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Welcome to ProfJeff.com
An Electronic Music Composer,
Professor of music technology & the recording arts,
Story Writer, Published Poet, Conceptual Artist, & Guest Lecturer
Just Jazz Track Links
Just Jazz
As the Owen Hall Recording Studio (OHRS) Manager and chief engineer from its opening in January 2008 to the Spring of 2025 upon my retirement, I had the wonderful opportunity of recording a variety of music ensembles. From pop-rock to classical performances , to acapella and instrumental soloists, the OHRS provided an incredible studio space for capturing live acoustic music. Of all the many artists and musicians recorded in the Owen Studio, the acoustics of the Owen studio magically responded to jazz music. To paraphrase the famous Atlantic Records Producer, Tom Dowd, the Owen studio’s acoustics fit jazz like a hand in a glove. Here you will read about, and listen to a few of the incredible jazz sessions that came out of the Owen Studio’s jazz-inspiring acoustic space.
Please Note: most of the performers on the “Just Jazz” track page were students enrolled in the Jazz Studies Program at the University of the Pacific. With instruction and guidance from Jazz Studies Professor, and alto sax master Patrick Langham, these tracks showcase the incredible talents of Pacific’s Conservatory students. Unfortunately, many of the Jazz Lab sessions were not documented outside of the standard Pro Tools session data. If you know any of these talented student musicians associated with the jazz lab sessions listed below, contact Professor Jeff at: www.jcrawford@pacific.edu">www.jcrawford@pacific.edu so I can give them proper credit.
All Just Jazz tracks on this page were mix and mastered by ProfJeff.
Nick’s Tune (Haiku) - A Recording Workshop
In March of 2010, Producer Nick Phillips from Nick Phillips Music and I, taught and recorded the Brubeck Fellows in the OHRS. The fellows were part of the Brubeck Institute, a two-year student jazz studies program. From across the United States, five top students in jazz performance were selected to be granted a chair in the Brubeck Institute. Chair positions were available for drummers, upright bass players, jazz pianists, trumpet players, and saxophonists. As a member of the Brubeck Institute Jazz Quintet (BIJQ) the students would perform throughout California while studying with a variety of jazz faculty at the University of the Pacific.
The Brubeck Institute focused on jazz studies and live performance however the process of in-studio recording was not part of the Institute curriculum. With coordination by the Director of the music management department, Keith Hatschek, the Studio Manager & Recording Arts Instructor ProfJeff, and Grammy award-winning guest lecturer Nick Phillips, worked to create a recording curriculum and then co-taught a four-week workshop in the OHRS. The recording studio provided a Pro Tools C/24-mixing control surface with Avid HD192 audio interface, along with the Pro Tools multi-track software application. In the acoustic sound studio, there was a Steinway 6.1ft grand piano, an eight-channel Hearback headphones system, and a wide variety of dynamic, ribbon, and condenser microphones. The OHRS gave Institute members a four-week intensive recording studio educational experience.
The workshop presented a series of academic learning sessions, teaching fundamental concepts on microphone technology, multitrack recording, and audio production. Over the four week period, the Brubeck fellows learned about sound and acoustics, mic placement, how to use the Pro Tools recording application and mixing control surface, professional studio etiquette, and then finishing with a live recording session directed by composer and producer Nick Phillips.
The Recording Session (the story)
After I set up the microphones in the studio to record a four piece jazz drum set, stereo grand piano, an upright acoustic bass, and a tenor sax (the trumpet player was unavailable), the session began with Nick presenting a newly composed piece never before performed. Nick, an incredible jazz composer and trumpet player, wrote out the chart for the Brubeck fellows to read and record. With Nic’s guidance and instruction, the Brubeck fellows had 15-minutes to review the piece and ask questions about the composition. Once reviewed, there would be no rehearsal.
“These are the steps taken when professional studio musicians are asked to perform in a paid recording studio session,” said Nick to the group.
1) Review the chart
2) Get clarification on phrasing and dynamics from the composer
3) Record the track
With the review process by the musicians now completed, Nick entered the control room and said to me, “Ok, let’s record.” I turned to the mixing desk and pressed the record button.
