stereophile.com n August2019 65drums, three on the bass, one each
on the trumpet and tenor. Then I
put a stereo pair, about eight inches
apart, in front of the band. How far
back depends on the room. I use Flea
microphones, from Slovakia. They are
Neumann clones. I love the Flea 47 on
saxophones. I use a ribbon mike made
in the United States, the AEA R44C. It
is a replica of an RCA mike from the
’30s. I use it for trumpets. These are
studio-grade mikes. Many engineers
are reluctant to use them for on-site
jazz recordings. They are expensive,
and they might get knocked over or
get beer spilled on them. But I take
the risk because the most important
element in the signal path is the
microphone. I record on three Sound
Devices 788Ts, synced for 24 tracks,
but my dream is to upgrade to their
new Scorpio. For monitoring, I love
Etymotic ER4SR earphones, which is
also one of my references when mix-
ing, along with Wilson [Audio Special-
ties] WATTs.”
But if Katz accepts no compromises
with equipment, he describes the pro-
cess of creating a GSA album as one
of cooperation and accommodation.
“My approach has changed somewhat
over the years. Now when I mix, I rely
more on the spot microphones and
less on the stereo pair. The stereo pair
gets the overall sound of the band and
more of the room. But today, most
musicians and most listeners want
to hear a closer representation of theof “closeness.” On the other hand,
the reproduction of Palmer’s trumpet
is so alive it’s scary. You experience
the riveting brassy expletives, but you
also perceive the nuances, hesitations,
and shadings that come when brilliant
notes begin with vulnerable human
breath. And the three saxophone
sounds are indeed particular and
distinct. Potter’s is searing. Turner’s
is darker. Alexander’s is clarion, even
when he rasps. Katz and Dave Darling-
ton may have included laptops in their
thinking, but there’s absolutely no
problem with the way these records
sound through a high-end system.
They sound marvelous. Audiophiles,
after all, are not immune to the joys
of closeness and powerful bass and
dynamic intensity. When Johnathan
Blake’s drums knock you flat on your
ass, it feels good.
Giant Step Arts, if it proves scalable,
could become an important model
for private support of America’s only
indigenous art form. Katz believes that
in today’s environment, jazz musicians
“need to get more entrepreneurial.”
GSA does not sell anything. Instead,
it encourages musicians to bring
fresh ideas to marketing their art and
equips them with tools for that effort.
The music is currently offered online
through artists’ websites, CD Baby, and
Bandcamp. Over time, these albums
should become sought-after limited
editions. They are extraordinary, not
only musically and sonically but visu-
ally. Katz’s photographs of artists, with
the Manhattan skyline in the distance,
are beautiful.
Katz has four recording sessions
scheduled for the remainder of 2019,
including a new Palmer quintet and a
new Blake quartet. These projects are
already funded, and the albums will
appear in 2020. GSA’s next funding
year begins in September 2019. Katz
believes that his donors—who are
invited to gigs that get recorded, and
to rehearsals and mixing and mastering
sessions—will support the program for
another year.
Jimmy Katz, famous photographer
and respected engineer, has now added
three more titles to his résumé:
fundraiser, program manager, and
record producer. Anyone who has
produced a record has fantasized about
making a “large, bold artistic state-
ment.” Katz has done it, three times.
Giant Step Arts is news for that reason.
There probably are more such
statements to come. nevent. When musicians play, they are
very close to their instruments and
to each other. When they listen to
a recording, they would rather get a
sense of that closeness. So they love
spot mikes. GSA is very musician-
oriented. If a leader says, ‘This is my
sound,’ we take that into consideration
when we mix the record, consistent
with a certain level of quality. After
all, it is the player’s artistic statement,
not mine. Plus, I am not trying to get a
good saxophone sound. I am trying to
get Eric Alexander’s saxophone sound.
These are artistic decisions. There’s no
right or wrong.”
Katz also acknowledges other factors
that affect the decision-making process.
Recent trends originating in popular
music create an expectation for more
compression and more bass. The mix
needs to work for different playback
scenarios, such as laptops, car stereos,
and earbuds. “My original plan for
GSA was to make recordings solely
for audiophiles. But we have to offer
sound that a majority of people want
to listen to,” Katz said.
When you hear an earlier Katz
recording, such as Noah Preminger’s
Pivot: Live at the 55 Bar, from 2015, you
sense more of the 55 Bar, the room
and the crowd. If the GSA recordings
provide less of the live-moment illu-
sion, it’s a trade-off made in the nameGIANT STEP ARTSThe Jason Palmer QuartetPHOTO: JIMMY KATZ