“A Texas Symphony”


1989 Film-Score Remastered

by Gary Powell, Composer

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: John Harms
OFF-LINE EDITOR: Glenn Wolfe
ON-LINE EDITOR: Bill Lewis
COMPOSER: Gary Powell
ORCHESTRATOR: Gary Powell
RECORDING & MIXING ENGINEER: Larry Seyer

(Musical Score Copyright 1989 Jesmax Music, BMI
Copyright IBM Corporation 1989 All Rights Reserved)
______________________________________________

The call came in from John Harms of River City Productions in Austin, Texas for an original film-score for an IBM project. I had composed and produced dozens of these in the past usually around some new computer chip rollout. This time, John says, “This one is different. No talking heads. Only beautiful shots of Texas landscapes and people.” The date is October, 1989!

This piece of work, without my planning it, was to soon set me up with Ted Kryczko of Walt Disney Records as more than just another song producer. This creative happenstance unknowingly presented a life-changing opportunity for this much younger Austin film composer. All I knew at that time was that these filmed scenes of Texas were beautiful, exciting to score and had a very real budget.

IBM installed a major video and slide projection system in a conference room solely designed to showcase “TEXAS” to foreign dignitaries. Wanting to eliminate any possible language barriers, they wisely let the music and cinematography do the talking.

The process was for me to compose the music first, then Glenn Wolfe would cut the video to my score. Glenn showed me all the footage he had amassed and how he planned to collate, staple and creatively glue this thing together. I decided to write the music within his organizational framework of different visual sections of landscapes, coastal and inland water, building-scapes, people, etc. It was obvious this film-score needed to be composed as an orchestral piece which would also give it a long shelf life. I delivered a midi-only score to Glenn for him to pre-cut his collected images. With a few timing changes, I then hired my regular orchestra players, mostly from the Austin Symphony Orchestra, and recorded and conducted the score from a click track to maintain sync with the now edited version.

As you watch, remember this was 1989 which preceded any non-linear video editors! I re-mastered the audio for this posting, which is now much improved from the 1989 technology. The dreaded tape hiss of the last millenium is now removed.

I would like to give special mention to the banjo and guitar parts performed by Danny Barnes. Although mostly improvised, Danny was musician enough to integrate some of my individual orchestral lines into his playing, which made his banjo and guitar parts sit within the score rather than just on top of it. Danny is a truly great player and musician.

Thank you, John Harms and Gary Schmidt, owner of River City Productions, for this pivotal musical scoring and career building opportunity!

THE RHYTHM SECTION
BANJO & GUITAR: Danny Barnes
ACOUSTIC BASS: Spencer Starnes
DRUMS: John Trainer

Austin Jazz Pianist Rich Harney

by Gary Powell, Austin Vocal Producer

richRich Harney is a small man by physical stature, but you’ll think again when when hearing him play piano.

RICH HARNEY PLAYS DEEP!

I have known Rich for a couple of decades just from both of us being in the Austin music scene. He knows I specialize in working with studio singers and studio choral recordings are a mainstay of my production business. I am honored that Rich sought me out for the recording of “Jesus, Lamb of God”, which is Rich’s new choral composition. The piece is haunting and healing largely from the beautiful colors drawn from Rich’s harmonic personal library.

You can hear pianists thinking as they play. Some are linear players always headed to the next line or melodic improvisation. I’m almost sure I can hear Rich Harney thinking vertically. He has a wonderful command of the jazz harmonic idiom and improvises in every vertical moment with great acumen and sense of sonority adventure. Wow, that was a mouthful and probably only made sense to music composition majors!

Rich composed his choral piece, “Jesus, Lamb of God”, with a piano accompaniment which we decided to record first. I have two Yamaha pianos. In the studio is a Yamaha C7 (7’4″) and in the screening room is a much more mellow Yamaha G5 (6’5′). The G5 was manufactured in Japan with a slightly different cabinet and design seemingly voiced for the classical pianist’s ear. Rich preferred the G5 for its softer tone.

