Vocalist June Bisantz contacted us with the vision for a remake of a June Christy holiday record from the early 60’s. Her idea was to emulate the form of the original recording, but re-arranged in a more contemporary hard-bop style.
Arranging
We borrowed from the original Pete Rugulo arrangements, adapting them for sextet (2+4) while making the overall effect more lean, incisive and spare, at times completely re-envisioning the original arranging choices. The guitar part alternated between rhythm and horn function, as well as accompaniment to June’s rubato on verses. James Chirillo was the ideal choice for the date, being a master at all 3 functions.
Production
After writing the charts in Finale, we brought the midi into Pro Tools and sent “stems” to June (individual audio tracks from the midi mockup), asking her for a “scratch” (temporary) vocal to send out to the guys in the band, all of whom were in lockdown from COVID. All the guys had recording rigs in their home, in one form or another. June was able to perform the musical miracle of singing rubato to an unsteady click, then swing on the tempos with sampled sounds of the score, which was one of the keys to success of the production.
The record sounds like it was played together in the studio, swinging hard despite the conventional wisdom that jazz needs to be played together in the same room at the same time. We found a way to make it work, even though the guys were recording one at a time. The secret was in the order in which it was done.
With June’s vocal in hand, we built the track from the bottom up, with bass going down second after June with the click. Next came piano – Mike Eckroth can swing like crazy with a click and bass, comping to the vocal. We’d done a lot of playing and projects together prior to this, and he reads anything you put in front of him, and he set the table well for the others. Next was James Chirillo playing the colla voce accompaniment on the verses and rhythm with the click, bass and piano. There were a few spots he clung to the click despite a few minor diversions in the bass. Before the next phase we fixed those couple of spots in the bass track.
James suggested he wait on the ensemble parts he had until the other horns were down, so we did them from the top down, starting with Brandon Lee, who contributed a wonderful solo as well as the lead voice in the ensemble. Next was Marc Pfaneuf, who played a terrific solo as well as nailing all the ensemble parts, phrasing with Brandon like they were in the same room. Then, James put his lines with the horns down, locking in with the other guys.
Finally, the table was set, and we added Alvester Garnett’s brilliant drumming. The track was solid when he received it so he could float on the groove and decorate without a thought to “keeping time.”
The net effect was one of a band sounding like they’d been playing together forever, supporting a brilliant, expressive and soulful vocalist.
Reviews
The recording has been getting some great reviews. Some highlight quotes:
From JazzdaGama
“To have to recreate them must clearly have been quite a tall order for John Burr – who arranged these songs – and for Miss Bisantz to follow Miss Christy’s album from sixty-one years ago. But Mr Burr put his multifaceted artistry [as an arranger and leader of this ensemble] to splendid use here.”
– Raul Da Gama
From The Jazz Owl:
“That Bisantz should uncover this collection and manage to get it recorded with the John (sic – name is Jon) Burr Sextet at the height of the disaster, is extraordinary.
With bassist and bandleader John Burr are Mike Eckroth on piano, James Chirillo on guitar, Brandon Lee on trumpet, Marc Pfaneuf on saxophone, and Alvester Garnett on drums. Jo(h)n Burr did the arranging and producing.”
- Travis Rogers Jr
“…7 Shades of Snow (Arabesque Records) by June Bisantz should be on your wish list.
Stylistic concept vocalist and noted visual artist June Bisantz may be an acquired taste for some, but that was also the case for her late muse. If one doesn’t know the original historical document, the songs will be new as they were all originally customed for Christy by the husband and wife team of Connie Pearce and Arnold Miller and arranged by the legendary Pete Rugolo. They are given fresh new treatments by bassist Jon Burr and his sextet of top NY pros.”
– Mark Ruffin
“Bassist Jon Burr’s inspired arrangements form the musical foundation of the project. With his acclaimed jazz sextet, he produced the instrumental tracks, recorded and delivered remotely, and encouraged Bisantz to create a sound studio in her home to record the vocal tracks.
Reflecting on the process, Bisantz says “Creating this body of work has been an unexpected ray of light in the midst of a dark time for the world. Through this project I have discovered an entirely new way of making music.”
“This project was begun in 2020 at the height of pandemic restrictions. It was conceived. arranged. and recorded in seven distinct studios with digital technology. making the result sound like they were all in a studio.”
– Ron Weinstock
“Bassist and leader Jon Burr’s attentive charts provide just the right arrangements for his intimate, minimalist sextet to accompany the vocalist without overpowering her.”
– Joe Ross
Purchase link:
https://junebisantz.hearnow.com/
