Pictured at the grand piano in Ocean Way’s Studio B is Herbie Hancock with (standing L-R) producer/arranger Larry Klein, bassist Dave Holland, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, assistant engineer Wesley Seidman and recording engineer Helik Hadar. Photo: David Goggin.
Herbie Hancock has completed tracks at Ocean Way Recording for his forthcoming album, River: The Joni Letters. Working with producer Larry Klein, the album features Wayne Shorter on sax, Dave Holland on bass, Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, Lionel Loueke on guitar, and a variety of vocalists.
Joni Mitchell sings “The Tea Leaf Prophecy,” an autobiographical musing on childhood. Other guest vocalists include Tina Turner, Norah Jones, Corinne Bailey Rae, Brazilian-born Luciana Souza and Leonard Cohen.
“At this point in my career,” Hancock says, “I want to do something that reaches into the lives and hearts of people.” For River, Hancock enlisted producer/arranger/bassist Klein (Mitchell’s longtime producer and creative partner) to help him explore Mitchell’s body of work to select songs that Hancock and Klein could adapt to a conversational musical approach free of a specific genre, while trying to portray the breadth of Mitchell’s gift as a musician and writer.
River: The Joni Letters is slated for release September 25 on the Verve label.
Pictured (L-R) in the Neve 88R-equipped Studio D at Ocean Way Recording are Kitaro and recording engineer/mixer Steven Miller. Photo: David Goggin.
Grammy Award-winning artist Kitaro completed The Sacred Journey of Kukai, Volume 3 at Ocean Way Recording. The new album combines location recordings of temple bells on the island of Shikoku in Japan with traditional instruments and synthesizers recorded at Kitaro’s studio in California. Steven Miller recorded additional synth overdubs at Ocean Way and mixed the album with Kitaro on the Neve 88R console.
The eight tracks on the new album include the bells of eight temples from the total of 88 that will eventually comprise the 10-album series. Kitaro describes Volume 3 as “very different from the first two albums. We recorded at mountain temples 10,000 feet above sea level, and then at temples by the shore at 150 feet. I have used my trusty old analog synthesizers and electric guitars to give this album a very new flavor.” Joining Kitaro are guest artists Paul Pesco on guitar; Alexander Adhami on cello, santoor, guitar, EBow and flute; Masayuki Koga on shakuhachi flute; and Keiko Takahashi on keyboards. Ian Ulibarri was assistant engineer.
The Sacred Journey of Kukai, Volume 3 is scheduled for fall release on the Domo label. Kitaro begins his Love & Peace worldwide tour in November.
Pictured in the back row (L-R) are guitar technician Jeff Mallard, producer Bob Rock, Gavin Rossdale, engineer Eric Helmkamp, assistant engineer Wesley Seidman, keyboardist Jamie Muhoberac and Ross Garfield (aka “The Drum Doctor”). In the foreground, L-R, are guitarist Chris Traynor, bassist Paul Bushnell and drummer Josh Freese. Photo: David Goggin.
Gavin Rossdale, lead singer and guitarist of the Platinum band Bush, and the group Institute, has recorded tracks for his upcoming solo debut in Ocean Way’s famed Studio B. Bob Rock (Metallica, Motley Crüe) produced the sessions. Rossdale also appears in the film How to Rob a Bank, which premiered June 25 at the Los Angeles Film Festival.
For information about Ocean Way, visit www.oceanwayrecording.com.
