We’ve solicited the talents of local pianist, engineer and producer Ben Zecker.  Ben and I will be co-producing this project together.

Ben Zecker has gained a reputation as one of the more exciting and in demand young musicians in New England.  He has been heard with funk masters such as John Blackwell and the Matrix, various side projects of the Soulive crew, The Boston Horns, or playing in one of his own straight-ahead jazz or funk projects featuring some of the finest musicians in the Boston scene. You may also have heard him freelancing with a neo-soul, pop, rock, jazz, hip-hop, or an “all of the above” showcase band.  No matter what the situation may be, one thing is for sure; Ben always brings serious musicianship, versatility, great technique, energy, taste, and creativity to the gig.

Yesterday, we went into the studio and tracked drums and bass with some of the best musicians I’ve ever had the honor of working with. Wally’s legend Charles Haynes (Kanye West, MIA, Meshell Ndegeocello) absolutely killed it on drums, perfectly complimented by local funk master Baron Browne (Steve Smith, Mike Stern).  These guys really brought our compositions to life and laid down a great foundation.

Onward!!

PS – Pics to come!  When I get them I’ll post ‘em.

Jamie Lynn Hart

So lately I’ve been diggin’ this whole co-writing thing..

I love it when Jamie comes over.  Everything is always so relaxed.  We usually make tea, chat for a while and kick back.

She is the yin to my songwriting yang!  She’s a melody machine.  She carries around a small notebook and captures the musical ideas that float around her head as she goes through the day.  My inner ear’s play list, on the other hand, is usually built from the bottom up.  I tend to hear grooves, changes and arrangements (that I have been known to play air guitar solos to).  Put the two of us together for any length of time and the creative juices just start to flow.

We’ve been tossing around some musical ideas lately which have manifested themselves in the form of 3 tunes that we recently performed at the famous Lizard Lounge Open Mic Challenge hosted by Tom Bianchi and Danielle Miraglia (We made it to the finals!).

A friend of Jamie’s was able to get it on film!  Check out the videos below!

For more about Jamie, you can check out her web page, her MySpace page, or her YouTube channel.

What do you think of the tunes?