February 14, 2012 by Shelly Liebowitz
I have just added a new video section to my blog.
The first videos that I added contain a duet by Frank Sinatra And Dean Martin from my PBS Special, “Judy, Frank & Dean”. I have also added duets by Judy Garland with Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett and Mel Torme’ from the Judy Duets Special.
I hope you enjoy these and the rest of the videos I have posted for your enjoyment.
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January 21, 2012 by Shelly Liebowitz
Rhythm and blues legend Etta James passed away yesterday morning in California at the Riverside Community Hospital, she was 73. Although her battles with addiction stifled her career at times Etta was a strong woman who overcame, first a dependence to heroine during the 1970′s, and more recently a battle with cocaine. She had been undergoing treatment for a number of conditions including leukemia and dementia at the time of her death.
So much has been written about legendary blues singer, Etta James since her death but mostly biographical. I’d like to talk about her music and artistry. Most people know Etta from her signature song, “At Last”, it is a pop classic but you need to remember that it was recorded early on in her career. Through the years Etta James became one of the greatest blues singers of all time and her body of work leaves us with memories of certain stand out moments for each and every one of us.
Etta’s live duet with Dr. John on the blues classic, “I’d Rather Go Blind” from the TV special B.B. King & Friends, is one of those moments for me. If you haven’t seen or heard it you need to go to Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxGNZnnwyCg) , it’s there for all to enjoy. You can see the love and admiration that they had for each other and the performance is packed with raw emotion. Another one of these remarkable performances is Etta James live with Dr. John and Alan Toussaint on “Something’s Got A Hold On Me” from the WBBM TV series Soundstage 81 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO5h6cLwlt8&feature=related). I can go on and one about her artistry and the amazing emotion that she brought to every song and every performance.
If you are a fan then I suggest you check out “Etta: Red, Hot N’ Live” (http://www.srirecords.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=36) , a great live recording that we have available on iTunes, Amazon and other sites as well as our own. She was in rare form nursing a bad throat but still gave a raw and raunchy performance.
I will miss you Etta, but you left us with so much to remember us by.
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January 18, 2012 by Shelly Liebowitz
Quite often I hear some young person say that all music should be free, that if its’ on the internet they should be able to have it for free. I can understand the desire to acquire all the music they like but for free? Let’s look at why music needs to be paid for.
It does cost real money to produce and record quality music. Record companies spend quite a lot of money to record, promote and market an artist and their music. If everyone were to just take it all without paying for it record companies would go bankrupt and you would never hear of any new artists anymore.
Why shouldn’t artists say I don’t need a record company? If they were to do that then who is going to spend all that money to promote them and make them known? Just putting your music on the internet is like spitting into the ocean, no one will find it. Record companies, love them or hate them, serve a purpose. They have quality marketing and promotion people who get paid to make sure an artist is heard about, read about and perform where you can go see them live. They also have radio promotion people making sure you hear the songs on the radio. Without a record company who is going to pay all these costs to make it possible for you to find that great new artist you love?
And what about the artists? If you love an artist then you should support them. If they don’t get paid for their work then why would they do it? They would need to get a day job in order to support themselves if they cannot get paid for their music. We need these artists to keep writing, recording and performing. Music is such an important part of our lives, we may take it for granted but can you imagine life without music? I know I can’t. I know that I am not impartial since I am a record producer, but I do love music and the creative artists who create it more than most people. The fact that I make a living from it does not take away the fact that everyone is entitled to earn a living from what they do. If you really love an artist then support their efforts if you want to hear more from them. The work has real value and that’s why it’s not free and it’s just wrong to steal it!
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January 3, 2012 by Shelly Liebowitz
Happy New Year Everyone! As we start 2012 I am excited to be bringing new music to all the lovers of great music. We will be more recordings by Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole, James Cotton and more by the Dukes of Dixieland. We will also be releasing albums by wonderful new artists that I believe are worth hearing.
The wonderful thing about great music is that it’s timeless and it lasts forever. An old song is still new to someone who has never heard it before and a great performance done years ago is still fresh and new when its heard for the first time. When people ask me what is my favorite kind of music I am always reminded of the old Duke Ellington quote – “There are two kinds of music, good music and the other kind”. There is great music in every genre and since I have worked in jazz, blues and rock I know that to be true. Although I have never produced any country recordings there are many that I truly love. I knew Johnny Cash, what a great and talented guy, and he introduced me to some amazing songs. I learned that a great song can be arranged in any genre because they are written so well.
Keep checking our Jukebox as I will be adding lots more great music for you to listen to.
I hope that this New Year will bring moments of musical majesty to all of you, that all of your wishes and dreams come true and for your hearts to be always filled with music.