Both Yamaha pianos are meticulously maintained by Brian Henselman, owner of Music Masters Piano Service here in Austin, Texas. I purchased the G5 from Brian who is a great source for people who are serious about locating the perfect instrument.

gary
Click Piano Photo to Enlarge

When I want to record the G5, which is not in the studio proper, I record on my Apple G4 powerbook using MOTU’s Traveler interface with a pair of AT-4033’s at 24bit 44.1k . Rich gave an incredible performance which included a solo before recapping the main theme. A couple of takes for microphone placement and a couple of takes for creative decisions and we were done. Studios can certainly mask the marginal skills of musicians. This is mostly not true for the jazz community who do not hide behind technology and navel rings. Rich Harney, from among the best, is a very consistent and deliberate player and this piece proves it.

To prepare for the choir, I took Rich’s piano performance into the studio and built a click track from his rubato performance. I do this just in case we need a click for the singers, but also for good “housekeeping” which makes locating much faster during subseqeunt sessions. This kind of preparation makes for a much smoother and enjoyable session for our Austin studio vocalists.

I am proud to have been a part of this project. I’ll write about the choral recording session soon and introduce those singers.

Rich Harney gigs and records with Austin’s best. In 2003, Rich and saxophonist/flutist Alex Coke released “Soul Prayers”. Rich Harney has also recorded with jazz vocalist Beth Ullmann which you can find at “Heart Music”.

Singing with Helen Darling Since 1985

by Gary Powell

(Click here to visit Helen Darling’s website.)
Helen Darling SingsHelen Darling SingsHelen Darling SingsHelen Darling Sings

It was January, 1985. Helen walked into the classroom at the University of Texas to audition for the performing vocal group, Ensemble 109, I was directing. I’m pretty sure she had a bow in her hair. She could barely speak, much less sing, due to laryngitis. Nonetheless, she was game for giving it a try. She sat at the piano and struggled to get any tone out at all performing one of her original songs. Obviously when someone sings for you with nothing but air and you can still hear the soul, then you have met a singer. Helen has been in my life both professionally and personally ever since.

Immediately after graduating U.T., she moved to Chicago and sang several jingles which made it into the popular lexicon. Helen moved from Chicago to Nashville where Decca Records grabbed her up for a two-album deal. Continuing to develop as a songwriter, Helen penned the hit song released in 2001, “Bring on the Rain”, which you can now find on Jo Dee Messina’s Greatest Hits Album.

When my very first multi-track recorder showed up in the mid-80’s, it was Helen who that day quickly stacked a bunch of vocals just to try it out. We’ve enjoyed that kind of ease of music-making ever since. However, it’s not history that makes Helen valuable in recording sessions. It’s her ability to musically coexist with other singers with the studied ability to vocally sculpt tone and phrasing as needed. I talk a lot about the relationship between the voice and the ear for studio session singers. Helen is the flagship within that paradigm. Another twenty years or so? I hope so.

Helen and professional photographer husband, Dennis Darling, live in Austin and summer in Montana and the Czech Republic.

These Helen Darling solo performances can be found on various Disney recordings and the other recordings listed below. Please note that I do not sell these recordings.

Disney’s Karaoke Series: Hannah Montana

“The Best of Both Worlds”, “I Got Nerve”, “If We Were a Movie”, “Just Like You”,
“The Other Side of Me”, “Pumpin’ Up the Party”, “This is the Life”, “Who Said?”, “Crazy”, Don’t Want to Be Torn”, “Every Part of Me”, “He Could Be the One”,
“I Wanna Know You”, “Just a Girl”, “Let’s Chill”, “Super Girl”

Disney’s Karaoke Series: Disney Girlz Rock

“Let’s Bounce”

A Bug’s Life Sing Along

A PARENT’S CHOICE AWARD WINNER
“Lucky, Lucky Snake”, “Black Widow Spider”

Jungle Book 2 Soundtrack

“Queen of the Jungle”, “He’s a Lucky, Lucky Snake”

Disney’s Party Beats

“Jenny from the Block”, “Missundaztood”

A Toy Story Sing Along

“Woody’s Waltz”

Lady and the Tramp and Friends

“Dear Heart”

