SB: How did recording Fuse compare to recording True?
JH: Recording True was a completely different experience from Fuse. First of all, recording with a trio or quartet is very easy compared to a nine-piece funk band! This was so much more relaxed. There was so much more spontaneous musical communication. This is the genre I express myself best in, and I think the other players would tell you the same about themselves.
SB: How did you put the band that plays on the album together?
JH: The musicians that play on True are some of my all time favorite musicians. I’ve been playing with John Rivers since I was 16 years old. He’s a beautiful, mild-mannered, sensitive player that I’ve grown to really love playing with over the years. Nick Cassarino is one of my favorite human beings of all time. He’s just 21 now, but I met him when I was adjudicating a “battle of the bands” seven years ago when he was 14. He was so far beyond his years, even back then. He is a monster guitar player, composer and arranger. It is always my pleasure to play with him.
This record was the first time I had met Geza Carr. I had been hearing a lot about his playing and Nick recommended him to me. We have since played many gigs together. I went to college with Andrew Breskin. I knew if I was going to have another horn player on the album, it would have to be Andy. He lives, breathes, eats and sleeps jazz like no one else I’ve ever known. I was honored he wanted to be a part of it. Finally I added Joe Davidian on piano. Joe and I have been playing together for almost 15 years. He has always been one of my favorite musicians. Whether in a big band or a trio setting, he is always commanding and confident, but gentle with open ears. It was a pleasure working with him on this project.
SB: How did you pick the songs on True?
JH: The songs on True are tunes that I’ve loved for as long as I can remember. Some were songs that I had never sung before, but had always wanted to, such as Nature Boy, Lover Man and With Every Breath I Take. I’d say people will generally recognize about half the songs on the album, and the other half are a little more obscure.
Photo by DaveO
SB: What’s the story with You Own Me, the only original on the album?
JH: I wrote that song a couple of months before we recorded the album for [my husband] Wade.
SB: What was your favorite part of recording True?
JH: My favorite part about recording the album was the love that went into making it. This record was never meant to be a record at all. I was throwing a benefit concert for my aunt, who was diagnosed with breast cancer almost two years ago. I was trying to think of ways to make more money for her. The idea popped into my head a week and a half before the concert that if I could sneak into the studio and bang out a little album, we could accept donations for them.
So all the musicians essentially donated their time to do this for my family. That was the vibe going into this project, and I think it shows in the results.
SB: How long did you spend in The Barn recording the album?
JH: We only had two days to make this album happen, but I think that’s what makes it sound so real. When you don’t have time to nitpick and change every little thing, it forces you to work harder and get it right the first time.
SB: Will the musicians you play with on the album join you on stage at the record release party in New York City on the 19th?
JH: The show will feature some of the same musicians, but not all.
SB: Why did you decide to release the record on Rubber Jungle Records?
JH: When I do something I like to have a decent amount of control over what happens with it. I’ve never been one who appreciates being told what I can and can’t do. The opportunity came along to put out this album with no red tape. They wanted to put it out for the right reasons, just like I wanted to record it for the right reasons.
Photo by Matt Ziegler
SB: Will you be playing any other gigs supporting the album besides the record release parties?
JH: We’ll definitely be playing more shows than the release parties. That’s all in the works now.
Thanks to Jen for speaking with us, and we look forward to seeing her new band play at the Blue Note late night on October 20th. Only a few remain, so get your tickets now. You can check out a few tunes from True on Jen’s MySpace.
- Previously on HT: From Idea to Bustout in Two Hours Flat
4 Responses
But is her drummer a Scientologist? That’s the real question.
Can’t wait to hear the new album…big fan of Miss Hartswick. She rocked my world singing that “Whoa, oh, Night Speeeaks” at the Treymoe.deski show, and I still can’t get that out of my head. That said, would love to hear her take on some classic jazz tunes. Jen rocks.
Well, I just learned what synapes are(I hope I’m spelling them right), the electrical charges that fire in the brain when you learn something(AT LEAST THAT’S MY UNDERSTANDING). It’s my cool new word so I thought it appropo to include it in the title. Kinda cool knowing what they are now, since the lyrics in Phish’s “Chalkdust Tortune” “and my synapses burned” make more sense within the context of that delightful melody. Seriously, some of Trey’s lyrics are so creative that they can simply be described as delightful….one of my favorite lyrics from the tune “Lizards” is “practically extinct from doing things that smart people don’t do”. Seriously now, if that kind of musical nuggest does not make your synapses burn and shoot off a little seritonin in the old dome, I gotta say “whachoo talking bout Willis”? Speaking of domes, it seems like having large heads is a genetic trait in my family…seriously….if you look at my brothers and I next to another dude, our heads are freakin’ huge. It’s kinda weird once you realizeit. Maybe we have bigger heads becauase we are smarter…..or perhaps there’s just more room to store bullshit(as some might attest this blog is evidence off).
Anywhoo…..I feel like I’m making a nice recovery here from yesterday’s poor quality post. I’m back to a flowing “stream of conciousness” which I hope becomes wildly successful in the blogosphere and perhaps even helps out a tad with my personal fiscal and monetary policies. Saw the “Yada Yada” rerun of Seinfeld yesterday. Seinfeld is like a fine wine…..(or me perhaps), it only gets better with time. I didn’t care for the show when it was popular in the 90’s, but now I will attest that Kramer is one of the best damn things to have ever happened to network TV….and Elaine is an eternal hottie! Well, that seems like it was a fun post, and I hope it overloads your synapses!
I had the great pleasure of seeing Jennifer Hartswick at the Blue Note. She was absolutley AMAZING! She has a beautiful,soulful voice and her trumpet playing FANTASTIC!!!
I can’t wait to see her again.