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December 29, 2011 by Shelly Liebowitz
To celebrate the New Year all song downloads from SRI Records and SRI Jazz, by top name artists as well as new artists, are only 50 cents for a limited time to say thank you to all our friends and fans for another great year.
Everyone is invited to join the celebration and take advantage of this offer to enjoy great music at this one time price. Guests and members can listen to the full songs first in our Jukebox then go to the Music Store and make their selections. Simply enter coupon code #1129 at checkout and your songs are only 50 cents each. A large selection of are available in jazz, blues and rock at srirecords.com. Sale ends January 15th
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December 13, 2011 by Shelly Liebowitz
This past year has been a good year for us at SRI. As we end the year we now have almost 200 albums on Amazon, iTunes, Spotify, Google Music and almost every other major download site.
We have added lots of new content to our website including adding Ringtones, Gift Cards and Special Holiday Packages in our Music Store. Our plans are to keep adding more music to our Music Store and to our Jukebox for your listening pleasure and it’s a great way to preview music before you buy it. Each month we now have a free download for our members and a CD give-a-way.
We ended 2011 with the signing of two great artists, Bryant Sterling and Ray Davis. Bryant Sterling is an insightful singer/songwriter whose rock and soul sound make him a star on the horizon. His new album on SRI Records in one you will not want to miss. Ray Davis is a classic blues and jazz artist and he debuts with SRI Jazz with two albums, a terrific blues album and a classic jazz and r&b album.
As with any year, we have lost many of our talented friends this year but their music lives on. Let’s hope that in this new year we lose fewer great artists and enjoy great music more and more.
From all of us to all of you – Happy Holidays and a Very Happy New Year!
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November 23, 2011 by Shelly Liebowitz
There seems to be a sense of self-entitlement in respect to young artists not understanding that you need to work hard and pay your dues. I have been fortunate to have worked with some of the greatest names in the history of music and I can tell you first hand that they worked very hard to become great.
One thing that every great artist has in common it’s that they never believe that they are as good as they can be. Ella Fitzgerald would come off stage after 3 encores and ask “was I good, did, did they like my performance?” Harry “Sweets” Edison told me that when he met Count Basie has asked for just a seat on the bus and a seat on the bandstand not money, Sammy Davis Jr. would sometimes have his band come back on stage after everyone had left and rehearse his show all over again, Elvis never thought he was as good as he could be, John Lennon never thought he was great by any means and Jim Morrison always talked about the art and the performances and how he wanted to improve. They all worked very hard and earned that level of greatness.
There was a reason the Sammy would ask me “how do you think I can improve my show?” or Elvis asking “how was I tonight?” or even artists like Dr. John asking me in the studio “was that any good?” They all want to be the best they can be and they have worked very hard for a very long time paying their dues to have earned the right to be called great.
To think that you can just record at home on a computer, never have to play a few hundred live shows and just go on a television show and become a star is delusional. Having your songs on iTunes with no fan following means no sales. There is so much you learn from performing night after night in front of live audiences as well. Being a great performer is an art unto itself, knowing how to work an audience and learn what works and what doesn’t is only a small part of it.
I hope that every new artist gets out there and works at it if they really love it. Ella Fitzgerald once said to me “honey I have to sing, if they wouldn’t pay me to sing I would wash floors to make money and sing anywhere I could for free”. You must love it that much. When you have that kind of passion for your art it drives you to be the best you can be and the more you work at it the better you get. I know that I am a much better producer than I was when I first started and after producing for so many years I still feel that I can be better. We must always never feel content, always want to be better.
Remember it takes as much hard work as it does talent to become great. I hope that every artist, young or old, works hard and gets to earn the right to be called ‘great’.
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November 23, 2011 by Shelly Liebowitz
There seems to be a sense of self-entitlement in respect to young artists not understanding that you need to work hard and pay your dues. I have been fortunate to have worked with some of the greatest names in the history of music and I can tell you first hand that they worked very hard to become great.
One thing that every great artist has in common it’s that they never believe that they are as good as they can be. Ella Fitzgerald would come off stage after 3 encores and ask “was I good, did, did they like my performance?” Harry “Sweets” Edison told me that when he met Count Basie has asked for just a seat on the bus and a seat on the bandstand not money, Sammy Davis Jr. would sometimes have his band come back on stage after everyone had left and rehearse his show all over again, Elvis never thought he was as good as he could be, John Lennon never thought he was great by any means and Jim Morrison always talked about the art and the performances and how he wanted to improve. They all worked very hard and earned that level of greatness.
There was a reason the Sammy would ask me “how do you think I can improve my show?” or Elvis asking “how was I tonight?” or even artists like Dr. John asking me in the studio “was that any good?” They all want to be the best they can be and they have worked very hard for a very long time paying their dues to have earned the right to be called great.