Dinosaur

“The Perfect Size”

Chorus Performances for Walt Disney Records

“Black Widow Spider”, “Santa Wrap,” “Santa’s Rap,” “The Herd,” “You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” “Anytime You Need a Friend”

________________________________

Joe Scruggs & Ballet Austin’s “Not Afraid of the Dark”

“Rainbow Colored Jump Rope”, “I Can Dance”

Joe Scruggs – “Traffic Jams”

“Goo Goo Ga Ga”

University of Texas Ensemble 109 – “The Feelin’ is Mine”

“It’s So Easy”

Finishing the Mona Lisa!

by Gary Powell

Many of you think of your songwriting as art and for others it is a product. It’s the same with producers, engineers, choreographers and painters. However, regardless of the discipline, neither the art nor the product becomes real until it’s finished.

A documentary hosted by art critic Tim Marlow on the Gallery HD Channel suggested Leonardo DaVinci never really finished painting the Mona Lisa. DaVinci, the artist, had worked on it for decades and the only reason it is now “finished” is because DaVinci himself died! (Maybe this is where we got the word deadline.)

It seems Leonardo used the process of painting the Mona Lisa to discover new painting techniques. I would speculate that his process might also have been part of his inward journey. Our best art involves the conscious enmeshment of the outer brush stroke with the inner dialogue.

Real artists ask both more of themselves AND their chosen discipline.

Many musicians struggle with letting go and knowing when a recording project is finished. If that resonates with you, then it might suggest a desire for deepening the relationship with the music itself, not your audience. Maybe it’s time to cancel the photo shoot and book a class!

I have found that individuals who dwell over minutia are often just looking for better tools to express themselves. When indulged in their quirky “artistry”, their productivity can bog down even further. We often assign the term “brilliant” to these people when, in truth, their curious, artistic nature is nothing more than a “quirky” mixture of personal insecurity and professional incompetence. “I’m scared and I don’t know much, so I must have a posse to shield the truth.” All of us artisans carry some of this psychology. I’m suggesting we consciously manage it in order to use it to our advantage.

I almost always hold myself to a higher standard than what is expected from clients. Dreams of perfection are richly embedded in the search for my true self. However, capitalism has this wonderful little devise called a “deadline” which brings projects to a close very quickly if one expects to be paid. Read this interesting article from the Medical Laboratory Observer if you have performance anxieties around the psychology of deadlines.

It will serve us all well to come to terms with what defines a healthy indulgence in detail and what does not. Like DaVinci, any “finished” art is by nature a compromise by the artist simply due to the parallel process of living lives which are ever unfolding. As we learn, assimilate, and transform, whether consciously or not, so does our art.

Know when it’s time to let the art go. When you do, you can then give birth to a new creation in its place and in its honor. Your next piece of art will not only take on the reflection of your life and continued journey, but will create a wonderful record of your path and growth as a human being.

All Content of Gary Powell’s Site is Licensed Under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License

.

Ballet Austin
& Shadow Play Records and Video
present

“Not Afraid of the Dark”
in Houston, Texas

Concept and Music by Joe Scruggs
Choreography by Stephen Mills
Music Arranged & Produced by Gary Powell

Show
Most people remember seminal events in their lives. For me, the phone call from Wink Tyler at Austin Recording Studio to produce a new children’s singer-songwriter Joe Scruggs was it! In fact, Joe Scruggs, his partner Pete Markham and I were all the same age in 1982. Joe and Pete are quite a bit older now however.

Fast forward 24 years, nine albums and God only knows how many performances and you arrive at a very cool and beautifully designed live event entitled, “Not Afraid of the Dark”. The Show That Glows was conceived by Joe Scruggs with all his über-clever children’s musical fare and choreograhed by Stephen Mills, artistic director for Ballet Austin. I served, as always, as Joe’s musical arranger and producer. Pete Markham is the president of Shadow Play Records.

This show is SO much fun. The photos at the left are actual shots from a performance. It’s a visual creative fantasy that is a joy to just SEE. Add Joe’s wonderful feel for parlaying entertaining family-isms with the very talented dancers of the junior company of Ballet Austin and you’ll have one GREAT family night out.

