8b.5. Jazz Bar
Having a "live band" at Phil's Bayou Another seemed like a natural thing to do . I installed the speaker directly under the jazz band (below)—not because it was necessary, but because it was the only space left for it! I drilled a few holes through the floor around the band, then assembled a tiny enclosure around the speaker, which greatly improved the sound quality.
The files were sourced from various three-piece bands, all comprising sax, bass and drums. Technical notes on the sound files: Because of the tiny speaker size, I processed the files quite a bit. First, I attenuated the volume to keep the music from being overbearing, as well as to reduce distortion. I also ran the file through an EQ to greatly reduce the bass, also to further reduce distortion. Then I applied some dynamic compression to keep the softer passages from dropping out and the louder ones in check. Finally, I mixed in ambient bar-restaurant sound, captured from this video, plus some light applause at the end of each tune. I also included a couple of stretches of just the ambient restaurant sound to give the band a break between sets. The entire program is wrapped into a single file containing two sets of standards lasting just over a half-hour.
Playlist
Set one:
- All the Things You Are
- Fly Me To the Moon
- I Remember You
Set two:
- Misty
- Sing a Song of Song
- Without a Song