Oh man, where do I even begin? I guess for amateur musicians, making a record is always the dream but being in college and having a million other things to do, it often seems to be an impossible task. The struggle is real.
This project really started in the summer of 2015. I woke up one morning and realizing all of us would be graduating in a year. Although we would probably stay friends, it would be difficult to see each other again after college; playing music together is almost out of the question. It just seemed wrong to not put in any effort to draw a conclusion. I immediately started writing and arranging (with pencil and paper, it’s still the best way), a few hours every night, until the end of summer. After I finished the last song, I realized, man, this could happen.
Having the music ready isn’t even half of the battle. I hit walls after walls looking for musicians, rehearsal space, recording studios, budget and scheduling rehearsal times and logistics. Everyone came back to school early for three days of intensive rehearsals. Man, we must have played over 10 hours a day. Music was the only thing that was going on in our heads and for these few days, music was the only thing that mattered in the world. I didn’t know who was going to be on this album until two days before the recording. Step by step, The Last Bow was complete.
It has been my philosophy that musicians are messengers and our mission is to spread music, the magic, happiness and love it brings to as many as people as we can. The Last bow is our first and perhaps last record; either way it’s our last bow to college and all of you that helped us along the way. — Rain Zhou (2016)
1. … And Foremost (01:17)
Composed by Marshall Mucasey
Soloist: Marshall Mucasey (bass)
2. New Beginnings (06:58)
Composed by Marshall Mucasey and Rain Zhou; arranged by Rain Zhou
Soloist: Alec Staples (tenor sax)
3. Missing the Blues (05:53)
Composed by Marshall Mucasey and Rain Zhou; arranged by Rain Zhou
Soloists: Alec Staples (tenor sax), Ian Montague (guitar), Marshall Mucasey (bass), Rain Zhou (organ)
4. Not So Josh (08:45)
Composed by Rain Zhou and Josh Rollin; arranged by Rain Zhou
Soloists: Jaden Gladstone (tenor sax), Matt Venora (trumpet), Rain Zhou (talkbox), Skyler Gray (drums)
5. Ask Your Friends (05:16)
Composed and arranged by Rain Zhou
Soloist: Ian Montague (guitar)
6. Weiser Wiser (05:03)
Composed by Rain Zhou; arranged by Nick Weiser
Soloists: Alec Staples (tenor sax), Matt Venora (trumpet), Ian Montague (guitar), Rain Zhou (piano)
7. Moment of Silence (09:25)
Composed and arranged by Rain Zhou
Soloists: Marshall Mucasey (bass), Ian Montague (guitar), Jaden Gladstone (tenor sax), Alec Staples (tenor sax), Matt Venora (trumpet)
8. Golden Thing (07:51)
Composed and arranged by Rain Zhou and Josh Rollin
Soloists: Matt Venora (trumpet), Rain Zhou (talkbox), Jaden Gladstone (tenor sax), Alec Staples (tenor sax)
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Personnel
Rain Zhou Keyboards & Talkbox
Marshall Mucasey Electric Bass
Ian Montague Electric Guitar
Skyler Gray Drums
Jaden Gladstone Tenor Sax
Alec Staples Tenor Sax
Matt Venora Trumpet
Nate Schickler Trumpet
Recorded by Will Russell @ Electric Wilburland in New field, NY
Edited and Mixed by Will Russell
Mastered by Will Russell
Photographed by Connor Archard
Produced by Rain Zhou
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Thank yous
We’d like to thank our families and friends for supporting us, 3unit, Alan Rose, Roddy Russell Jr., and Karim Hutton for musical support, Geoffrey Keating for supporting the project, Josh Rollin for playing with us and shaping our sound in the beginning, Cornell Thumpty for the rehearsal space, Sam Lupowitz for directing us to Electric Wilburland, Will Russell for making our first recording as smooth as possible, Cornell JAM for fostering the beginning of this band, Snarky Puppy for being the true inspiration, and all of our mentors who’ve led us to this point.
And we’d like to thank all of our Kickstarter backers for making this project possible in the first place (in alphabetical order): Aaron Fink, Alan Rose, Anonymous, Arash, BMITW & the Trail Boss, Camille and William Prip, Cari and Jack Brandt, Connor Daly, Elle dawg, Evan Mucasey, Geoffrey Keating, Gregg Sheena, John Lowry, Lucy Metz, Luke Moll, Marina Howarth, Michael Gray, Michelle & Mario Argentina, Mitch Levy, Mitchell Tiras, Nick Ruggiero, Noreena Lau, Paul Giannelis, Peter Ericksen, Sabria & Kevin Lewis, Sal Qadir, Sam Saloff-Coste, Sarah Baldessari, Stefan Peierls, Yao Li & Angie Ding, Ying Yuan, 周一鸣, 周成杰&李雪梅, 李晋, 李慧民.
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