This was the performance captured.
Nick's Tune (Haiku)NicK Phillips
00:00 / 09:17
Of all the jazz tracks recorded in the OHRS. Nick’s Tune, or Haiku, is one of the best jazz music performances and Owen studio recordings during my tenure. When teaching the class Sound Recording Fundamentals, Nick’s Tune was played every semester during the studio orientation lab session. It was played for students with little or no recording experience. Listening to Nick’s Tune demonstrated how fine jazz musicians within an ensemble listen closely to one another, playing the piece as if they were all one musician. It was also used to demonstrate the importance of acoustic instrument definition and volume dynamics. Through listening, the students were shown how the changes of sound pressure levels pulls the ear in at low volume and then pushes the ear back at a high volume, creating a musically emotional impact.
Haiku
Nick Phillips - Composer & Producer
Chad Lefkowitz-Brown - Saxophone
Noah Kellman - Piano
Zach Brown - Bass
Corey Fonville - Drums
Jeff Crawford – Recording, Mixing & Mastering Engineer
Sound Recording Fundamentals
One of the most popular courses I taught at the University of the Pacific was Sound Recording Fundamentals (MMGT106). The course consisted of a 75-minute in class lecture with hands-on software learning of Pro Tools in the conservatory’s computer lab. The course also provided 75-minute hands-on studio labs in the conservatory’s OHRS.
Each semester, two teams of six students worked through a series of labs covering all aspects of the recording studio. Beginning with the studio orientation lab, microphone identification lab, and microphone listening lab presented in the OHRS. Once the basics of microphone applications were taught, along with the fundamentals of acoustics, how the human ear functions, and the basics of digital audio (presented in the classroom), the students needed to work the drum Lab, the bass lab, the stereo grand piano lab, a surprise instrument lab, a small ensemble lab, the jazz lab, then finishing up the semester with an all-day rock lab. (See In Studio.)
All of the music recorded for the jazz labs were captured in the OHRS during the 75-minute evening studio lab sessions. As the jazz labs were extremely time intensive, getting jazz ensembles to play for the labs was difficult, and happened at the very last minute. Not until the musicians entered the studio did the student recording team know what piece they were to record or the name of the ensemble and their members.
The Jazz Lab
The second to the last lab of the semester was the Jazz Lab. For the students, this lab was intense. Within a period of 75-minutes, the students had to set up and connect all the studio microphones to record a jazz ensemble including a jazz drum set, an up-right bass, a stereo grand piano, and one or two lead instrument stations. In the control room, headphone sends had to be created in Pro Tools, then assigned and directed to all instruments in the sound studio with each musician having their own individual 8-channel headphone mixing system.
Once sound check and microphone levels were established and set in both the control room monitors, and the musicians’ headphone system, the jazz tune would be recorded. As jazz songs tend to be lengthy, accommodating solos for each musician, only one or two takes were possible given the amount of studio lab time left available. Add to this, the time needed for the jazz musicians to settle on song form and solo order, the pressure on all the students to complete the lab within the time limit became a stressful focus—just like a commercial studio session.
When the recording of the jazz ensemble was over, the musicians would come into the control room to listen back to the track. The student team would start to power down the mics and begin to take down the session. In rare situations, the jazz ensemble that maybe playing a gig later in the week, would be well rehearsed and ready to go as soon as sound check and mike levels were completed. In this case, a second take would be possible.
Here are a few of the Jazz Lab sessions recorded in the OHRS by students enrolled in Sound Recording Fundamentals. The musicians for all of these examples were conservatory student performers, in many cases, having never been in a formal recording studio before.
Jazz Lab A – 10-29- 2008
How Insensitive by Antonio Carlos Jobin
The earliest jazz lab recorded in the OHRS, this jazz ballad features drums, upright base, trumpet, saxophone and female vocalist. All the instruments were spaced close together and miced as if in a small jazz club. Leakage between the instruments was significant (outside of the isolated piano with PZMs) as the drums dominated the recording. This mix was produced with all the drum tracks muted in the Pro Tools session.
How I mannsensitiveAntonio Carlos Jobin
00:00 / 07:02
Jazz Lab A – 11-17-2008
Alone Together by Chet Baker
This modern upbeat interpretation of the jazz standard Alone Together by Chet Baker features drums, upright base, stereo piano, alto sax, tenor sax, and trumpet. If you listen closely, you will hear how the lead instruments move in and out of the microphone’s polar pickup pattern. This is not unusual as live performance jazz musicians tend to get in to the groove, unconcerned about mic distance . A bit of compression was necessary to try and balance out the dynamics of instrument positioning changes.
Alone TogetherChet Baker
00:00 / 07:25
Jazz Lab B - 11-10-2009
It Had to be You by Isham Jones
The Brubeck Institute provided back up musicians for many of the recording sessions in the OHRS. It was a luxury for the students in the music management department to have such a high level of student performance skills at their request. This jazz standard, “It Had to be You” is one of the best examples of how Jazz Lab students, and the Brubeck Institute musicians collaborated to make jazz music magic. This female vocal track brings back up vocal harmonies to the forefront. (All the backup vocal parts were performed by the vocalist at a later session.)
It Had To Be YouIsham Jones.
00:00 / 05:33
Jazz Lab B - 11-8-2010
Stella by Starlight by Victor Young (1)
This is one of two Jazz Labs featuring the song, Stella by Starlight. Recorded nine-years apart, this first interpretation is slower with a slightly mystical outro by the piano and tanner saxophone, echoing the supernatural feel found in the movie, The Uninvited.
Stella by StarlightVictor Young
00:00 / 09:34
Jazz Lab B, 3-29-2011
Spiral by Kenny Barron
This track creates the mood of contemplating wonder. The five piece Jazz Lab ensemble presents the standard rhythm section, piano, bass, and drums, and adds a trumpet with bass sax as the feature. While maintaining the feel of jazz, this modern 1982 composition by Kenny Barron, captures the question of the unsure moment.
SpiralKenny Barron
00:00 / 08:44
Jazz Lab A - 4-6-2011
In a Sentimental Mood by Duke Ellington
This jazz standard opens with a wild musical montage of bass, piano, sax, and flugelhorn. It’s slowly settles down and we hear the opening theme played as a sentimental melody. The song’s mood moves through the solos and then ends just as wild as the beginning. The session, featuring the BIJQ was a late night Jazz Lab jam in the OHRS.
In a Sentimental MoodDuke Ellington
00:00 / 11:52
Jazz Lab A – 4-8-2012
"United" by Steve Ash
This Jazz lab features a 4-piece drum set, an upright bass, stereo grand piano, an alto sax and a trumpet. The track opens with a base and piano parallel rhythmic phrase which is then repeated twice. Then the sax and horn enters, waking up the peace.
UnitedSteve Ash
00:00 / 07:14
Jazz Lab A - 11-4-2014
Unknown Song & Artist
This Jazz Lab track is unknown. The musicians in the jazz ensemble, and even the song itself, has no identifying information as part of the student session folder or audio file. Not even a deep Internet search could reveal the name of the track. However, the track is well worth the listening time.
Jazz Lab A, 3-9-2012Unknown
00:00 / 10:29
Jazz Lab B 11-7-2017
Unknown Song & Artist
This Jazz lab features a five piece jazz ensemble consisting of drums, upright bass, piano, alto and tenner sax. Although the composition sounds familiar, AI listening applications such as Apple Music’s Siri could not identify the title or the composer.
Jazz Lab B 11-7-2017 UnknownUnknown Song & Artist
00:00 / 08:48
Jazz Lab B - 4-22-2018
I Want to be Close to You
Sometimes, the jazz lab session would throw the students a curve by not having traditional jazz instruments like in this original song “I Wanna be Close to You,” written by Christine Spencer. Still within the genre of jazz music, this electric jazz acoustic track created many challenges for the lab team. This four-piece jazz ensemble featured a female lead singer, an electric bass player, an electric keyboard player and an acoustic drum set.
Performers
Cristen Spencer - song writer, vocalist
Dante Milano – keyboards
I Want to be Close to YouChristine Spencer
00:00 / 04:16
Jazz Lab A – 11-5-2018
Unknown Song & Artist
This somewhat crazy lab featuring rhythm section, saxophone, and trombone, is perhaps one of the wildest jazz labs recorded. The term “Jam” is clearly obvious as all the musicians within the ensemble show, no fear when taking rhythmic and melodic risks. The energy is high as woops and howls are heard throughout the track.
Jazz Lab B - 11-5-2018Unknown Song & Artist
00:00 / 06:59
Jazz Lab B - 11-5-2019
Stella by Starlight by Victor Young (2)
The second Stella by Starlight jazz Lab was simple yet supernatural. It was one of those labs where the musicians had no idea what to play until entering the sound studio. The instrumentation consisted of a drummer, upright bass player, jazz pianist, and sax player. Stella by Starlight was originally composed in 1944 as an orchestral score to the spooky movie, The Uninvited starring Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey, and Gail Russell. If you listen closely to the track, you will hear one of the uninvited ghosts.
Stella by StarlightVictor Young
00:00 / 07:52
Jazz Lab B – 11-4-2021,
Misty by Erroll Garner
This classic jazz standard holds more than just the Jazz Lab for which it was recorded. The ensemble features the flugelhorn playing the silky melody line with the standard rhythm section support. Behind the scenes, the ensemble was not any established student jazz group. The jazz lab session was thrown together at the very last minute and included my newly hired teaching assistant suddenly playing the upright bass. He was a music education major interested in conducting.
MistyErroll Garner
00:00 / 07:39
Jazz Lab 160 11-11-2009
Unknown Song & Artist (BIJQ)
Jazz Lab 160 was on Wednesday evenings in the OHRS and was not part of the Sound Recording Fundamentals course. MMGT160 Recording Studio Production was an advanced course for qualified students interested in furthering their recording and production skills. To provide students with more advanced music recording projects, 160 Labs were booked and treated as a professional studio session.
For this lab, members of the BIJQ were invited to play for the advanced students in the 160 class. This track features all five members covering the standard instruments in the quintet. Instrumentation includes drums, upright base, stereo piano, saxophone, and trumpet. It is in a minor key with an upbeat tempo.
Jazz Ensemble Members
Chad Lefkowitz-Brown - Saxophone
Nick Frenay - Trumpet
Noah Kellman - Piano
Zach Brown - Upright Bass
Corey Fonville - Drums
Jeff Crawford (ProfJeff) - Mixing and & Mastering Engineer
Jazz Lab 160 11-11-2009Unknown Song & Artist
00:00 / 08:57
Jazz Lab 160 4-4-2012
Night & Day by Cole Porter (BIJQ)
Another great vocal track by a student is the performance of “Night & Day” by Cole Porter. Again, using musicians from the Brubeck Institute, this track was recorded with the entire rhythm section in the studio along with the lead trumpet and sax parts. The vocal part was recorded in the control room as a scratch vocal. Once the entire ensemble was recorded, and the desire take was selected, the vocalist overdubbed her part singing with the band under headphones in the Owen sound studio
Night & DayCole Poter
00:00 / 04:11
Origins
In the Spring of 2012, The Music Management Director Keith Hatschek, the Brubeck Institute Director Simon Rowe, and the OHRS Recording Engineer Jeff Crawford collaborated on a project featuring original music written by the members of the Brubeck Institute Jazz Quintet. The project was to be submitted into a Billboard Magazine competition for original, student compose jazz music.
Origins, composed by the members of the BIJQ was recorded and mixed by Professor Jeff Crawford in the OHRS, with production assistance from the Director of the brubeck Institute Simon Rowe. The 11-track CD recording wone first place in the Billboard competition for original student composed jazz music for 2012.
Here are two tracks from the BIJQ award-winning Origins CD.
Burns BellsBIJQ
00:00 / 06:28
PoincianaBIJQ
00:00 / 07:03
2012 BIJQ Ensemble Members
Tree Palmedo - Trumpet
Rane Roatta - Tenor Saxophone
Alec Watson - Piano
Bill Vonderhaar - Bass
Malachi Whitson - Drums
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