To think that you can just record at home on a computer, never have to play a few hundred live shows and just go on a television show and become a star is delusional. Having your songs on iTunes with no fan following means no sales. There is so much you learn from performing night after night in front of live audiences as well. Being a great performer is an art unto itself, knowing how to work an audience and learn what works and what doesn’t is only a small part of it.
I hope that every new artist gets out there and works at it if they really love it. Ella Fitzgerald once said to me “honey I have to sing, if they wouldn’t pay me to sing I would wash floors to make money and sing anywhere I could for free”. You must love it that much. When you have that kind of passion for your art it drives you to be the best you can be and the more you work at it the better you get. I know that I am a much better producer than I was when I first started and after producing for so many years I still feel that I can be better. We must always never feel content, always want to be better.
Remember it takes as much hard work as it does talent to become great. I hope that every artist, young or old, works hard and gets to earn the right to be called ‘great’.
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November 23, 2011 by Shelly Liebowitz
Where did jazz come from?
That’s a very good question.
Here’s what we know for sure:
* We know that the music we call “jazz” started in the Western Hemisphere.
* We know that it first reached critical mass in New Orleans
* We know that the founders were of all races, but that the key innovators were African-Americans
What we don’t know is what early jazz sounded like.
Because of the virulent racism practiced in New Orleans, black musicians from that city were not welcome in recording studios until after World War II. That’s why the first recordings of Louis Armstrong were made in Chicago and why we have no record of the music of Buddy Bolden who Armstrong credits with inspiring him to take up jazz.
Jelly Roll Morton, an early jazz pianist who liked to credit himself as the inventor of jazz, recalled that New Orleans was a very prosperous city in the “early jazz” era and that its “adult entertainment” industry was especially supportive of live music, thus the nickname “The Big Easy” given the city by musicians who could rely on it for steady, high paying work.
Morton also points out that musical standards and variety were very high in the city. High level instruction in all kinds of music was available (a fact that remains true today) and all kinds of musical forms were played from Italian folk songs to French opera.
But the true origins of jazz go even deeper.
To find the original source of the jazz spirit one must also look to Cuba and Haiti and ultimately to Africa.
The core aesthetics of jazz – call and response, improvisation, driving rhythms, high creativity, passion – are clearly African.
It took a city like New Orleans with its wealth, its positive attitude to creative music, and its large African-American community, to create a hybrid between European instruments and harmonies and the African soul.
Now jazz is played all over the world and as jazz is constantly re-creating itself, we can truly say that jazz comes from everywhere, especially where people value creativity, freedom, and the life force. – Ken McCarthy, Founder, Jazz on the Tube
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April 2, 2011 by Shelly Liebowitz
I am often asked what makes a great record? There are many factors that make up a great record.
There are so many things that separate a good record from a great record. The talent of the Artist, the song choices, the musicians, the arrangements and the producer must be combined to achieve that goal. If you are lucky enough to bring it all together you just may have a great record.
First of all, the Artist has to have the kind of talent that sets him apart from the crowd and has a style that is truly his own. When I produce and album I study the Artist to learn the strengths and weaknesses of the Artist. I then make the song choices, either from listening to the Artists original songs or, by selecting songs that I feel the Artist can bring something special to. It’s up to the producer to have creative foresight to understand what will work even if the Artist doesn’t quite know why you have selected a given song.
Hearing what you want a song to sound like tells you what kind of arrangements will make a song special. The arrangements will tell you what instrumentation is needed and that’s when I decide on the musicians. They have to be carefully selected according to their, talent, style of playing and attitude. Once that is all decided it’s time to choose what studio and the engineer that is best to capture the sound that I want. Not all studios or engineers can create the same sound. You must choose wisely.
Once in the studio the real work begins. It’s not enough to just bring in the right Artist, musicians, songs and arrangements. You must be able to get that special performance out of each and everyone involved. There is a very fine line that a producer must tread to get the best out of everyone. You need to encourage, instruct and guide the musicians in order for them to give you what you need to hear. You need to gently coach and push the Artist to get the best possible performance from them. If the producer is good he can get a performance out of an Artist that even the Artist did not know was possible. You also have to be careful that you do not hurt the Artist’s feelings or make them feel that you do not believe that they have the talent to create something special.
Sometimes you do all of that and a song just doesn’t end up being what you thought it would be. That’s why I generally select and record more songs than I need for an album. That way if one falls short, you still have enough material to complete the project. Hopefully in the end you have a great record. Not every album from a great Artist or producer turns out to be a great record. You do your best work and in the end the audience will judge your work. All you can do is make sure that you put all of the right elements together and if you are lucky you end up being a part of the magic that happens when a great record is produced. In the end it’s the Artist’s album and if the public likes it or hates it, it’s the Artist’s album. A good producer must always keep that in mind.
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