Without a doubt guitarist/composer/producer Ottmar Liebert has left
his singular and unmistakable mark on music. Since Ottmar's 1990 debut
album, Nouveau Flamenco (the biggest selling guitar
album of all time!),
he has released an incredible 22 albums, including live releases,
Christmas
CDs, 10 CDs of original music, a DVD and remixes. It's no wonder that
Billboard Magazine has twice named Ottmar, New Age Artist of the Year!
And Ottmar continues to push forward. In 2001, he formed Spiral Subwave
Records International to give him more control over his art and career.
SSRI has done phenomenally well, taking Ottmar's latest release,
La Semana, to #4 on the Billboard New Age charts. As Ottmar
says
in our conversation, "...that's quite an achievement for a brand
new label.
An amazing achievement in fact." Couldn't agree more.
But, and I guess I'm showing my artist-centric bias here, I think
the real
achievement is the fact that La Semana is an outstanding
record. Ottmar
thinks it's his best ever. And while I'm still a big fan of his 1995
release,
Euphoria, I think he's right.
If you'd like to learn more about Ottmar and his music, please visit
his website.
Jamie:
The music business has always changed, but probably no more so
than right now. Whether these changes are good or bad obviously
depends
on one's perspective, but the changes have, and are continuing to,
impact
artists and labels. You seem to be rolling with the punches and
embracing
this state of flux with your new record La Semana.
In the liner notes you
write: "If 4 any reason U need 2 make a copy of this CD, we
ask that U
contribute $5.00 2 the artist @ www.ssri.biz/donation -- Thanks!" Is this
philosophy something you plan to adopt with all/any of your
future releases?
Ottmar: I do not enjoy having
to deal with all of the dongles and complicated
copy-protection schemes the software industry has come up with to
protect
their product. In fact the PACE iLok for my ProTools system gave
up its life
a few days ago and I had to spend an hour on the net ordering a
replacement
and getting temporary licenses. ProTools is not alone in doing this
sort of
thing. If you lose the USB Key Logic uses, you have to pay another
$999
for a new Key.
It seems to me that one cannot protect against fraud or copying
without
making it unreasonably difficult for people. EMI has released some
of my
albums in Europe without my consent and indeed against my wishes
with
copy--protection. Now they are getting sued in France because these
copy-
protected CDs don't seem to play in all CD players. I think EMI
deserves
that suit.
Yes, people will undoubtedly copy my music - some of those copies
I find
legitimate - like burning a CD for your car, or a mix-CD for your
vacation etc..
- others are a rip-off. There are times when you want to turn a
friend on to
music and you want to do it NOW - no time to go to a store.... so
you burn
a copy.
What I am doing is giving you the choice to donate some money for
that
copy. I know that there are many people on the net that say "Music
wants
to be free" - but alas the equipment needed to record music
is NOT free. A
writer's laptop might only cost a couple of thousand bucks - but
that covers
not even half of a microphone in my studio. I think there needs
to be a
qualitative difference between copyrights, depending on the time
and money
spent creating something from scratch. Unfortunately I have no idea
how
something like this could be accomplished in the real world.
In the meantime I am simply offering people the choice to donate
money for
a work of art they have copied and are presumably enjoying. I think
the big
changes the music industry is facing at present will be changes
every other
industry might face sometime later this century. I mean, what will
happen to
the hardware industry when I can download a "recipe" for
a hammer from the
net and instruct my matter-compiler to create it overnight?
Actually, what I would love more than anything is working via a
subscription
service. People would subscribe to my site and would be able to
view videos
and listen to music. They would download files and burn their own
CDs. But
that might have to wait another 5-10 years, although I am doing
a survey
regarding subscriptions on my site right now.
Jamie: And you have such an
amazing site -- the online diary/blog is
particularly interesting to me. In my view, you're connecting with
your fans
in a way that probably has never been possible in the past. I would
imagine
you have significant demands on your time (recording, touring, label
"stuff",
etc.... not to mention simply living!) and yet you make time for
writing on
your site -- and on what seems like a daily basis.
The challenge, at least from my perspective, is that the Internet
can be a
double-edged sword -- it allows one to do so much, but it
also can be
incredibly greedy with time. Obviously, you find working on your
site
worthwhile or you wouldn't do it, but what does the Internet give
you that
you don't find elsewhere? Has working on your diary/blog changed
your
art in any way?
Ottmar: Hm, it has changed my
life in that I am less likely to get in trouble
when I am touring, because I am staying in my room more.
I enjoy sharing what I know about music. It is an ongoing process
as I am
constantly learning about music as well. Nouveau Flamenco is a relatively
new concept and I am refining what that it might be all of the time.
