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Conversations in Jazz With Phil Ramone By MICHAEL DEASE
One of the top producers in the recording industry, Phil Ramone has nine Grammy Awards and an Emmy under his belt. His musical acumen has played an integral role in the career development of many dynamic performing artists, including Barbra Streisand, Billy Joel, Tony Bennett, Ray Charles, and Natalie Cole, while his technical savvy pioneered the use of the compact disc, digital video disc, high-definition recording, and surround sound. As a result, the first CD ever pressed, Billy Joel's 52nd Street, was a Phil Ramone production, as was the first pop DVD release, Dave Grusin Presents West Side Story. Needless to say, Professor Greg Knowles' Business of Jazz students were delighted to receive Mr. Ramone as the final lecturer in a series of conversational interviews that have featured Todd Barkan, Jazz at Lincoln Center's artistic administrator, and Charlie Feldman, a vice president at BMI.Ramone is an active educator, and puts his experience to use by explaining his profession concisely and effectively. His candid, unpretentious response to the question, "What do you, as a producer, do?" immediately set the mood for an absorptive 45 minutes that included time for a few anecdotes.
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"The greatest interaction in the world is the creativity involved in making music."
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"They [producers] are it. They make the music come to life," said Ramone, in explaining his scope of responsibilities. "The producer is the director of the action, and much of his success is due to the chemistry and trust between people. They decide what they think the audience will take. Producers are also fiscally responsible for the project budget."Essentially, what producers do is make music and recordings sound better. A veteran producer will be familiar with all elements of the music-making process, including orchestration, studio technology, marketing strategy, and composition. In Ramone's opinion, "understanding the nature of writing is 90 percent of making a record better." Musical performance and composition skills are, of course, nothing new to the legendary music mogul. After starting violin at age 3, it took young Phil only four years to begin public performances. His virtuosity eventually led to a scholarship at Juilliard before he embarked upon his chosen path as a recording engineer and producer. Ramone credits this early period of his life for the development of his artistic sense. "It was those prodigy years that are really the essence of where my musicality comes from," he told Billboard in a 1996 interview. "The greatest interaction in the world," he said, taking the idea a little further in the class, "is the creativity involved in making music."Demos—brief tapes or recordings illustrating the abilities of a musician—are important marketing tools to performers in all genres. Ramone explained that the availability of sophisticated recording software has narrowed the quality gap between self-produced and hi-fidelity, professional sound recordings. With sonority at its peak, Ramone advises young artists to be brief on their demos, adhering to what he called "the 10-minute ability to concentrate." He believes that "three songs tell the story, not brutal but concise"—pointing out that the radio never plays a long song.Mr. Knowles posed a great question: "What do I, as the artist, look for in a producer?" Before answering this, Ramone smiled and offered this saying about an album: "If it's hugely successful, it's the artist; if it's fairly successful, it's the producer." Arguably as important as talent is the producer's dedication to the artist's business practices. "The team has to be a no-nonsense team," said Ramone in describing the kind of producer that should attract an artist's interest. One way to find a producer is to look for personnel consistencies on your favorite records, especially with the studio and sound engineers. Like Ramone, they are often interested in moving from engineering into the producer's chair.With the floor open to student questions, saxophonist Christopher Madsen brought up a topic on the minds of many jazz and mainstream instrumentalists. He asked, "What are your thoughts about the trend of synthesized instruments replacing live music?"The reasons for this, as Ramone explained, are that big-name drummers and acoustic rooms are very expensive—proving that the business of music is actually business in general, coming down to dollars and cents. But to the relief of musicians everywhere, Ramone believes that this trend will not eliminate the live-music scene. His response indicates an attitude that has supported his aspirations and has certainly aided in his achievement: "Nothing replaces anything—things just change. You have to hustle. New York is the best place in the world to enterprise in and to hustle." Words to live by. Trombonist Michael Dease is a bachelor's degree candidate in jazz.
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