Soul Caddy
Encyclopedia
Soul Caddy is the fourth studio album, fifth chronologically, by American
band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies
, released on October 3, 2000
by Mojo Records
.
. Singer-songwriter Steve Perry
explained that Soul Caddys primary stylistic influences were derived from the rock and pop music of the 1960s and 1970s, namely Motown soul
and British Mod, and as such, Soul Caddy is highlighted by tracks of soul, ska and rhythm & blues, taking occasional stylistic detours into areas of funk
, jazz
, punk rock
and folk
.
Soul Caddys leading single was "Diamond Light Boogie
", a fusion of swing beats and glam rock
guitars which Perry credited as being inspired by one of his favorite bands, T. Rex
.
According to Perry, Soul Caddy was written as a lyrical concept album
reflecting the feelings of alienation brought on by the fame of Zoot Suit Riot and his dissatisfaction with the cultural zeitgeist. He described the central themes of the album as being about loneliness and the search for love in a "technically sophisticated yet soulless society". According to an interview with Gallery
, Perry explained:
in late 1997, the Daddies started production on Soul Caddy in as early as February 1998. During these recording sessions, the band had recorded tracks for upwards of sixteen songs, much of which was heavily ska and Mod-influenced. In the following months, however, "Zoot Suit Riot" unexpectedly emerged as a hit single on modern rock
radio, rocketing the album to the top of Billboard
s Top Heatseekers
chart and launching the Daddies to the forefront of the burgeoning swing revival
movement. Mojo insisted the band leave the studio and immediately begin touring, a tour which ultimately lasted for over a year.
When the Daddies finally returned to the studio in the fall of 1999, Perry felt the previous recordings had become "stale", and the band began to re-write much of the album's material. Perry, who had become burnt out on the media's typecasting of the Daddies as a swing band, wrote more diverse musical textures into the album to make it more representative of the band's eclectic spectrum of sounds. He hoped to create an album that could bridge the gaps between their swing-based fans and the rest of their eclectic body of work. "We don't want to disappoint people", he said in an interview with ABC News
, "Hopefully, now we can give [the fans] a sense of what they want but still be able to be ourselves. The ultimate thing would be to be popular and have a lot of people know what you’re really like and like you for it."
To help contribute to the album's vintage 1970s sound, Perry brought in several notable guest musicians. "Diamond Light Boogie" was recorded under the production supervision of legendary glam rock producer Tony Visconti
, while former The Turtles
and Mothers of Invention vocalist Mark Volman
provided backing vocals. Noted backing vocalists Paulette McWilliams (Luther Vandross
, Quincy Jones
) and Ada Dyer (Motown artist) appeared on several songs, free jazz
saxophonist Dewey Redman
played on "The Saddest Thing I Know" and percussionist Carol Steele (Eric Clapton
, Brian Wilson
) performed on "Stay (Don't Just Stay)". Lee Jeffries, steel guitar
ist for western swing
band Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys
, allegedly performed on a song which didn't make it onto the album.
began his review with "neo-swing fans, beware", openly accusing the Daddies of abandoning their swing "roots" in favor of a trendier sound, while the Los Angeles Daily News
echoed similar complaints, placing the album on their list of the 10 worst albums of 2000, the reviewer wondering what made a swing band "think it could get away with an album of recycled psychedelic pop".
Outside of the "swing-only" stigma, critics were evenly polarized over Soul Caddys eclectic mix of genres. UGO's Hip Online proved to be on the negative side, noting "[c]overing five or six genres on one album is just insane. Soul Caddy has no cohesion and that ruins the enjoyment", while
Entertainment Weekly
, giving it a grade of C-, was annoyed by the way the band tackled each genre with the same "insufferable enthusiasm", remarking "Perry is a far better writer than he is a singer". MTV.com was considerably harsher, believing that Soul Caddys "cheesy, super-compressed studio shine" had drained the album of its energy, leaving the "confusing" mix of genres feeling "washed-out [and] a bit depressing and Weird Al
-like", summarizing the Daddies as "a band that's trying to show off their record collection, rather than their creativity".
