Smitty: Speaking of things happening and coming together, I can see why they are excited and why you are excited as well. You did an interview with NPR and things really just took off from there.
RM: It did. It was amazing. The interview….they did a piece on the CD, the project. They interviewed me and after it aired my CD was available for preorder on Amazon.com it went up to No. 5, which was very exciting and unexpected, and my record label was scrambling around going “Oh my God, I hope we made enough CD’s.”
Smitty: (Laughs.)
RM: So it was cute. It was really fun to kinda go through it all, all of us together and Joe, one of the guys at the record label, one of the co-owners, is also a very, very good friend of mine. We worked on my first little jazz trio CD when we were in school together at Berklee, so we have a big, a long history there as well.
Smitty: Oh, great.
RM: It’s been really nice to work with them as well because it’s exciting for all of us. It’s like a little family.
Smitty: Yeah, very cool. And your CD debuted at No. 9 at Billboard Magazine. How ‘bout that, huh?
RM: I know, it’s amazing. I can’t believe it.
Smitty: Wow.
RM: It’s just been great. We’re very excited.
Smitty: So you’re just having a lot of fun with this, I can tell.
RM: Yeah, now we’re just trying to figure out how we can take it on the road. (Both laughing.)
Smitty: Well, I’m sure you will work that out because a lot of fans can’t wait to see you perform live.
RM: Aw, well, I’m so honored. The fans have been so great. I get e-mails every day from somebody, and they’re so appreciative and they just love the music, and it really resonates in my soul because, I’ll tell you, I have done a lotta gigs where I don’t think anybody even realizes that I’m even in the room. (Laughs.) So this feels very nice that people are listening to the music and they love it, so I can’t wait to get out there and do some more concerts and add to the dates we already have.
Smitty: Yes, and let’s say a really big thank you to Susan Stamberg at NPR. She did a magnificent job with the interview.
RM: Oh yes, she was amazing. She was just so amazing and spent a lotta time with me and just a beautiful person and I know she really loves the project and I’m just so thankful to her and everyone over at NPR. They really helped me out a lot and it was just great.
Smitty: Yes indeed. What I like about this record, it has that great retro feel to it and there’s a lot of really cool elements that I can feel, some Latin in there and just a lot of great elements, and the band, they’re so tight and they have so much going on. It’s almost like you’re listening to a retro swing kind of thing going on.
RM: Yeah, we went through a lot of different ideas, Willie and I, and that kinda was his idea to stay with more of that 30’s and 40’s kind of a vibe, and at first I was like “I don’t know” because I have a very broad range of what my musical influences are. So to stick with this one style was a challenge for me, but I think when everything came together and the whole package was done, and I trust him immensely with ideas and things like that, and it really came together as a very cool thing. I think what happens is that when you put the CD on, it takes you back to a time that’s vintage and retro sounding, and I think that’s one of the really charming things about the project.
Smitty: Yeah, do you like that era of time? Is that something that you were able to capture and feel as you were putting this project together?
RM: Yeah, I mean, everything from especially the arrangements, are very 30’s, they sound like they’re from the 30’s. But some of the arrangements are actually the versions like Sinatra did and were just adapted for me because we went back and forth. I love listening to Sinatra and the old Ella stuff with the big band, and they’re very popular arrangements and the thing is we kinda were like “Well, you know, we love listening to that. Let’s do something similar to that because I know a ton of people even from my age up to my parents’ age who love listening to that particular sound, the big band sound with, the old vintage and retro sound. So we just kinda decided to give it a shot and like I said, I’m very excited about how it came out and we’re really looking forward to kind of getting into the next CD, which we don’t know what it’s gonna be like yet, but we’re kinda starting to brainstorm on that.
Smitty: Yeah, isn’t that cool?
RM: Yes.
Smitty: When you get that one behind you and it’s locked in and everybody’s loving it, and then it’s like “Where do we go from here? Let’s do some more,” you know? I like that.
RM: Yeah.
Smitty: Yeah, that’s very cool. And I think it really piques your creative juices when you’ve got some exciting things happening, then you get in the studio while you’re excited and while you’re very creative. It’s a peak time to do a record.
