Sessions at Avatar Studios with Jean Morrison, Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett, Aretha, Kenny Garrett

July was a hot month in Hell’s Kitchen, as Avatar Studios hosted sessions for some of the biggest names in the biz. Let’s fire it up!

In Studio A, the Neve 8088 captured the sweet sounds of Tony Bennett (happy 85th birthday this month!) recording a duet with Lady Gaga in Studio A for his upcoming Duets II album. The session was produced by Phil Ramone, engineered by Dae Bennett, and assisted by Fernando Lodeiro and Tim Marchiafava.  Tony Bennett also sang and recoded a duet with Intergalactic Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin in the spacious Studio C, with its Neve VRP 72-input console, for the same project.  Both sessions were filmed.

Also in Studio A, Jean Morrison recorded for her upcoming album with help from Nile Rodgers and Vernon Reid.  Diego Paul produced the session and Hillary Johnson engineered, assisted by Charlie Kramsky.

Detroit-borne jazz great Kenny Garrett recorded some transcendent new songs (SonicScoop received a special preview – story to come) in Studio C with producer Donald Brown, engineer Todd Whitelock, and assistant  Fernando Lodeiro.

Studio B and the SSL 9000 J were on duty recording for an Evanescence project. Nick Raskulinecz produced, and engineer Paul Figueroa was assisted by Fernando Lodeiro.

Scarlett Johansson recorded vocals in Studio G through the SSL 4000G+ for a Dean Martin project. Producer/engineer Eric Rosse and assistant Charlie Kramsky were on point.

The Gaddabouts returned to Studio A to record with producers Steve Gadd and Edie Brickell. Engineer Andy Smith was assisted here by Bob Mallory.

Studio A and G were rocking with the bluesy jams of The Zak Smith Band, recorded in Studio A and G by producer Zak Smith, engineer Milan Sudzuk assisted by Aki Nishimura.

Saxophonist and composer Jane Ira Bloom was recording in Studio B with super-engineer Jim Anderson, assisted by Fernando Lodeiro.

Michael Maier and Freddie Cole tracked vocals in Studio W, in a session produced by Michael Maier with engineer Bryan Smith.

In the TV realm, music for the Discovery Channel’s show The Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero was recorded in Studio C with producer Robert Miller. Peter Hylenski engineered, assisted by Charlie Kramsky.

For the multimedia realm, James Sheldon, author of Before I Forget – Directing Television: 1948-1988, was in Studio E reading from his own book for an upcoming audio book.

Paul McCartney, Lou Reed, Bjork, Mark Ronson Recording at Avatar

We’ve got the latest on who’s been recording at NYC’s Avatar Studios most recently. Check it out:

In the legendary Studio A…Paul McCartney recorded a Buddy Holly tribute with producer David Kahne and engineer Roy Hendrickson, assisted by Fernando Lodeiro; Lou Reed recorded (and mixed) music for a TV commercial with producer Rob Mathes and engineer Elliot Scheiner, also assisted by Lodeiro;

Mark Ronson recorded music for Warner Brothers Pictures’ upcoming film Arthur, with engineer Vaughan Merrick, assisted by Bob Mallory; and Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks continued recorded music for HBO’s Mildred Pierce with producer/engineer Stewart Lerman, assisted by Rick Kwan.

James Carter Organ Trio also recorded an upcoming release in Studio A with producer Michael Cuscuna and engineer Jim Anderson assisted by Aki Nishimura, and an upcoming release for Kendrick Scott’s “Oracle” was recorded with Scott and Derrick Hodge producing and Joe Barbaria engineering, assisted by Charlie Kramsky.

Stanley Jordan was at Avatar recording an upcoming release with a “who’s who” of top jazz musicians that included Mike Stern, Christian McBride, Charnett Moffett, Nicholas Payton, Bucky Pizzarelli, Charlie Hunter, Russell Malone, Regina Carter and Kenwood Dennard. Al Pryor produced the session with engineer Todd Whitelock.

Meanwhile in the large, Motown-inspired and Neve-equipped Studio C, recorded for an upcoming release with engineer Damian Taylor; Kelli O’Hara recorded an upcoming release with producer Dan Lipton and engineer Lawrence Manchester; Louis C.K. and engineer Robert Smith worked on music for Season 2 of the FX show, Louie.

In the SSL 4000 G+ equipped Studio G, Hal Willner produced a “Sea Shanties” project that featured vocals by Sean Lennon, Michael Stipe and Courtney Love, all recorded and mixed by engineers Martin Brumbach and Roy Hendrickson, and more vocals for Fox’s Glee were recorded and mixed with producer Tommy Faragher and engineer Bryan Smith.

