26. April 2005

The Low Down On The Way Up

Imagine this: your cell phone rings. You answer it, only to discover that the voice on the other end of the phone belongs to one of the recording artists you admire most—a musician you've idolized since you were a teenager. Who would that be for you? Now imagine they're asking you to come over to their studio to help them track and mix their next album. That's just what happened for writer/producer/engineer Bob Rice on a warm Southern California morning.

A musical milestone

Bob Rice comments on the writing and orchestration of the Pat Metheny Group's The Way Up:

Bob: What they have is basically a symphonic approach to writing, more related in form to classical composition, with gorgeous themes (singable even) that get thoroughly developed and reoccur later in the inside parts underneath other themes.

If you are a fan of counterpoint, and modern writing in general, this record is going to leave you breathless. Pat's mastery of many aspects of guitar and a menagerie of other acoustic and electric instruments is really in the forefront here. The rest of the group make exceptional contributions also.

The recording, editing, and mixing is impeccable on every level. Anyone who mixes modern music will be shaking their heads as to how Rob Eaton has pulled this off. The mastering by Ted Jensen is exquisite as well. Unbelievable. Very inspiring.

We recently sat down with Bob in Los Angeles to get the low-down on one of the most thrilling musical experiences he's had in his career: a chance to help Lyle Mays and the Pat Metheny Group prepare their latest album, The Way Up, released several weeks after this interview in January 2005 (Nonesuch Records).

Bob shares a wide range of information, from the specifics about the gear used to his conceptual interpretation of the music and how the capabilities of the technology helped to shape the end result. While Bob considers his contribution to the album to be "humble," this interview provides a first-hand view of what it's like to actually sit down and work, hands-on, with some of the most accomplished musicians of our time.

During the preparation of this interview, Lyle Mays offered us further direct insight into the album from his first-hand point of view. So brew a fresh latte, sit back, get comfortable and read on...

MOTU: Tell us how you first got involved in this project.

Bob: I got a call from Lyle Mays while I was driving down the freeway a couple of years ago, and I had never talked to him. And for the life of me—I don't know—you just get stuck in a mental space where you just can't believe you're talking to somebody that you have such respect for...I mean, I'm a huge fan of their music. I would transcribe solos of Pat's when I was in college studying guitar. I still have all the classic PMG records on vinyl, and continue to pick up all their releases.

Anyway, a buddy of mine, Ralph Skelton, who's a brilliant engineer, had built this amazing power amp for Lyle's studio monitors. At some point, Ralph gave Lyle my number, suggesting I might be able to help him with some sampling or synth programming he wanted to do.

So I get a call from him, and I just couldn't believe it was him. Now, I've had the opportunity to work for some heavy people over the course of my career. I worked for Frank Zappa on the Synclavier for a number of years when I first got out of college. I got to do some Synclavier programming, and eventually tour with Chick Corea. I've worked on a number of projects with Van Dyke Parks. I've toured or done gigs with George Michael, Little Feat, Bonnie Raitt, and Ben Harper, but for some reason when Lyle Mays called, I just couldn't believe it was him. And [laughs] I think I kind of made him prove that it was really him. And for as brilliant as he is, he's incredibly humble. And just a normal guy. And it's my impression that all those guys are pretty much like that. Pat is like that.

MOTU: Yes, he is.

Lyle Mays elaborates on the context for Bob Rice sub-mix sessions

The record had been completely composed and designed before Bob and I started our interactive process. And what he was helping to sort out—as a separate and yet new aspect of the project—was the massive task of managing the orchestration of it, the framework of which was completely in place. We had decided what instruments essentially were playing what lines and what the respective jobs of all of us were in the time we had. Not to diminish the size and complexity of the project or diminish Bob's role or help in it, but I wanted to make sure that the readers of this interview were clear that we were not figuring out this record as we went along. It was completely designed and composed, frameworks in place, concepts nailed down—all of that.

The Low Down On The Way Up

A musical milestone

Lyle Mays elaborates on the context for Bob Rice sub-mix sessions

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