[Dixielandjazz] Re: The worm turns - at long last

[James Kashishian]

I've been sitting on my hands, trying not to put in my two cents on the
subject of offering an "instant recording" of a concert to your public, but
I'm moved to say something anyway.  My reluctance comes from the reaction
some had previously at any mention about "retouching" a live recording.

I have worked on many a live recording, in the post production area (I'm
working on a 22 CD project at the moment...Latin American Baroque), and can
guarantee you that the 3 minutes/5 minutes of applause heard during the
concert at the end of a song is exciting "at the moment", in the heat of the
concert, but if all that is left in on a recording it can begin to sound
very long when heard over and over.  So....we that do these sort of things
can cut the applause a bit, blending in the next song, and make it all sound
very natural, leaving more music and a bit less applause on the recording.  

Same goes for that "nasty note" that won't be noticed in a live concert, and
will stick out like a sore thumb on a recording that is heard over and over.
Or, that ending that didn't quite work like it should have...etc., etc.

All that, too, can be removed or fixed....and, if it's done by an expert,
with professional equipment, then the patch up can not...should not, be
heard.  By the way, those that have expressed their thoughts that "that's
Jazz", and all that should be heard, needed repeat themselves again.  We've
already discussed that enough, me thinks.

My suggestion, do your live recording properly, with good recording
equipment and professional help.  Do your post production work, which is
essential to a good recording.  And, sell your produced recording at later
gigs.  

There's no replacement for playing professionally, and no replacement for
recording professionally, either.  Or, I should say, the replacement for
both will be amateur.
(I'm not terribly sure that those last two sentences explain my thoughts
well enough [I'm NOT a professional writer!], but I hope my meaning will be
extracted from my thoughts there.)   :>

Jim