Finally, in Studio B, Isabella Rossellini recorded a voice over for an upcoming environmental documentary Home with producer Eva Ferrero and engineer Neil Dorfsman; and Renee Fleming was in for a video shoot for a Sydney Opera House performance. The session was produced by Alex Coletti and engineered by Aki Nishimura.

Sennheiser Sound Academy Studio Recording Seminar At The Fuse Box @ Manhattan Center, 8/11

On Wednesday, August 11, the Sennheiser Sound Academy will host a session on key recording techniques, concepts and practices at The Fuse Box @ Manhattan Center Studios.

Jim Anderson, past president of the AES and a professor at the Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music at NYU, will be the guest engineer for the tracking portion of the seminar.

The seminar will be led by Sennheiser’s Chris Spahr, who oversees national market development for live sound and studio markets. Spahr has performed live sound work for concerts, corporate functions and theater applications, and spent five years as a staff engineer at Criteria Studios in Miami, FL working on music, TV and film projects.

Following are details on time and location:

When: Wednesday, August 11 between 10AM and 5PM

Where: The Fuse Box @ Manhattan Center Studios
311 West 34th Street
New York, NY 10001

This seminar will speak to recording engineers who want to develop a firm understanding of studio technique as well as those who simply wish to brush up on their studio basics while picking up some useful new tips. The course highlights basic microphone techniques and advanced studio recording concepts and practices.

The Sennheiser Sound Academy seminars are $149 and include lunch, swag, informative workshop materials and a $50 coupon toward the purchase of any Sennheiser product. To learn more about the seminar or to register, please visit Sennheiser’s event page at http://www.sennheiserusa.com/aboutsec_events.

Yoko Ono, Suzanne Vega, Dub Trio Recording At Avatar

Yoko Ono recently produced a project with NYC’s Bang On A Can, recording in Avatar Studio‘s legendary Studio A with Scott Hollingsworth engineering. Another NYC legend, Suzanne Vega, recently spent time in Studio A as well, recording with producer/engineer Joe Blaney.

In Studio C, Brooklyn’s Dub Trio recorded for their upcoming album with producer/engineer Joel Hamilton; singer/songwriter Danielle Evin recorded with producer Phil Ramone and engineer Jay Messina; and jazz-pop singer Jane Monheit recorded with engineer Jim Anderson.

In other recent jazz sessions at Avatar, Freddy Cole recorded new music at Avatar with producer Todd Barkan and engineer Katherine Miller, jazz-guitarist Jim Hall recorded with engineer James Farber and The Fred Hersch Trio also recorded with Barkan and Miller.

The orchestral music for AMC’s new thriller, Rubicon, was recorded in Avatar’s Studio A with producer Peter Nashel and engineer Gary Chester. And music for HBO’s upcoming Todd Haynes-directed mini-series, Mildred Pierce was recorded in Studio C with producers Steven Epstein and Carter Burwell, with Todd Whitelock engineering.

Avatar Studios Hosts Paul Simon, Moby, O.A.R. and More

Paul Simon recently spent time recording at NYC’s Avatar Studios, working with producer Phil Ramone, engineer Andy Smith and assistant engineer Justin Gerrish.

Moby‘s also recently recorded in Studio A, with engineer Scott Norton and assistant engineer Rick Kwan.

Meanwhile, roots rock quintet O.A.R. recorded in Studio C with producer Matt Wallace and engineer Mike Landolt. Other acts that recorded in March include Teddy Thompson, Proud Simon, and The Script.

From the jazz world, the Christian McBride Big Band recorded in Studio A with engineer Joe Ferla, while woodwind specialist James Carter recorded in Studio B with producer Michael Cuscuna and engineer Jim Anderson, assisted by Fernando Lodeiro. Other notables were Michel Portal and The Don Friedman Trio, both of whom recorded in Studio C with their producer/engineer teams.

Studio A recently hosted several TV and theater projects as well. Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks recorded music for the upcoming HBO series Boardwalk Empire with producer Jim Dunbar and engineer Stewart Lerman. Also, the cast of Broadway’s Million Dollar Quartet recorded with producer Hank Neuberger and engineer Chris Steinmetz.

And finally, the music for Life Begins At 8:40, a 1934 Harold Arlen / Ira Gershwin / Yip Harburg musical revue, was recorded in Studio A with producer Tommy Krasker and engineer Bart Migal.

For more information on Avatar Studios, visit their website at avatarstudios.net.