Some critics, however, were accepting of the album's eclectic bent. allmusic, despite giving it a modest score of 3 out of 5 stars, wrote "Soul Caddy is flat-out fun and there's no way around that", praising the album's "witty and smart lyricism" and "strong horn section" and noting "textures are layered, but smooth in structure...for the listeners who take time to believe in it, Soul Caddy will be impressively surprising". The Denver Westword
lauded the band for breaking away from the trite retro stylings of the swing revival, saying of the Daddies "they've got more spunk, more sense of adventure and more life than nearly every other swing act on the scene", praising the album's punk streaks for giving neo-swing "a much-needed facelift".
Citing both the commercial failure of Soul Caddy and Perry's emotional exhaustion, the Daddies agreed upon taking an indefinite hiatus in December 2000. The band officially reformed in February 2002 to continue touring sporadically, though wouldn't return to recording until 2007 for their independently released album Susquehanna
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies
Cherry Poppin' Daddies
The Cherry Poppin' Daddies are an American band established in Eugene, Oregon, in 1989. Formed by Steve Perry and Dan Schmid , the band has experienced many membership changes over the years, with only Perry, Schmid and Dana Heitman currently remaining from the original line-up.The Daddies' music...
, released on October 3, 2000
2000 in music
See also:* 2000 in music Record labels established in 2000-Events:*January – Gary Glitter is released from jail, two months before his sentence for sexual offences ends.*January 1**John Tavener is knighted in the New Year's Honours List....
by Mojo Records
Mojo Records
Mojo Records was a California-based record label founded in 1995 by producer Jay Rifkin. It became a joint venture with Universal Music Group in 1996 and then sold to the Zomba Group in 2001, who placed it under their subsidiary Jive Records...
.
Album overview
As with the Daddies' previous studio albums, Soul Caddy features an eclectic variety of often contrasting musical genres, anchored by the band's characteristic mix of swing and skaSka
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
. Singer-songwriter Steve Perry
Steve Perry (Oregon musician)
Stephen Henry Perry is an American musician, best known for being the lead singer, songwriter and rhythm guitarist for the ska-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, of which he is the founding member.-Early life:...
explained that Soul Caddys primary stylistic influences were derived from the rock and pop music of the 1960s and 1970s, namely Motown soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
and British Mod, and as such, Soul Caddy is highlighted by tracks of soul, ska and rhythm & blues, taking occasional stylistic detours into areas of funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
.
Soul Caddys leading single was "Diamond Light Boogie
Diamond Light Boogie
"Diamond Light Boogie" is a song by American band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies on their 2000 album Soul Caddy. It was the first and only single released off Soul Caddy and the Daddies' fourth and final single to be released by Mojo Records....
", a fusion of swing beats and glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
guitars which Perry credited as being inspired by one of his favorite bands, T. Rex
T. Rex (band)
T. Rex were a British rock band, formed in 1967 by singer/songwriter and guitarist Marc Bolan. The band formed as Tyrannosaurus Rex, releasing four folk albums under the name...
.
According to Perry, Soul Caddy was written as a lyrical concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
reflecting the feelings of alienation brought on by the fame of Zoot Suit Riot and his dissatisfaction with the cultural zeitgeist. He described the central themes of the album as being about loneliness and the search for love in a "technically sophisticated yet soulless society". According to an interview with Gallery
Gallery (magazine)
Gallery is a men's magazine begun by Montcalm Publishing in 1972. It is one of the more popular "skin" magazines that arose on the Playboy magazine pattern in the 1970s...
