Sometimes the producer’s job is really easy (don’t tell my client!). Producing a vocal session in Nashville last week with Wanya Morris of Boyz To Men was just such a moment. A consummate pro, Wanya’s been recording for a couple of decades now and basically self-produces. He knew what he wanted, knew when he had it and when he didn’t, knocked out two superb versions of the song from which we later comped a gem. It was a 12-blues with a great horn section led by my good friend Jim Hoke, and a rhythm section featuring drummer Chris Brown, John Vogt on bass, Jamey Whiting on piano. If Wanya translated his musical ideas to guitar, he’d be one of the great blues guitar players of our time!
Bayou Recording, the venue for this project, is one of my favorite studios in Nashville, not least because they, like me, still love and use analog 2″ tape. Grabbing the opportunity to put together a second project for songwriter Richard Tinsley, we tracked a Cajun-style thing driven by Joe Spivey‘s fiddle, Jeff Taylor‘s accordion and the great Dusty Drake at the microphone.
As always, it’s a treat to get back to Nashville, and the weekend was capped by a fantastic Irish session with David Coe, Bill Verdier, Bill Wolfe, and Jeff Taylor. And who should show up but the peripatetic globe-hopping former student (if you can call him that-thankfully, he never paid attention to anything I suggested) of mine Josh Kaufmann, accordionist and founder of the fantastic Petrojvic Blasting Company. We had a chance to catch up, and exchanged hopes that the band will record at Mill Pond Music after their upcoming European tour.