Andy Statman Trio in Portland, Seattle and Bellingham

[James P]

My wife did a cello neck graft and fingerboard for Buell just last month. Said Buell was one of the most charming conversationalists she'd ever had opportunity to converse with. I think she said he's playing in a BG band with his wife who also plays bass.

[Christian McKee]

I learned so-ooo much from Buell about how to record a stand-up bass...
Unlike a lot of studio cats, he seemed to remember everything about how his bass was mic'd for sessions, and is very opinionated as to how it should be done...

I went home and tried some of the techniques, and sure enough, was able to get some great sounds on an instrument that I've always had a hard time recording.....

Any you care to share? I still get my best results with a dynamic (usually an Audix i5) nestled in foam underneath the tailpiece, pointing up towards the strings. I've gotten some nice sounds from large diaphragm condensers a foot or two away, but this is much harder for me to manage in the spaces I have available. If I had a dedicated, nice sounding tracking room I'd probably do that more often.

Christian

[Spruce]

Any you care to share?

Buell told stories of engineers placing U67s in front of the bass, and using a credit card to distance it from the floor a couple millimeters...
Haven't tried that one....

But he loved the RCA 44BX, aimed at the bridge....
And so do I....

[Jim Nollman]

As i mentioned previously, there's a reference of Buell playing bass with Monk in the 3 inch thick Monk biography published last year. It's a great read, perhaps especially for those who feel their own music is under-appreciated. 2/3 of Monk's life exemplifies the myth of the starving artist.

I was also having problems recording acoustic bass. Especially bowed bass. recently I've been working a lot with a local guy who has very good bowing technique and uses a bass transducer built into his bridge. Simply plugging him into the board has given me the best bass tone I've ever recorded. If anybody's interested, I can find out what kind of transducer + onboard preamp he uses. The guys bass looks like it was run through an airplane propeller and then pasted back together again. He tells me it is +150 years old. Great sounding instrument.

[Pete Martin]

But he loved the RCA 44BX, aimed at the bridge....
And so do I....

Of course a 44BX aimed at almost anything is the answer

[Spruce]

Ain't that the truth....

44BX + Altec 1567A mic pre = the voice of god....

[Jim Nollman]

where do you guys find this kind of 70 year old microphone? Or maybe a better question, with 70 years of microphone antiques, who has the time to test all the possibilities and find the best one? Thanks for the new direction. I'm going to have to look into this a little more seriously.

Also, assuming no one here minds me swiping this thread for just a few short days...Spruce and Pete, please tell me a few other mics and preamps I ought to be looking at to attain breathtaking sound. One restriction. Nothing over $1000.

Or more specifically, What do you guys use for recording mandolin? I have been happy using a Blue baby bottle. And if I have only one mic preamp in my system, what would you choose? Again, nothing over $1000.

if anyone objects to me bending this thread, i am happy to start a new thread. having said that, Andy's concert is still on all our minds.

[Spruce]

where do you guys find this kind of 70 year old microphone? Or maybe a better question, with 70 years of microphone antiques, who has the time to test all the possibilities and find the best one?

The best way to go is to buy a busted one, and have it rebuilt by one of the heavyweight mic re-ribboners....
You used to be able to buy busted ribbons on E%$y at a discount, then have 'em rebuilt....
But now there are plenty of folks doing re-ribboning, so that doesn't happen anymore...

I missed the holy grail RCA44 by 5 minutes a few months ago at the Long Beach Antique Market....
I walked up, and a guy was shelling down piles of 20s--adding up to a grand--for a mint chrome 44 still new in the box...
I had the 1K in my pocket, too, and it still hurts....

Will try to make it over for Andy's gig.....

[Pete Martin]

I missed the holy grail RCA44 by 5 minutes a few months ago at the Long Beach Antique Market....
I walked up, and a guy was shelling down piles of 20s--adding up to a grand--for a mint chrome 44 still new in the box...
I had the 1K in my pocket, too, and it still hurts....

Makes my pocket hurt as well. I don't own a 44, but will change that soon, a BX if possible.

My favorite single mic-mando combination I use now is the Royer SF12 and the AEA TRP preamp. Pretty magical combination, but a bit pricey. The other favorite combo I've heard is a friends 44BX through the TRP. Tried it through my Altec 1566A and while it had a great vintage vibe (very usable sound), was much cleaner and richer through the TRP.