, Perry explained:
Production history
After finishing their initial touring behind Zoot Suit RiotZoot Suit Riot (album)
Zoot Suit Riot: The Swingin' Hits of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies is a compilation album by American ska-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, released on March 18, 1997 on Space Age Bachelor Pad Records....
in late 1997, the Daddies started production on Soul Caddy in as early as February 1998. During these recording sessions, the band had recorded tracks for upwards of sixteen songs, much of which was heavily ska and Mod-influenced. In the following months, however, "Zoot Suit Riot" unexpectedly emerged as a hit single on modern rock
Modern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
radio, rocketing the album to the top of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...
chart and launching the Daddies to the forefront of the burgeoning swing revival
Swing Revival
The Swing Revival was a late 1990s and early 2000s period of renewed popular interest in swing and jump blues music and dance from the 1930s and 1940s as exemplified by Louis Prima, often mixed with a more contemporary rock, rockabilly or ska sound, known also as neo-swing or retro...
movement. Mojo insisted the band leave the studio and immediately begin touring, a tour which ultimately lasted for over a year.
When the Daddies finally returned to the studio in the fall of 1999, Perry felt the previous recordings had become "stale", and the band began to re-write much of the album's material. Perry, who had become burnt out on the media's typecasting of the Daddies as a swing band, wrote more diverse musical textures into the album to make it more representative of the band's eclectic spectrum of sounds. He hoped to create an album that could bridge the gaps between their swing-based fans and the rest of their eclectic body of work. "We don't want to disappoint people", he said in an interview with ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
, "Hopefully, now we can give [the fans] a sense of what they want but still be able to be ourselves. The ultimate thing would be to be popular and have a lot of people know what you’re really like and like you for it."
To help contribute to the album's vintage 1970s sound, Perry brought in several notable guest musicians. "Diamond Light Boogie" was recorded under the production supervision of legendary glam rock producer Tony Visconti
Tony Visconti
Anthony Edward Visconti is an American record producer and sometimes a musician or singer.Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers; his lengthiest involvement with any artist is with David Bowie: intermittently from Bowie's 1969 album Space Oddity to 2003's Reality, Visconti...
, while former The Turtles
The Turtles
The Turtles are an American rock group led by vocalists Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman. The band became notable for several Top 40 hits beginning with its cover version of Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe" in 1965...
and Mothers of Invention vocalist Mark Volman
Mark Volman
Mark Volman is an American rock and roll singer, best known as a founding member of the 1960s band The Turtles. At times during his career he has used the pseudonym "The Phlorescent Leech"...
provided backing vocals. Noted backing vocalists Paulette McWilliams (Luther Vandross
Luther Vandross
Luther Ronzoni Vandross was an American singer-songwriter and record producer. During his career, Vandross sold over twenty-five million albums and won eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times...
, Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
) and Ada Dyer (Motown artist) appeared on several songs, free jazz
Free jazz
Free jazz is an approach to jazz music that was first developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the music produced by free jazz pioneers varied widely, the common feature was a dissatisfaction with the limitations of bebop, hard bop, and modal jazz, which had developed in the 1940s and 1950s...
saxophonist Dewey Redman
Dewey Redman
Dewey Redman was an American jazz saxophonist, known for performing free jazz as a bandleader, and with Ornette Coleman and Keith Jarrett....
played on "The Saddest Thing I Know" and percussionist Carol Steele (Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
, Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
) performed on "Stay (Don't Just Stay)". Lee Jeffries, steel guitar
Steel guitar
Steel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use...
ist for western swing
Western swing
Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands...
band Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys
Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys
Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys is a western swing/country boogie musical band from California.They began as rockabilly revivalists in the late 1980s, then dug deeper into the music which rockabilly came from: western swing and particularly the country boogie style of the late 1940s and early 1950s,...
, allegedly performed on a song which didn't make it onto the album.
