Red & Ruby’s CD Recording

We were lucky enough to be invited to Red & Ruby’s CD recording. For those who don’t know, Red & Ruby are Vince Brown and Lavon Hardison. They wanted their CD to have a live feel so they invited a bunch of friends and told us to feel free to respond naturally. They wanted to capture the applause, the occasional shout, the laughter. And there was plenty of that.

Lavon said she comes from a classical background where everything has to be perfect, and it took her a long time to get used to Vince’s more relaxed style (she said she couldn’t stand him the first three years they were together).

They had barely started the recording session before I regretted not bringing a note pad and pen, because I wanted to blog about it  but couldn’t trust my spotty memory to get the details right. What was that song she played kazoo on? Not “Sweet Georgia Brown.” That was the one where she made kazoo sounds with her mouth, but the other one where she played a real kazoo. See what I mean about wanting to take notes.

There were somewhere between 20 and 30 people there, and they were a lively crowd. Snacks were served, and sparkling water. The studio belongs to local jazz musician Greta Jane. It’s a fabulous space that doubles as her home and studio located in an old downtown building with entrance through an unmarked door in an alley. 

During two songs with lively rhythm a couple of women got up and danced. The applause at the end of each song was genuine. Nothing canned about this session.

Lavon Hardison has a fabulous voice. She can be tender and outrageous and as clear as a bell. She goes easily from scat singing to moody blues to lovely ballads with singing that recalls everyone from Ella Fitzgerald to Josephine Baker. Vince Brown plays the smoothest, most rhythmical guitar you’ll ever want to hear.

The CD will be released sometime in February. There will be a CD release party, but I don’t know the date. Nor do I know the title of the album. But I’m sure I can get that information in time to publish it before the recording hits the streets.