CITYSEARCH EDITORIAL PROFILE – By Jamie Smith Cantara

“Everything that lights up, radiates and sends beams will seem even brighter on the darkened stage. “Stick Man,” a new creation by Scruggs, uses a technique called “live wires” to generate glowing, life-size stick figures that dance with neon-like light. Black lights, chemical lights, luminescent materials and fiber optics show children how many different ways there are to create shimmering visual displays.”

Joe Scruggs, Pete Markam and I have a rich record-producing history. I’m looking forward to including some of our experiences with this blogging technology… which wasn’t quite happening in 1982!

I hope my Houston subscribers and everyone at the Rice Building Institute will forward this post to all their friends with kids. It’s truly a special family event.

BLOG TIP: Click the Title of this Post to display its permalink URL in your browser’s address bar. A permalink is nothing but a permanent URL address for any post. Every post (or blog) has it’s own permalink. You can now copy and paste this URL address from your browser’s address bar into an email to share with others.

Friday, April 7, 2006 – 7 pm
Wortham Center’s Cullen Theater
(713) 277-4772

Concept and Music by Joe Scruggs
Choreography by Stephen Mills
Music Arranged & Produced by Gary Powell

Show
Most people remember seminal events in their lives. For me, the phone call from Wink Tyler at Austin Recording Studio to produce a new children’s singer-songwriter Joe Scruggs was it! In fact, Joe Scruggs, his partner Pete Markham and I were all the same age in 1982. Joe and Pete are quite a bit older now however.

Fast forward 24 years, nine albums and God only knows how many performances and you arrive at a very cool and beautifully designed live event entitled, “Not Afraid of the Dark”. The Show That Glows was conceived by Joe Scruggs with all his über-clever children’s musical fare and choreograhed by Stephen Mills, artistic director for Ballet Austin. I served, as always, as Joe’s musical arranger and producer. Pete Markham is the president of Shadow Play Records.

This show is SO much fun. The photos at the left are actual shots from a performance. It’s a visual creative fantasy that is a joy to just SEE. Add Joe’s wonderful feel for parlaying entertaining family-isms with the very talented dancers of the junior company of Ballet Austin and you’ll have one GREAT family night out.

CITYSEARCH EDITORIAL PROFILE – By Jamie Smith Cantara

“Everything that lights up, radiates and sends beams will seem even brighter on the darkened stage. “Stick Man,” a new creation by Scruggs, uses a technique called “live wires” to generate glowing, life-size stick figures that dance with neon-like light. Black lights, chemical lights, luminescent materials and fiber optics show children how many different ways there are to create shimmering visual displays.”

Joe Scruggs, Pete Markam and I have a rich record-producing history. I’m looking forward to including some of our experiences with this blogging technology… which wasn’t quite happening in 1982!

I hope my Houston subscribers and everyone at the Rice Building Institute will forward this post to all their friends with kids. It’s truly a special family event.

BLOG TIP: Click the Title of this Post to display its permalink URL in your browser’s address bar. A permalink is nothing but a permanent URL address for any post. Every post (or blog) has it’s own permalink. You can now copy and paste this URL address from your browser’s address bar into an email to share with others.

Friday, April 7, 2006 – 7 pm
Wortham Center’s Cullen Theater
(713) 277-4772

How to Get the Gig, How to Keep the Gig

University of Texas / Music 376C

by Gary Powell

My semesterly sojourn to Glenn Richter’s music business class at the University of Texas is like a performance. Professor Richter is School of Music’s Professor of Instrumental Conducting and the Director of the Center for American Music.

I think all my best teachers and professors have had a bit of performer in them regardless of the subject. This class was the kind that allowed some improvisation. Below is a list of what I THINK we talked about. If I left anything out, please add it in the comments.
Gary Powell and UT Music 376
If you are under the illusion that these students are not on top of all the issues discussed below, then visit the site of violinist Rebecca Browne, who is the class member pictured second from the right in red. Also, you can listen to the wonderful voice of singer Azniv Korkejian, (pictured center in the white jacket/maroon collar) who sang for me after class.