It is also about the dialog with fans. I have some really cool and
knowledgeable fans and I enjoy hearing their opinions.
I don't think the Diary has changed my art in any way, but it is
possible.
Writing in the diary about an idea I have for a song or an album
design
deepens my inner dialog about that idea and therefore could very
well
change my work.
Jamie: Good to see you're trying
to stay out of trouble on tour -- maybe
you can share some "road stories" later! Just to change
directions for a bit...
To me, top players such as yourself, have a strong, internal sense
of rhythm
that plays a large role in defining their music. Your rhythm guitar
playing has
always been, for me, one of the highlights of your music. Have you
always
had such a strong rhythmic sense? And for the guitar players out
there, can
you recommend any specific exercises to help in developing and refining
their rhythm guitar playing?
Ottmar: Hours and hours of playing
to a metronome or drum loops. The
first band I saw live was Earth, Wind + Fire, who were opening for
Santana
in Europe in 1974. That turned me on to rhythm, I should say RHYTHM!!!!
There are similarities between Funk, the Blues and Flamenco in that
the
rhythm is THE most important element in all three. Flamenco is rhythm
plus melisma, which is a term for singing several pitches over one
syllable
- like one finds in Indian and Arabic music. Traditionally there
isn't a lot of
melody in Flamenco at all. There was no sing-along chorus in Flamenco.
I think there are two particular elements in my music that appealed
to
many people: one being the melody, and the other the fact that I
approach
Flamenco as if it is Funk or R+B. I look for the pocket and the
GROOVE
and stay there. That's not very Flamenco. So you could say Earth,
Wind
+ Fire had a major impact on me some thirty years ago.
Jamie: Earth, Wind & Fire
and Santana -- not a bad first concert! It must
have been pretty wild to have had Santana play on Solo Para
Ti years later.
I think it's pretty amazing how music you hear when you're young
can have
such an effect on you years later. One of the first concerts I ever
saw was
Yes (at Maple Leaf Gardens)... I was probably too young to fully
grasp their
music (or what all that the funny smelling smoke was!), but, I knew
there
was some great playing on the stage and still to this day, I love
great
players -- in whatever style. No comment on the smoke...
Getting back to your last comment, I think you're right that most
people do
grab onto the melody and the rhythm in your music. When you talk
about
groove, personally, I can also hear a real sense of it in your melody
playing/soloing. Are you thinking rhythmically when you're soloing?
Also, how important is harmony to your music?
Ottmar: I think it is all important.
Different cultures have placed more
importance on either melody, or harmony, or rhythm, but never all
three....
Europe - harmony + melody with a weak sense of rhythm (usually 2/4,
3/4
and 4/4 in classical music) India - melody + rhythm with a weak
sense of
harmony, which is usually just a drone behind the melody.
Africa - rhythm and melody - not so much harmony, although some
of the
choral singing gets into that...
Jazz was one of the first styles that explored all three elements
together....
Anyway, it is all important, but I admit that I do prefer simpler
harmonies -
I am very modal that way. I find Bebop scary. : )
Jamie: HaHaHa!... me too...
so many chords...
I met with a mastering engineer years ago when I was trying (and
I am still
trying) to learn about recording and the mastering process in particular.
He
said that, in his opinion, the best sounding records were the ones
with the
best playing and arranging, and that in many ways, the music determines
how good, or bad, a record "sounds". I think that's pretty
much true, but
obviously good gear plays an important role too. La Semana sounds
fantastic and I think that's a testament to both your playing/composing
and your producing/engineering. Does wearing so many hats in the
studio
(i.e. player, composer, producer, engineer) help or hinder the record
making process for you?
Ottmar: I feel that it has made
it easier for me. I went to art school and
making art is usually a solitary experience, especially for painters.
I am
more comfortable working in the studio by myself. On the other hand
I
have worked with Cuban musicians in Miami, where recording is more
of a group activity - to be enjoined by many friends and family
members.
That's fun, but not me.
I agree, good music makes a bigger impression than good sound. Some
old flamenco or blues records sound terrible and yet they are wonderful!
It
seems important to achieve a balance between getting the right sound,
but
not ignoring the importance of workflow. In other words, sometimes
it is
more important to capture an idea, than to loose the magic moment
by
fiddling with knobs. Working by myself, that is always my choice.
Jamie: You have a pretty impressive
touring
schedule -- and in fact, you're
on tour right now. I know you bring different bands (i.e. trio,
quartet etc.) out
on the road... what's the line-up like for this tour? Doing any
Euphoria-like
remixing of any pieces?
Ottmar: I have often referred
to Luna Negra as a rubber band, sometimes
small and sometimes large. The smallest touring group was a trio
and the
largest was a nonet in 1997.
