A year or so ago, my friend and percussion colleague in the U.S. Marine Band, Jonathan Bisesi, approached me about recording a piece that he really likes. The piece is Hop, by Paul Lansky, written for marimba and violin duo. We had a great late night session recording the audio for Hop with our amazing violin colleague, Chris Franke. We were joined by percussionist Michael Hopkins who joined us as producer, and was indispensable in lending his ears to this complicated composition. Much of the initial heavy lifting of production was accomplished before COVID came along, and we did the final production stages remotely, with me in my studio in Virginia, and Jon listening via an internet feed in Maryland.

Did I mention that Clark Media is set up for remote production? We can edit and mix via our internet connection, and can stream a high resolution audio feed direct to your home or studio, provided your internet connection is fast enough.

Following the production of Hop, Jon sent me the rest of the music on the album, which consisted of excellent recordings, some made a number of years ago back in Jon’s Boston days. What is always so much fun about “old” recordings, is the trip back in time they give us, and hearing something captured at a moment in time can be wonderful to revisit. I have written quite a bit about my views on the importance of audio recording, and this album is a prime example of some of the many reasons I advocate for regular audio recording by musicians and ensembles.

I am so excited for Jonathan as he releases this album, which represents so much thought, music, and growth over his career to date. Congrats, Jon! You can purchase the album on Bandcamp, below.