Release and reception
Despite allowing the Daddies complete creative control over the production of Soul Caddy, Mojo Records was largely unenthusiastic about the finished album. Claiming that the new material was "not like the Cherry Poppin' Daddies people know and love", the label did little to promote the album, at one point releasing "Diamond Light Boogie" without the band's name on it, supposedly due to a hesitancy over releasing a rock single from a band largely known for swing music. With virtually no major marketing or promotion behind it, Soul Caddy was quietly released on October 3, 2000.Critical reception
Soul Caddy met with mixed to negative reviews, the majority of criticisms centering around the album's lack of swing material. Many reviewers, however, seemed oblivious to the Daddies' past musical history: Steve Greenlee of The Boston GlobeThe Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
began his review with "neo-swing fans, beware", openly accusing the Daddies of abandoning their swing "roots" in favor of a trendier sound, while the Los Angeles Daily News
Los Angeles Daily News
The Los Angeles Daily News is the second-largest circulating daily newspaper of Los Angeles, California. It is the flagship of the Los Angeles Newspaper Group, a branch of Colorado-based MediaNews Group....
echoed similar complaints, placing the album on their list of the 10 worst albums of 2000, the reviewer wondering what made a swing band "think it could get away with an album of recycled psychedelic pop".
Outside of the "swing-only" stigma, critics were evenly polarized over Soul Caddys eclectic mix of genres. UGO's Hip Online proved to be on the negative side, noting "[c]overing five or six genres on one album is just insane. Soul Caddy has no cohesion and that ruins the enjoyment", while
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, giving it a grade of C-, was annoyed by the way the band tackled each genre with the same "insufferable enthusiasm", remarking "Perry is a far better writer than he is a singer". MTV.com was considerably harsher, believing that Soul Caddys "cheesy, super-compressed studio shine" had drained the album of its energy, leaving the "confusing" mix of genres feeling "washed-out [and] a bit depressing and Weird Al
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
-like", summarizing the Daddies as "a band that's trying to show off their record collection, rather than their creativity".
Some critics, however, were accepting of the album's eclectic bent. allmusic, despite giving it a modest score of 3 out of 5 stars, wrote "Soul Caddy is flat-out fun and there's no way around that", praising the album's "witty and smart lyricism" and "strong horn section" and noting "textures are layered, but smooth in structure...for the listeners who take time to believe in it, Soul Caddy will be impressively surprising". The Denver Westword
Westword
Westword is a free alternative weekly newspaper based in Denver, Colorado.Westword was established independently in 1977. In 1983 it was bought by New Times Media. In 2005, New Times acquired Village Voice Media, and changed its name to Village Voice Media...
lauded the band for breaking away from the trite retro stylings of the swing revival, saying of the Daddies "they've got more spunk, more sense of adventure and more life than nearly every other swing act on the scene", praising the album's punk streaks for giving neo-swing "a much-needed facelift".
Effect on the band
In support of Soul Caddy, the Daddies were set to commence an accompanying US tour, this time downplaying the swing material which had dominated their previous tours in favor of their wider body of work. However, the tour was ultimately cut short following low ticket sales and the band's own dissatisfaction with the tour's reception. Speaking retrospectively in 2002, Perry elaborated "we went out on tour and most people saw us as a swing band because of the success of Zoot Suit Riot...we felt this tension to be something we weren't".Citing both the commercial failure of Soul Caddy and Perry's emotional exhaustion, the Daddies agreed upon taking an indefinite hiatus in December 2000. The band officially reformed in February 2002 to continue touring sporadically, though wouldn't return to recording until 2007 for their independently released album Susquehanna
Susquehanna (album)
Susquehanna is the fifth studio album by American band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, released on Space Age Bachelor Pad Records in February 2008, and later re-issued on Rock Ridge Music in September 2009....
.
Track listing
Previous availability
- A previously recorded version of "Irish Whiskey" - with horns and a shortened bridge - appears on the band's 1996 album Kids on the StreetKids on the StreetKids on the Street is the third studio album by American band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, released in 1996 on Space Age Bachelor Pad Records.-Overview:...
. - A different recording of "So Long Toots" first appeared on the soundtrack release for the 1999 film Blast from the PastBlast From the Past (film)Blast from the Past is a 1999 romantic comedy film based on a story and directed by Hugh Wilson and starring Brendan Fraser, Alicia Silverstone, Christopher Walken, Sissy Spacek, and Dave Foley.-Plot:...
