The Set List

How A Record Is Made

Just stumbled onto this series - my introduction was makin' bacon - and if I didn't have to worry about who will or won't be going to the Grammys, I might spend the afternoon learning how baseball bats and tennis balls are made, too. Something tells me a spoof of this is just around the corner.

How Many People Does It Take to Make An R&B Album?

In the first of what should become a regular series, the Set List will dissect the credits that fill page after page in the booklets of R&B albums. One after another, R&B albums are the result of assembly lines -  the Berry Gordy idea pushed to extreme.
And with R&B albums resembling the K Cars of the 1970s - that translates to generic and unreliable - there is little sign that R&B will be reclaimed by artists or anyone with their eye on anything except feeding the radio pipeline.
We start with Jennifer Lopez's "Brave," a collection of tracks in which she and her army attempt to make music that sounds something like the work of Beyonce and Shakira. Her voice consistently quivers - there's little command in evidence here - and her talk-sing style gets old quick. (The key credit on the album, and it appears on all 12 songs, is "additional vocal production" by Cory Rooney).
But even with Mr. Rooney enhancing and getting J.Lo's voice in key it takes a village to conceptualize a record. On "Hold It Don't Drop It," for example, the melody and rhythm are supplied by a sample of the rhythm guitar from Tavares' "It Only Takes a Minute," meaning it took seven people to come up with the lyrics and beats. Ouch.

Betty Buckley's Bop Down Broadway In the Summer Of Love

Forty years ago, before anyone was thrilled/appalled by "Cats," a 19-year-old Betty Buckley
went into a Ft. Worth, Texas, studio with, of all people, T Bone Burnett as her engineer. The album, recorded two years before she made her Broadway debut in "1776," was never released.
Sony BMG’s Playbill Records has signed Buckley and will make her debut recording - the one she made four decades ago - available starting Oct. 16. Album, which features “Bye, Bye Birdie’s” “One Boy,” “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” “Call Me” and the divine “Where is Love?” from "Oliver," will be pressed on limited-edition vinyl LPs and offered at Playbill's website.
A new Buckley recording, “Quintessence,” will feature the singer with a quintet led by pianist Kenny Werner. Among the tunes are “Amelia,” “I've Grown Accustomed to His Face,” “Cry Me a River,’ “No One Is Alone” and “So Many Stars.”
Buckley, whose first released album was 1993's "Children Will Listen," made her  will make her debut at New York’s Town Hall on Oct. 20.

The Look of Love: Shelby Sings Dusty

Shelby Lynne has posted tracks from her album of Dusty Springfield material, "Just A Little Lovin'," which Lost Highway will release on Feb. 5.
Lynne will be making club appearances this month and next, beginning with a gig at the Ivar in L.A. on Oct. 30.

Mick Details Lennon Jams on 'Today'

Mick Jagger will appear on Tuesday's "Today" show to talk about "Too Many Cooks (Spoil The Soup)," a previously unreleased collaboration with John Lennon.
It was during Lennon's "Lost Weekend" period and he and Jagger were hanging out, getting stoned and jamming with other musicians on blues changes.
"Nothing would really come out of it," Mick tells Matt about the sessions.
Then John pulls out the tune.
"We were very happy to have something to focus on.  And then we all learned it very, very quickly.  And John was so impressed we all could learn it. And I always thought when I went back to these sessions that John was playing guitar on this.  But  the engineer said 'He wasn't playing guitar.  He was producing.'"
Track is on "The Very Best of Mick Jagger" (Atlantic/Rhino), which  will be released Tuesday.

Ornette Coleman Is Still Dancing In My Head

A day after witnessing Ornette Coleman’s sumptuous concert at UCLA’s Royce Hall, I am still taken aback but how gracefully this 77-year-old saxophonist performed so rigorously and with such intensity.
Nearly every moment of the 85-minute show found him performing, primarily on alto sax but also sawing away on the violin and using the trumpet for bullhorn blasts, never resting while his three bassists or drummer solo. Song after among was a group effort, tribute to him sticking to his guns and insisting the musical form he birthed  nearly 50 years ago continues to resonate artistically.
This was one of those concerts in which a review doesn’t seem to be enough. Rebel music delivered in a stately fashion by musicians comfortable in their harmolodic skin. They know where to start and stop; the rests after a handful of bars of music are plentiful and shocking. That several of the songs from his “Sound Grammar” sounded richer in Royce than on the recording only drove home the idea that this music continues to grow after it is set on tape. (A concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall in '04 yielded a similar response).
Sure Coleman was known as wild man in the 1960s, one of the guys the Jazz Police decided was out to ruin jazz as if he, Sun Ra, Albert Ayler and Sam Rivers had conspired to make nothing but noise. If the music had no validity it would not have been recorded, right? Not only was it recorded, it was issued by Atlantic  Records where he was a labelmate of Charles Mingus, John Coltrane and the Rascals.
His slowdown over the last two decades has often worried those who want to hear new recordings or hope that one of his rare appearances will occur in their town. He has a performance Oct. 28 in San Francisco and gigs in Croatia, Spain and Hong Kong next year; earlier this year he performed at the Bonnaroo Fetsival. He continues to compose.
Last year, the hoopla afforded his fine album “Sound Grammar” overshadowed the divine reissue of some early recordings issued by the fine Bay Area reissue label Water. That album of superb recordings from 1959 and ‘60, “To Whom Who Keeps a Record,” sounds “startling and fresh” according to NPR critic David Was. The band was his classic lineup: Don Cherry on trumpet, Charlie Haden on bass, and either Ed Blackwell or Billy Higgins on drums. One fabulous record store labels it essential.
The reissue only exists because Filippo Salvadori, a native of Naples who founded the Water label in the Bay Area, was a fan. Atlantic had issued the LP overseas in 1975, but never in the U.S..
Having struck up a relationship with Warner Music, which owns Atlantic, to reissue Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding albums on vinyl, he approached them to do the Coleman reissue.
“I was trying for that one for a long time,” he says. “Right now, it’s easier to sell ‘70s folksinger-songwriters but years ago it was different – a lot more jazz.. And that’s one of the things you have to take into consideration when you decide what to reissue – you can’t afford to make mistakes.”
By the time WEA gave the OK to the Coleman tapes it didn’t matter: The album was too important. Besides, there is always a thirst for Ornette Coleman recordings.
For the record, Coleman and his band performed the following songs at Royce Hall on Sept. 26, 2007:
Following the Sound / Sleep Talking / Jordan / 911 / Call to Duty / Turn Around / Out of Order / Bach / Those That Know Before It Happens / Taking the Cure / Dancing In Your Head / Song World / Song X / Lonely Woman

