Clazz
Clazz started out in 1994 with four tunes; Oil and Vinegar, Bill the
Cat, Dusk and Clazz
We rehearsed the rhythm section once a week for a month then booked an
all nighter at Mad Hatter studios in Los Angeles. A couple weeks later we headed to the mix room and produced
the demo. Pretty straight
forward. Due to time commitments
with the players, the project was put on hold for three years. In late
1997, we finished recording.
With the project finished, and having hit the
walls with the label submission process, I figured we'd spent enough time and
money so I started Razzody
Music.
Mixing
the project (which included remixing the first four tunes) was relatively pain
free. Gary was in his element so I was able to sit back and listen
critically and not worry about the technical stuff. Gary observed Razzs’
interesting way of phrasing and layering and applied the clean and
"unproduced" approach the project needed. Since he’s a natural
when it comes to getting 
the best possible signal to tape in
the first place, the mixing went very smoothly.
We took the project back to Los
Angeles to Future Disc Systems
for mastering. Steve Hall, co-owner and senior
engineer of the studio did the work. Mastering engineers have the
"golden ears" so it was a real kick to receive his compliments on the
playing, recording and mixing of Clazz. As it turned out, the mixing was
so clean, hardly any e.q.. or compression/limiting was necessary. It pays to get the best recording and
mix before you master.
Artwork:
Make
me a pretty picture.
After
searching through several graphic artists, we found Shelly Montana.
Shelly had never produced CD artwork
before so her learning curve was very creative. We tossed ideas around
for a few days then she landed on a color scheme that worked. She used a
photo of Eric rehearsing in the studio on his acoustic bass and made it a
silhouette. From that idea she came up with the rest of the artwork in
record time. Since no negatives were needed for the final lay-up, all I
had to do was approve a match print (very much like a large photograph) and we
were off to the races.
Promotion: Get the tunes on line then, hit the
radio.
After the
pressings were finished, I'm in my studio with a little over a thousand discs in nice
cardboard boxes. “Well, that was fun. I have my boxes, next?”
We handled promotion and distribution from the studio via the net! Amazon.com will let you set up sales through
their site using a program they've created called the Amazon
Advantage. They take a nominal piece of the pie for setting up a page
for your project and selling it. You can set your own retail price. Guitar9
Records works in a similar way.
Now, not only do I have my boxes, I now have discs for sale on the net.
Next? The tunes need to get heard. Hello radio!
Get online and find radio station lists. I highly recommend the list at MIT. We targeted jazz
stations, and through a short email requested permission to submit. Most
stations were more than happy to receive our project. They responded with
their address and contact person (music director).
We
sent a cover letter addressed personally to the music director, a brief
musician bio, a page containing quotes from reviewers (see next paragraph) and
a business card. These were stuffed into envelopes addressed to the music
director and placed into a padded mailer with a copy of the disc. Off it
went and within a few weeks, we were up on the air on several jazz and college
stations all over the country.
Using the same mailing procedure, we sent copies out to online reviewing
sites. Reviews help sales. Reviews help rev up interest in the DJ
which helps promote more radio play and more reviews. The following is a
review we received from The Phantom Toll Booth:
Clazz
Artist: Razz
Label: Independent, {Razzody Music}
Tracks: 11/ 55:05
Once
upon a time in the dark and distant days of the late 70's a young and talented
young guitarist named James Vincent is credited with starting a hybrid form of
jazz called "Fusion." And it came to pass in a roundabout sort of way
that James begat Paul Clark and Paul begat Koinonia, and in 1984 a band of jazz
artists going under the name of Razz released their first album. Christian
radio back then didn't have a clue what to do with a jazz release, they still
don't as a matter of fact. That's why you don't hear of too many Christian
music stations that have a jazz format. Now you need to understand that we're
talking about real music here, not the kind of stuff that is recycled hymns
that you hear waiting for your appointment in a dentist office or stuck between
floors on an elevator. So in 1985 Razz parted ways due to their record company
going belly up. Fast forward 16 years and like Carol Ann said in Poltergeist 2,
"They're back"
Clazz
rhymes with Razz and that means jazz, fusion that is. This new release is chock
full of great riffs, solid playing and just a total sense of good hot music.
The funky tunes make you want to get up and dance and the slower tunes are by
no means boring but are thought provoking and wistful. Rather than a strict
band, Razz seems to be a core group of steady players with a liberal dose of
guest sidemen. To say that the playing credits of these guys is impressive is a
vast understatement. They have played with the likes of Maynard Ferguson, Della
Reese, Frank Zappa, Michael McDonald and Woody Herman just to name a few. I
tend to enjoy fusion, but some of it can get to be repetitive and monotonous,
that is not at all the case on this disc. It holds up as fresh and exciting
with each new listening. This is the kind of recording that will stay in your
cd player for quite a long while. You'll want to kidnap your friends for a car
ride and say check this out. I'd have to say my favorite cuts are:
"Intro", "Sometimes Everytime" & "Clazz." You
can reach Razz at jazz@razzody.com.
Chris MacIntosh aka Grandfather Rock, or
jazz as the case might be.
5 tocks (their highest rating!)
Recap: Would we
do this again? Sure.