books with Craig Anderton on recording
and mixing. His latest CD will be released in early 2006. Recently James
Auburn caught up with him, and here's the resulting e-mail interview.
Continued from
Part 2
(Page 1)
JG: Find recording agreements
and publishing agreements and study them! All agreements are negotiable.
When you negotiate an agreement, note that this is like a grammar school
game. "I will give you this if you give me that." I look for the major
changes needed and also look for one I really do not care about - at that
point; the "trade game" is in play.
It takes months to negotiate such an agreement. The company knows lawyers
fees are very expensive so they think time is on their side. Since I have
been doing my own legal work for quite some time, that game is not in play
and if you do your homework, you will eliminate that problem.
OK, even after studying, if new to the game when doing a deal, bring in a
lawyer in the very beginning and in the very end as to make sure all is OK.
There is so much to this...Actually, I could write on book on this stuff!
Sadly, most will not heed the needed education and will end up paying the
same dues I had paid as to make me want to go to home school study (as well
as asking lawyers for info).
JA: Jay Graydon is sitting front row center, staring in awe as his
"dream band" takes the stage. Who is filling the positions? Could be rock,
jazz, R&B, whatever you like.
JG: Stevie Wonder on vocals. Stevie, Donald Fagen and I write the
songs. The band would be filled in per song.
JA: ...and who would comprise your "dream session-player band"?
(Would it simply be Airplay? Toto?)
JG: Every song needs specific players per the application but if had
to note one band, Foster or Omartian on piano, Abe or Hungate on bass, and
the current drummer in Steely Dan.
JA: Did you really come up with "Turn Your Love Around" while sitting
on the toilet...?
JG: You are correct sir! I needed to write a song in 4 days for the
George Benson Collection. No quality ideas but when sitting on the "can" a
melody popped in my head! That ended up being the chorus. The next night, I
was to have dinner with Steve Lukather and our female counterparts of the
era. Before we began the hang, I asked Luke to come over early. I
sang/played the chorus to Luke on piano and asked he come up with a verse
while I take a shower. Twenty minutes later Luke nailed the verse!!! After
dinner, we called Bill Champlin and asked he come over as to work on a
bridge and lyrics. The song was nailed hours later. The odds are good we put
together the demo the following night and Bill started singing around 4 in
the morning. So much more on this story for another time...
JA: This one's for me: I understand you're a "Golden Turkey" film
fan? Other than the obvious (Ed Wood, Robot Monster, etc.), what are some of
your favorites? (Some of mine: The Creeping Terror, Yor: The Hunter From The
Future, Eegah!, Pod People, Manos - The Hands Of Fate|)>>
JG: Yeah, I love such films as the non-intentional humor is beyond
belief! I have not seen your favorites. My favorites are PLAN 9 FROM OUTER
SPACE, HIGH SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL, THE COOL AND THE CRAZY, and REEFER MADNESS.
I can't remember the name of the film with Peter Graves and Lee Van Clef but
another great one. So many others as well.
JG: In [early 2006], I will be releasing a CD of
songs I recorded in the 70's. "Past To Present - The 70's," is the title.
This was major work but if people appreciate the history, the odds are good
there will be two other CD's in the series for the 80's and 90's (hence the
past to present reference).
Please allow me to explain the story for the 70's release. The songs were
recorded as demos and many were later re-recorded for such albums as AIRPLAY
(David Foster, Tommy Funderburk and myself), Bill Champlin (SINGLE), a JP
Morgan album, a Cory Wells Album, and others.
This CD shows the development of the West Coast pop sound with songs that
are melodic, some jazz chords changes, quality arrangements, and the
youthful playing and singing of many great musicians and singers - we were
taking musical chances not confined to any formula. Check out the people
involved:
David Foster (Keyboards and background vocals)
David Hungate and Dave McDaniel (Bass). (There are others I have yet to
identify and all are great!)
Jeff Porcaro, Mike Baird, and Willy Ornelas (Drums)
Bill Champlin, Ed Whiting, Lisa Dal Bello, and Tata Vega (Vocals)
Jay Graydon (I love talking in the third person <g>) (Electric And Acoustic
Guitars, Bass, Vocals, Producer, Recording Engineer (in most cases), and
some arranging).
The tracks and overdubs were typically recorded within a few takes so the
performances are raw and honest!
My plan at the beginning of this project (and remains so) was to not replace
any parts and simply work with the original recordings as to make sonically
presentable. The drag is the tapes (source media transferred to Pro Tools HD
3) are garbage in sonic land!
For the most part, the drum sounds are terrible (quick recording with
limited gear) requiring adding Snare and Kick samples - I did not eliminate
the original Snare and Kick but just added the samples). Such work is a huge
time burner and an article in itself as to make "hits" phase coherent. Some
of the recordings were 8-track with the drums on just two tracks making the
work a huge time burner finding the "hits" and isolating for the sample
replacement program. Other stuff like many Equalization automated "moves" in
Pro Tools as to get rid of mid range pain around 2.5 thousand cycles on
vocals. (Such audio pain relates to someone scratching fingernails on a
black board.) I could go on and on complaining about the workload but I knew
that going into the project.
The bottom line: If you like the West Coast Pop sound, if you are interested
in hearing the growth of great singers and musicians basically "nude" in
performance land meaning minimal "takes", you will like the CD. The release
will be [early 2006].
Back to Page 1
Part 1
Check out Jay Graydon
for details--Ed.
James Auburn is a
keyboardist, musical director, arranger, educator, and all-around
audiophile. He's also the co-founder of the Boston Hip Hop Alliance.
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