Universal Music Uncorks the Champagne

Universal Music Group is a mighty proud parent today, celebrating the sales successes of Kanye West and 50 Cent.
The company proudly touts:
that it is the first music company ever to have a current market share of more than 50% (50.94%) and and the highest ever overall market share of 43.17%. (That one broke UMG's old record of 37.78% from Nov. 14, 2004);
its highest current digital album market share (49.67%);
the highest No. 1 and No. 2 debut combination ever in the SoundScan era (since 1991);
seven titles in the top 10, counting its distribution deal with Disney.
The number that isn't making into the headlines though is the number 9, as in overall sales this week were 9% less than the same week last year: 9.2 million vs. 10.1 million in 2006.
The major sellers making top 10 debuts last year? Beyonce, Audioslave and, believe it or not, Iron Maiden.

Aretha Goes the Duets Route

A little more than three years ago, a publicist called to say Aretha Franklin wanted to be interviewed by me (I think they meant Variety but were trying to make me feel good about it) before her first L.A. show in 21 years.
It didn't matter that Variety didn't do profiles or concert previews or that Aretha's biographer David Ritz had told me that she is not very forthcoming. I figured, how often do I get a chance to speak with Aretha Franklin, the single greatest female voice of the rock 'n' roll era?
Now, of course, since this is Aretha and she obviously plans her life out months in advance - the reason for not playing L.A. for so long was because of the drive - there was only one 20 minute slot that she would have available. That day, however, was not a good one: I would be in New York on a trip to a half-dozen baseball stadiums with my daughter (her brilliant idea, not mine) and who knew if I would be in a position to do the interview.
A week or two passes and no confirmation call or email arrives. Nothing. Far as I'm concerned it isn't happening, which meant time for quick nap before that evening's Mets-Astros game.
Phone rings. At the appointed time. It's Miss Franklin. She's an absolute delight and as long as the conversation stays on upbeat and positive topics, she willingly talks up a storm. Just don't try to talk about anything that might force her into having a cross word about someone.
Interview produced two news tidbits: She was forming her own label and she was doing a duets album. When she said "next" album, I thought she meant Christmas. As in 2004.
Well, lo and behold, the album exists, it has a title and a release date.
"Jewels in the Crown: All-Star Duets With the Queen" will be released Nov. 13 on Arista Records.
The lead single is “Put You Up On Game” with Fantasia, which is being released to radio on Oct. 1.
Franklin duets with Whitney Houston (“It Isn't, It Wasn't, It Ain't Never Gonna Be”), John Legend (“What Y’All Came To Do”), Luther Vandross (“Doctor’s Orders”), Annie Lennox (“Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves”), Keith Richards (“Jumping Jack Flash”), Elton John (“Through The Storm”) Frank Sinatra (“What Now My Love”), George Michael (“I Knew You Were Waiting”), Michael McDonald (“Ever Changing Times”), George Benson (“Love All The Hurt Away”), Mary J. Blige (“Don’t Waste My Time,”“Never Gonna Break My Faith”), Bonnie Raitt and Gloria Estefan (“A Natural Woman") and Mariah Carey (“Chain Of Fools”). 
Album also features her performance of Puccini's “Nessum Dorma.”

Singers Identify Perfection

Q Magazine has polled 50 recording artists, among them Michael Stipe, John Legend and the leader of Travis, to create a list of "Perfect Songs." (Since Leonard Cohen wrote "Hallelujah," they actually mean perfect records).
The winners, in no particular order:

Bitter Sweet Symphony - The Verve
Blowin' In The Wind - Bob Dylan
Born To Run - Bruce Springsteen
God Only Knows - The Beach Boys
Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley
Life On Mars - David Bowie
Perfect Day - Lou Reed
Strange Fruit - Billie Holiday
Strawberry Fields Forever - Beatles
Sympathy For The Devil - Rolling Stones

A few of the indidviduals provide their picks here while Q provides the videos.
Personally, I'll agree with Blowin' In The Wind, Born To Run, God Only Knows and Hallelujah and throw in Marvin Gaye's What's Going On, John Coltrane's Naima, Paul Simon's Graceland, Thelonious Monk's 1947 version of 'Round Midnight, R.E.M.'s Nightswimming, Otis Redding's I've Been Loving You Too Long, NRBQ's Riding in My Car and Junior Murvin's Police and Thieves. Naturally, the list changes depending on the day.