After touring with Luna Negra XL (7-9 musicians) for several years
I wanted
to return to a smaller format last year and went out with a quartet
with
myself on guitar, Jon Gagan on Bass Guitars, Ron Wagner on Percussion
and Canton Becker with a laptop. Canton enabled us to do a lot of
Euphoria
style stuff. A few live recordings of this band are available in
our
Listening Lounge.
This year I had a new quartet, replacing Canton with another Santa
Fe
musician, Robby Rothschild, who plays Cajon, Djembe and Congas.
We
will put some live recordings of this quartet in the Listening Lounge
in the
coming weeks.
Jamie: Can't wait to hear the
live recordings! How does altering the make
up of the group change or affect your music? Does your approach
to the
guitar change when you're playing with a larger ensemble versus
a
smaller one?
Ottmar: In general, the more
people are playing, the less each person gets
to play. The more people are playing the more the music has to be
arranged.
When I have one or two other guitarists playing with me, I end up
playing
mostly melodies and the occasional rhythm. When I am the only guitarist,
I have to propel the music as well, and must find a way to integrate
rhythm
playing. Also, being the only guitarist allows me to change the
harmony
here and there if I feel like it.
Jamie: We talked earlier about
how Earth, Wind & Fire was a musical
influence for you. And in turn, you've been an influence for many
artists,
including me. Has the impact your own musical voice, on the public
as
well as other musicians, been a help or a hindrance to you artistically?
Where do you look for inspiration today?
Ottmar: That's a very interesting
question. Several times a year I receive
music from musicians who would like to work with me or tour with
my band.
Most of the time they either play my music or play something that
is quite
influenced by it. And most of the time I am instead looking for
musicians
who do something different, who found a different way to do things.
I mean,
I have a peculiar style of playing rhythm guitar, a unique cross
between
Flamenco and R + B - there is that Earth, Wind and Fire influence
again
- and I haven't found anybody who can play like that. So, if I were
to hire
another guitar player for instance I would look to other things
s/he could
do uniquely well. Either a more traditional Flamenco guitarist,
or maybe
somebody who plays African style electric guitar....
Inspiration. Right now I am finding inspiration in a bottle of 1992
Silver Oak
I found in the office this afternoon.
Inspiration: The MUSE is an allusive entity. That girl is here today
and gone
tomorrow. MUSE is the root of the word MUSIC. Without inspiration
you got
nada. I have to trust her to pick the right time to visit me and
she has never
let me down, yet.
When I started working on La Semana I thought it was
hopeless... but then
I got that visit and now I think it's my very best album ever. So
far it topped
out at #4 on the Billboard New Age chart, and is currently at #8
- that's quite
an achievement for a brand new label. An amazing achievement in
fact.
Back to your question. I think that I have always tried to push
forwards, to
expand my style, to add new colors and textures. To my ears every
album
has opened new vistas. I have always felt the need to discover.
I mean, compare NF and Opium - sounds
like two different musicians...
Borrasca and The Hours...., Innamorare and La Semana... etc.
The president of Epic Records challenged me to record an all electric
guitar
album during the middle of the nineties, because he loved the tracks
I played
electric on. I wonder what would have happened had he not left Epic
a year
later. I might have taken him up on that....
Jamie: I'd love to hear an electric
guitar-based album from you -- I'm sure it
would be great!
You've achieved so much in your career. Artistically you've released,
as you
point out, an incredibly diverse body of work. Not to mention defining
a genre!
And commercially, you've sold and continue to sell a huge number
of records.
Have your successes changed your impetus to create? Have they altered
your relationship to music?
Ottmar: As we all know, the
Music Business is changing. Nobody has found
a great solution yet, but some suggestions have been made. See:
A
Royalties Plan for File Sharing
Alternative
Compensation Systems for Digital Media
Development
of an Alternate Compensation System for Digitial Media in a Global
Environment
Promises
to Keep: Technology, Law, and the Future of Entertainment (PDF)
In some ways it feels like being a complete beginner again. Many
of the old
rules no longer apply. My success lies in the past, now it is up
to me to
adapt successfully to all of the changes in our industry. The same
is true
for recording. I am constantly discovering new ways to do things.
Jamie: I have no doubt that
you can (and will) adapt -- both artistically and
on a business level. [And great links!... I have to admit it's going
to take me
a while to read through the William W. Fisher III PDF, but it looks
interesting.]
I want to thank you for taking the time to do this artist-to-artist
conversation.
As I said earlier, you've been an influence on my own music, so
it's been
great having the chance to talk with you. Thanks again and please
stay
in touch!
Ottmar: You are welcome.
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