02013-05-14 | Jon Gagan, Music
Jon Gagan’s third Transit album is now available in our ListeningLounge. Click on the above image to go there.
Transit 3: migration contains 15 songs with performances by:
Jon Gagan – bass, keyboards, sound design
Eddie Garcia – drums
John Bartlit – vibraphone, marimba
Ottmar Liebert – flamenco guitar, electric guitar, wah, handclaps
Dimi Disanti – electric guitar, solo electric guitar
Robby Rothschils – djembe, calabash, conga, cajón, percussion
Nancy Gagan – vocals
Deborah Domanski – vocals
Mark Clark – bongos, udu, seed pods
02012-05-07 | Jon Gagan, Music
This is Jon Gagan’s 2007 remix of the track “This Spring Release 10,000 Butterflies” from the album One Guitar. You can find the remix here. Ten minutes of mellow. Relax and enjoy.
02009-07-21 | Jon Gagan, Music, Studio
Our monsoon continues and we had another fine rain storm this afternoon.
In the morning Jon and I compared AIFF, FLAC and 320kbps mp3 files in my studio, using Stax Earspeakers and a Stax tube amp. The FLAC files had been encoded and decoded using xAct, which is a fine FLAC app for Macintosh. The 320 mp3 was made with Peak Pro, which uses a LAME encoder – the same encoder we use for the ListeningLounge.
The result was what one would expect: AIFF, followed by FLAC and mp3. What we did not expect was how very close the quality between these formats was. Unless you have a great set of headphones or speakers – and the ears and experience to process what comes through them – you will not hear a difference. Another interesting point was that the treble side of the music was indistinguishable, it was the bass where one could detect shades of difference.
02009-03-25 | Jon Gagan, Recording, Studio
Rehearsal 10:00-13:30 and then packing up and transporting gear. Band sounded good, but what’s really exciting is the potential of this group. These two drummers work very well together. It’s always a gamble, putting two drummers together – some make a great team, some don’t. (((not unlike setting up somebody for a blind date)))
Jon recorded every piece we have worked up for this tour, so we can each listen to the arrangements and memorize them on the two-day bus ride to California. Stevo and Jon kept commenting that much of it sounded like an album and I have to agree. Maybe we should record the band for our subscribers after the Summer tour – live in his studio.
In the meantime we should have a few pieces we can release as free Ottmar-Friends downloads… probably with a few warts (mistakes), but with a pretty nice feel.
Overall a great second day. The second day of rehearsals is often a let-down from the first, but not so this time. Now I have to pack…
02008-09-17 | Jon Gagan, Music, Santa Fe
This evening I walked into town to experience Jon playing upright bass with a great local pianist at El Mason. The sun was setting as I arrived. Enjoyed the music and the tapas and headed home an hour later. A drunk in a car (((New Mexico is famous for drunk drivers))) almost ran me over at the corner of Alameda and Paseo de Peralta and then continued happily on the wrong side of the street for a block. Luckily nobody came in the other direction.
I caught glimpses of the fat moon between trees and houses and thought what a wonderful experience walking at night is (((well, I could do without the drunk drivers)))… I like biking better than driving, but walking is the best way to see the moon.
My walk home –
between the trees,
a glimpse of the fat moon.
– 全放
(Thanks Y.)
02008-08-10 | Jon Gagan, Music
Jon’s re-working of “This Spring Release 10,000 Butterflies” is available in the LL now. I am using the term re-working instead of remix, because it’s really an entirely new recording based on the chord sequence of the original. I played new Flamenco and electric guitar parts and Jon played everything else. It’s a lovely long track – almost 10 minutes – which I have been listening to often since Jon sent it to me last week. You will find “10,000 Butterflies Redux” here. Perfect for sunsets or candlelight or daydreaming. Listen, repeat…
