by Chuck Reider, Board President of the Reno Jazz Orchestra

Today I am proud to announce the release of our fifth album “Spirits” which is a collection of Earth, Wind, and Fire’s (EWF) music, our first studio recording since 2000. 2020 and 2021 have been a challenge for us all and this album is a response to that challenge. As EWF’s leader Maurice White said “Most people can't see beauty and love. I see our music as medicine”. Their music is that medicine we need right now and the RJO is proud to present our interpretation.

Back in early 2020 we put together the material for an EWF concert with arrangements by members of the band. As it became clear that there would be no 2020 concert season, we decided to make an album, not with the whole band playing together, but rather section by section to be COVID safe. The RJO has always prepared as a full ensemble. Arrangers would provide draft arrangements, hand out the parts for each of the musicians, and we would rehearse to fine tune the final arrangements. That was not an option during COVID and I was thrilled the band was wholeheartedly behind the project. With arrangements in hand the rhythm section started the process by rehearsing, socially distant, in the Good Luck Macbeth theater August 19th 2020 followed by the saxophones August 25th, trumpets August 30th, and trombones September 1st. The recording sessions kicked off with the rhythm section August 30th at Tanglewood Productions. In the subsequent weeks the other sections came in to record their parts. Starting the end of October, it was time for me and Michael Eardley, owner of Tanglewood Productions, to edit all of the instrumental parts. During this time the seven vocalists were rehearsing their lead and background parts under the direction of Lori Johnson.

With the instrumental parts edited we invited the singers to record the background vocals mid-November. The vocals were recorded in isolation to separate the voices on individual tracks. A bit tricky because there were three isolation booths and the main room to isolate and be COVID safe. Four singers recorded all their background parts followed by the remaining three singers. Ten songs with background vocals required a lot of studio time to lay all those tracks down. Next, as with the band, came the editing and between the holidays and setting editing dates it was not until early January when the lead vocalists recorded their parts. With the band and vocal tracks done we brought in the instrumental soloists to lay down their tracks in February. It was a thrill for Michael and I to hear the songs develop as each section, vocals, and soloists added their parts. It was (and is!) amazing to me that the rhythm section could lay down such a solid base for the rest of the band without hearing what the rest of the band would be laying down. Done? Not yet…

March through June Eardley and I became best friends spending many hours finishing the project. Mixing is the art of getting just the right volume levels for each of the eighteen instruments, seven vocalists, and soloists so everyone can be heard. Stereo placement is just as important so each instrument/voice has a space in stereo as not to be covered up by another instrument/voice. Here Eardley was a master! You don’t just set a level and leave it. Most times you must adjust that level for each part as the song progresses to match everyone else. His dedication to this project was inspirational and on full display during this part of the project. Done? Getting closer…. We decided to enhance two songs with special effects, the opening song “Shining Star”, and at the end of “After the Love Has Gone”. It sure was fun adding those elements. The end of the recording process is called mastering where you ensure that each song is the same level as others to provide consistency across the entire album. Sounds simple, but this is an art in itself. Speaking of art, somewhere along the way it was time to design the cover artwork and CD package layout. Here Chris Casaceli shone. His cover artwork is both beautiful and creative. Eardley assisted with the entire package layout listing songs, musicians, credits etc.

The “Spirits” project took a year to complete and it was a family affair to get this out to you. Thank you staff and donors who had faith in getting this done. It took passion, resilience, and spirit to present to you the finished product.

Thank you band and vocalists.

Saxes

• Alto 1 Karl Busch
• Alto 2 Dallas Smith
• Tenor 1 Jim Garaventa
• Tenor 2 Chris Casaceli
• Baritone Mauro DiGioia

Trumpets

• Josh Dunlap
• Josh Reed
• Larry Machado
• Julien Knowles

Trombones

• Dean Carter
• John Bennum
• Scott Thunder
• Cody Forcier

Rhythm Section

• Guitar Joey Berger
• Keyboards Angelo Monroy
• Electric Bass Hans Halt
• Drums Andy Heglund
• Percussion David Gervais

Vocalists

• Lori Johnson – vocal arranger
• David Wells
• Trey Stone
• Caitlin Collins Martin
• Kira Mcglothen
• Kandeh Jones
• Stanley Bailey

Maurice White said “Music is always a creative process that comes from the heart. It's a feeling, a vibration, that we ride on.” “Spirits” is one of those vibrations. It is my hope through each other’s eyes humanity will rise from the vibrations between us all.

Chuck Reider is the Reno Jazz Orchestra Board President.

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