I've also been using the SF12 and a Chmaleon Labs TS1 (thru a John Hardy M1 pre) in omni. Put them about 1/4" away from each other. Dial in a little bit of highs through the TS1 in the mix to add some air to the ribbon. Works very well.

The TS1 is a small diaphram tube condenser that sounds a lot like a KM84 to me, with a bit more high end.

I own several AEA and Royer ribbons. I like them all, but will probably sell a few off a couple to get a 44BX.

[SternART]

My wife did a cello neck graft and fingerboard for Buell just last month. Said Buell was one of the most charming conversationalists she'd ever had opportunity to converse with. I think she said he's playing in a BG band with his wife who also plays bass.

Now that is the most recent Buell sighting I've heard........yes his wife was a bass student of his........and your wife is right, he is indeed an interesting conversationalist.

[Glassweb]

Back on subject here... here's the poster for Andy's Bellingham show...

[SternART]

I like that "Brooklyn to Bellingham" Wish I could be there!

[Glassweb]

I like that "Brooklyn to Bellingham" Wish I could be there!

C'mon up Art... TACO LOBO!

[SternART]

TACO LOBO! The local Kosher restaurant, eh?

[Glassweb]

TACO LOBO! The local Kosher restaurant, eh?

OY! Art... you meshuga you!

[tango_grass]

I'm really hoping to sit in on that Klezmer class at UW. Too good an opportunity to pass up. Parking will be fun though....

[Jim Nollman]

Before I starting telling lots of interested folks here on San Juan Island about this concert, maybe someone involved can help me decide if that is really a good idea. Murphy's law makes me strongly resist spreading the word here, only because tickets can't be reserved or even bought in advance. It's a ferry boat ride for us, and recently the ferries have emphatically not been running on schedule. Today, in a snowstorm, they didn't run at all. If we attend the concert, we'll have to spend the night in Bellingham or nearby. It's a real issue, because we Islanders might show up at the last minute (only because of the funky ferry schedule) and find the concert has been sold out.

Glassweb, what's your own sense of it? How many seats does this venue have? How's the response been so far?

[Spruce]

Glassweb, what's your own sense of it? How many seats does this venue have? How's the response been so far?

...and inquiring minds want to know if there will be a PA?
Apparently there have been a few concerts at the venue without sound reinforcement, and it was an issue....

[ChabadUW]

While I do not want to distract anyone who is planning on attending the Bellingham concert, I do have 10 tickets available for the Seattle concert at $25 each. First come, first serve. Email me privately at chabaduw@earthlink.net.

[Glassweb]

Hi all... Given the size of the Grand Ballroom at the YWCA here in B'ham I can assure you that you will have no trouble getting a seat. The publicity has not been handled as well as hoped so I dont see any problems at all in getting a seat. There WILL be a PA at the show at Andy's request.

[ChabadUW]

Here's a write-up on the Seattle concert, with some interesting info, from the local Jewish paper, the JT News - http://www.jtnews.net/index.php?/news/item/8092/C48/

[ChabadUW]

BTW, I still have a few of those $25 tickets left. Contact me ASAP if you'd like to grab a pair. chabaduw@earthlink.net.

[Christian McKee]

Last night's Portland show was terrific. Roughly 50/50 clarinet and mandolin, the clarinet material being pretty klezmery, and the mandolin material being pretty bluegrassy. Aside from the fact that the sanctuary wasn't the most ideal sonic space for a drum kit, I didn't find a single thing to dislike, it was a night of top shelf music.

Christian

[Tim C.]

I agree with Christian - an excellent show by a world-class ensemble. What a treat to hear Andy play the clarinet - amazing tone and yiddish stylistics. And so cool to see the same deep musical soul pour out of two really different instruments. After a while, it stopped being either klezmer or bluegrass and it became simply great music. Thanks for coming out to the NW, guys!

[Christian McKee]

Tim, did you catch the name of the first mandolin tune he played last night, a slower one? Beautiful head, nice bass solo, and then he exploded the harmonies in the first three beats of his solo. I'd like to hear more of that tune...

Christian