Vagabond Synth Nerd’s Journal Vol. 140 - Featuring Great Works by Master Producers Part 3 - