Kirsten Edkins Shapes & Sound

AAA 180g Vinyl LP!
Debut LP from Kevin Gray's Cohearent Records!
Vintage Sound on a Modern Recording!
Pressed at RTI!
After spending 15 years building the gear for his new endeavor, Cohearent Records — which is an All-Valve (Vacuum Tube) recording system from microphones to disk cutterhead — award-winning mastering engineer Kevin Gray releases the first LP by jazz saxophonist Kirsten Edkins, Shapes & Sound.
This album is the first release from a new label by award-winning mastering engineer Kevin Gray. The recordings were made in his new Cohearent Recording Studio for Cohearent Records, completely analogue and with tube technology.
Kirsten Edkins, a young composer and saxophonist from Los Angeles, is an exciting prospect. Kirsten graduated from Eastman School of Music on scholarship. She studied composition and arranging with Bill Dobbins, as well as Walt Weiskopf and the legendary Ray Ricker. Before her time at Eastman she studied with Bob Sheppard, a jazz recording artist and woodwind specialist.
Kirsten is a highly sought-after improviser and has performed with Arturo Sandoval (Al "Tootie" Heath), Tim Hagans, Clay Jenkins, John Beasley and Geoffrey Keezer. She has also performed with the Clare Fischer Big Band, Bill Holman Big Band, Bernie Dresel Big Band (The BBB), Sara Gazarek, Gary Foster, Joe LaBarbara, Larry Goldings and Clay Jenkins. Kirsten has appeared on television shows such as American Idol, Duets, Knight Rider, Glee, Bones and The Tonight Show.
Kirsten Edkins, a composer and saxophonist from Los Angeles, graduated from the Eastman School of Music as a fellow. She studied composition and arrangement with Bill Dobbins, Walt Weiskopf and Ray Ricker and has performed with Arturo Sandoval (Al "Tootie" Heath), Tim Hagans, Clay Jenkins, John Beasley and Geoffrey Keezer. She has been a guest on various American TV shows, teaches saxophone at several colleges, among other things.
"Shapes & Sound" is a perfect introduction to Gray's new recording studio and an excellent figurehead. Gray's passion for audiophile recording and mastering has made him one of the world's most renowned sound engineers, working for labels such as Blue Note, Music Matters and Analogue Productions. He spent 15 years building the equipment for this project: "I had a new idea: to get the vintage sound we all love, I designed and built a tube-only recording system, from the microphone to the plate cutting head, with no transistors or ICs in the signal path. It took a lot longer than expected, but now it's finally done."
A motivational music educator, Kirsten's associations include Cal State Fullerton's Stanford Jazz Workshop, Saddleback College and Golden West College. Kirsten has been educating and encouraging young musicians in her private studio for more than 14 years. She also directs the American Jazz Institute's Community Outreach and teaches saxophone at Occidental College in Eagle Rock.
Kirsten is joined on Shapes & Sound by Gerald Clayton (courtesy of Blue Note) on piano, Ahmet Turkmenoglu on bass, Lemar Guillary on trombone and Chris Wabich on drums.
Studio space is Gray's own living room. He came up with the idea of using this space when he realized that it resembled the childhood home of legendary jazz recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder in Hackensack N.J. in size and shape. Many classical jazz albums were recorded there with funds. Some of the microphones used in these earlier Gelder recordings are also used in Gray's setup. The custom-built vacuum tube electronics are different, and for "Shapes & Sound" Gray used a tube-based Studer C37 instead of an Ampex.
The mixes put Clayton's piano center stage, with Edkins stage right (left channel), Wabich stage left (right channel) and bassist Turkmenoglu in the same central plane as Clayton. It's a classic recording with all of the glorious microphone leakage there, giving you the room sound you both crave and deserve. If you start with the final track, Wabich's 'Hula Hoop' when you hear Turkmenoglu's stand-up bass actually sounding like a stand-up bass playing in a room, with its attack and timbral character so naturally presented, you'll realize how rarely contemporary recordings manage what Gray gets on tape here. And a shout out also to all of the musicians for their willingness to record this way! - Michael Fremer, Tracking Angle, Music 8/10, Sound 11/10
Shapes and Sounds is not only highly entertaining, it had me yearning for more as I have to wonder what might be next as this quintet continues to evolve and mature. The writing skills and musicianship are clearly all there. The sound quality is top notch and possibly one of the most impressive LPs in my entire collection. This is a studio and a group to keep your eyes and ears on for what might be presented in the future! - Robert S. Youman, Positive Feedback

Features:

• AAA Recording
• 180g Vinyl
• First Release on Kevin Gray's Cohearent Records
• Recorded All-Valve from Microphones to Cutterhead, Straight to 2-Track Stereo Tape
• Mixed Live to Tape
• Cut Directly from the Master Tapes
• Mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio
• Deluxe Tip-On Gatefold Jacket
• 12" Full-Color 2-Sided Insert with the "Story" + Photos of All the Gear & Recording Details
• Pressed at RTI

Musicians:

• Kirsten Edkins, sax
• Gerald Clayton, piano
• Ahmet Turkmenoglu, bass
• Lemar Guillary, trombone
• Chris Wabich, drums

Selections:

Side A
1. Party Slug
2. Bird Shapes
3. Dedicated to You
4. The Goose
Side B
1. Sweet Pickles
2. Wuhoo
3. Proprietary Minor
4. Hula Hoop

The album was recorded on December 10 and 11, 2021