Scully Sound

MetaFilter Compilation Album, Volume 1

Sarah — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 16:22:53 +0000

It has been my pleasure to master the first-ever community CD project from MetaFilter. Under the careful wrangling of cortex (aka. Josh Millard), the project came together over the course of the summer. This was a fun and challenging album to work on, with tracks ranging in style from electronica and folk to garage-punk and rock. Thanks to the musicians, the visual artists, and, of course, to Matt and Jessamyn, the admins of MetaFilter for supporting the endeavor. Proceeds go to charity, so order a copy today!

New release from Vector Trio

Sarah — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 21:36:42 +0000

Vector Trio Live in DC features tracks I recorded at Sangha and a later performance recorded by Rob at the Velvet Lounge. Check out the experimental blend of technology and musicianship.

Kaosufi

Sarah — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 22:13:27 +0000

Friends Matias O’Din and Brefix are a spiritual/political hip-hop duo hailing from DC. In the fall of 2005 I mastered their first release, Underdress’d for the Apocalypse, which is now available directly from the artists.

Shull, Flandreau, Radding

Sarah — Sat, 04 Jun 2005 02:43:20 +0000

This experimental jazz trio explored rhythms and emotions with short, unscripted pieces. This was my last gig with Bobby Hill and Transparent Productions. I greatly enjoyed working at Sangha to create this series of recordings. The results were well received and I will miss this great performance space and all the people I met.

Byard Lancaster Unit

Sarah — Fri, 29 Apr 2005 17:10:43 +0000

In April, 2005, Bobby Hill and Transparent Productions brought another jazz legend to Takoma Park at Sangha. Byard Lancaster wove a continuous tapestry of sound from the pre-show tune-up through the enthusiastic audience reception at the end of the concert, never stopping for more than a second. His mix of African and Caribbean folk music, traditional jazz standards and original compositions blended into one long, joyful celebration. This was an amazing opportunity to witness Byard’s energy and how it affected everyone present.

Bauhaus Quartet

Sarah — Sat, 16 Apr 2005 18:03:51 +0000

As part of a busy April schedule, I recorded Kevin Norton’s Bauhaus Quartet at Sangha. The traditional structure of drums, bass, and horns provided a reference point. Tony Malaby, saxophones, and Dave Ballou, trumpet, exchanged riffs over Kevin’s contemporary compositions, while John Lindberg, bass, provided texture and grooved during his solos. The technical challenge was balancing the mellow tenor saxophone with the strong trumpet. Overall, I’m pleased with the result.

Bread At The Gate

Sarah — Sun, 27 Mar 2005 16:47:10 +0000

I recorded three songs for David Ben Reuven and his group, Bread at the Gate. The recording took place at a band member’s house, and presented some unique challenges. I took direct signals from each instrument and blended that with room mics. Recording the group as a whole allowed each member to explore their improvisations much as they would in a live performance situation: the soloist and other musicians work together and play off one another in real time. This is much different from the “overdubbing” that is usually done in studio work.

Ethnic Heritage Ensemble

Sarah — Sat, 05 Feb 2005 18:36:09 +0000

The EHE combines a unique blend of native and jazz instruments to explore African-influenced and free-form jazz. The highlight of this show was the vocal contribution by Kahil El’Zabar. Fortunately, the small size of the venue made it easy to capture this nuanced performance on the recording.

Bill Cole’s Untempered Ensemble

Sarah — Sun, 14 Nov 2004 13:00:01 +0000

As with Bill Cole’s previous appearance at Sangha, I used matched pair of small-diaphragm microphones set up about 15 feet from the stage. The larger band and small stage area created a bit of a challenge, so I used a wider pattern to capture all of the instruments. Fortunately, Sangha is a great recording space. There is little street noise and the audiences are usually quiet for these gigs.

Bill Cole and Warren Smith

Sarah — Sun, 04 Apr 2004 22:35:46 +0000

I first recorded Bill Cole and Warren Smith when they performed as a duo at Sangha in Takoma Park, MD. Bill (double reeds) and Warren (percussion) have been performing together for years, a fact that reveals itself in their intuitive musical chemistry. Several months later I was asked to come back and record Bill’s larger Untempered Ensemble.