.
Cherry Poppin' Daddies
- Steve PerrySteve Perry (Oregon musician)Stephen Henry Perry is an American musician, best known for being the lead singer, songwriter and rhythm guitarist for the ska-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, of which he is the founding member.-Early life:...
– lead vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
(on tracks 1 – 2, 4 – 6, 9 – 11), weird keyboard effectsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, stylophone - Dan SchmidDan SchmidDaniel Joseph Schmid is an American musician, known for his work as the bassist for the ska-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, of which he is a co-founder, and the piano rock trio The Visible Men.-Career:...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Jason MossJason Moss (musician)Jason David Moss is an American musician, known for his work as the lead guitarist for the ska-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, of which he was a member from 1992 to 2010.-Early life:...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Dana HeitmanDana HeitmanDana Conrad Heitman is an American musician, known for his work as the trumpeter for the ska-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, of which he has been a member since the band's inception.-Biography:...
– trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
(on tracks 1 – 4, 6, 8 – 10, 12 – 13) - Sean Flannery – tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
, bass clarinetBass clarinetThe bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B , but it plays notes an octave below the soprano B clarinet...
(on tracks 1 – 6, 8 – 10, 12 – 13) - Ian Early – alto saxophoneAlto saxophoneThe alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
, bass clarinet (on tracks 1 – 6, 8 – 10, 12 – 13) - Tim DonahueTim Donahue (drummer)-Career:Born in Oswego, New York, Donahue was raised in Oregon, where he began playing drums professionally in the early 1980s, serving in numerous bands including Lucy Crank, Road Kill, Flash Back, Zoo Gang, RMS McConnel, AKA and Intensity. In mid-1997, he joined Eugene band the Cherry Poppin'...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Dustin LankerDustin LankerDustin Ross Lanker is an American keyboardist, known for his work as a member of the ska-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, a touring member of the ska punk band the Mad Caddies and as the singer-songwriter for the piano rock trio The Visible Men.-Career:A pianist since childhood, Lanker...
– keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
(on tracks 1 – 3, 8 – 9)
Additional musicians
- Johnny Goetchius – keyboards, background vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
on tracks 1, 4 – 6, 10, 12 – 13 - Dewey RedmanDewey RedmanDewey Redman was an American jazz saxophonist, known for performing free jazz as a bandleader, and with Ornette Coleman and Keith Jarrett....
– tenor saxophone on track 13 - Bryce Peltier – tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
on tracks 3, 10 - Ada Dyer – background vocals on tracks 4, 6, 9
- Paulette McWilliams – background vocals on tracks 4, 6, 9
- Mark "Flo" VolmanMark VolmanMark Volman is an American rock and roll singer, best known as a founding member of the 1960s band The Turtles. At times during his career he has used the pseudonym "The Phlorescent Leech"...
– background vocals on track 1 - Carol Steel – percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
on track 4
Production
- Executive producer: Jay RifkinJay RifkinJay Rifkin is a music and film producer.Rifkin created the company Media Ventures with Hans Zimmer, a childhood friend, whom he partnered with to produce and compose with. Media Ventures is a diverse entertainment group that includes music, new media, film and television...
- Recorded by Billy Barnett at Gung Ho Studios in Eugene, OregonEugene, OregonEugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
- Mixed by Jack Joseph Puig at Ocean Way RecordingOcean Way RecordingOcean Way Recording is the name of a series of recording studios in Hollywood, California and Nashville, Tennessee. Ocean Way Studios is well known in the recording industry due to the award-winning albums that were produced there....
, except tracks 4, 6, 9 and 13 at Gung Ho Studios - Additional recording at Sear Sound in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
- Mastered by Bob LudwigBob LudwigBob Ludwig is an American mastering engineer.He is a well known and respected figure within the music industry. His name is credited on the covers of albums released across the world, and he has won numerous awards....
at Gateway Mastering