The Official Web Site of Roman Edirisinghe
OK. That was fun. I just got back from sailing! A student of mine is trading me guitar lessons for sailing lessons. We took out his 27 foot sailboat, and he showed me the ropes. He apparently thinks I’m a natural, but considering that was my first time, I’ve got a long way to go.
I really liked it.
Today I had lunch at the Ethiopian Cottage with Brian Ritchie and his son Silas. Brian is Shakuhachi master, and has musical connections in Japan, so I’ve asked him to connect me with a teacher to study either Shamisen or Koto when I visit Japan in October/November. Silas is pretty heavy into his musical projects. He is a singer-songwriter-guitarist, and is also deeply interested in electronic music. We compared some notes, and agreed that Winter is a great time to get recording done. Brian thinks the most efficient way to record music is to have a rehearsed band go into the studios and record the songs live. I would tend to agree, but the manner in which I’m approaching my own record is different. I’m very anal about it, and I’m painstakingly constructing the songs from ground up. When I’m done, and ready to perform the songs, I will pick the right musicians to play them.
Lunch was good, and was quite different from my initial experience with the Ethiopian Cottage. We had gone on February 14th (Valentine’s Day), and we didn’t get served for over 2 hours, and people who had been there a short amount of time and threatened to leave got served before us. The lamb was undercooked, and we simply found it detestable. However, I’ve regained my faith in the restaurant. The food was amazing, and the service was reasonable.
Today, I had the fortune of recording some tracks for Holly Haebig’s forthcoming CD. The recording took place at producer Mike Hoffmann’s home studio, which is chock full of instruments, equipment and memorabilia. It was like walking into a museum. The bathroom was full of Elvis related stuff, and was appropriately dubbed, “Elvis.” Mike is a really nice guy, and was very accommodating and patient. During the recording of the track, I was moved nearly to the point of tears when I heard the sound of the Bandurria interacting with the other tracks of the song. It was then that I realized how recorded music can effectively capture the emotional expression of the musician. It’s not always about technical proficiency, although it certainly helps. But I digress. I can’t wait to hear the completed song. And neither should anyone reading. Holly is an incredible talent, who writes and performs beautiful music with her voice, guitar, and flute.
Later during the day, I stopped by Oumar Sagna’s house with my portable recording rig, and tracked Pa Bobo Jobarteh, a Gambian Kora player visiting Milwaukee via Seattle. He recorded Oumar’s track in one take, and really knew how to play that Kora! Furthermore, he taught me the best way to mike a Kora - which is to point the mic directly at the face of the instrument, instead of the hole in the gourd. After departing Milwaukee, the fourth generation Kora Jali (musician) will visit the UK for a performance at WOMAD.
This day has really inspired me to record again. After the move, I didn’t have much time to set up my recording equipment, but I hope to do so very soon.
Please join Roman Edirisinghe as he sits in with Reggae Fire, featuring J.D. Rankin, FundaMental, Divelle Yarbrough, Ras Amerlock, and others. 9:30pm - ? $5 cover charge.
Location:
Club Timbuktu
520 East Center Street,
Milwaukee WI 53212 (map)
Tel : (414) 265 7000
clubtimbuktu.us
Roman Edirisinghe performs with the Sindoolaa African music ensemble, featuring Oumar Sagna, Jeff Green, Omar Phillips, Donnie Mac, Jean Sene, and Yaya Kumbaye. 12:00pm at the Montessori School at 95th and Bluemound Road.
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