Gary Powell Drawing Creativity I opened by singing “I’m Gonna Get My Needs Met”, my interpretation of Joseph Stalin. Then the following topics ensued.

The size of the musical palette needed in order to accommodate the size of the idea expressed.

Learning our own personal philosophical leanings as defined by how we view ourselves in relation to others and our own identity and responsibility. Gary Powell Creativity Drawing

The source of the creative urge or spark…..trusting the mind to assimilate all the “loaded-in” disparate parts into the whole. (See drawing at right to help make sense of this and yes, I know I can’t draw!)

How to keep the gig? Don’t miss deadlines! Don’t go over budget! Don’t whine!

When it is time to take care of yourself, take care of your client at the same time whenever possible.

How do you get the gig? Get lucky first, but back it up with training, discipline and a prodigious work ethic just in case you have to actually work for a living. Be brave. Be bold. Go to parties.

The fine line between arrogance and confidence.

Don’t let adults perpetrate the big lie about “arriving” or “the cream rising to the top”. Here is what adults don’t tell you. At 55 years of age I have the exact same challenges you have. Get comfortable with the constant reinvention of yourself.

This class was really fun for me. I met some wonderful and talented young people and we cut a wide swath across the professional music field. Teaching another person how to be successful is a slippery prospect. Even after 30 years as a composer, musical arranger and musician, I have just a sliver of knowledge about how it all works. NO ONE knows how it all works. However, when we come together we can share, learn and inspire each other from our own experiences, the good and the bad of it, in spite of our own prejudices and our ever-expanding philosophical and ever-changing emotional selves.

Best regards to all of you and especially Glenn Richter for sharing his class with me.

by Gary Powell

My semesterly sojourn to Glenn Richter’s music business class at the University of Texas is like a performance. Professor Richter is School of Music’s Professor of Instrumental Conducting and the Director of the Center for American Music.

I think all my best teachers and professors have had a bit of performer in them regardless of the subject. This class was the kind that allowed some improvisation. Below is a list of what I THINK we talked about. If I left anything out, please add it in the comments.
Gary Powell and UT Music 376
If you are under the illusion that these students are not on top of all the issues discussed below, then visit the site of violinist Rebecca Browne, who is the class member pictured second from the right in red. Also, you can listen to the wonderful voice of singer Azniv Korkejian, (pictured center in the white jacket/maroon collar) who sang for me after class.

Gary Powell Drawing Creativity I opened by singing “I’m Gonna Get My Needs Met”, my interpretation of Joseph Stalin. Then the following topics ensued.

The size of the musical palette needed in order to accommodate the size of the idea expressed.

Learning our own personal philosophical leanings as defined by how we view ourselves in relation to others and our own identity and responsibility. Gary Powell Creativity Drawing

The source of the creative urge or spark…..trusting the mind to assimilate all the “loaded-in” disparate parts into the whole. (See drawing at right to help make sense of this and yes, I know I can’t draw!)

How to keep the gig? Don’t miss deadlines! Don’t go over budget! Don’t whine!

When it is time to take care of yourself, take care of your client at the same time whenever possible.

How do you get the gig? Get lucky first, but back it up with training, discipline and a prodigious work ethic just in case you have to actually work for a living. Be brave. Be bold. Go to parties.

The fine line between arrogance and confidence.

Don’t let adults perpetrate the big lie about “arriving” or “the cream rising to the top”. Here is what adults don’t tell you. At 55 years of age I have the exact same challenges you have. Get comfortable with the constant reinvention of yourself.

This class was really fun for me. I met some wonderful and talented young people and we cut a wide swath across the professional music field. Teaching another person how to be successful is a slippery prospect. Even after 30 years as a composer, musical arranger and musician, I have just a sliver of knowledge about how it all works. NO ONE knows how it all works. However, when we come together we can share, learn and inspire each other from our own experiences, the good and the bad of it, in spite of our own prejudices and our ever-expanding philosophical and ever-changing emotional selves.

Best regards to all of you and especially Glenn Richter for sharing his class with me.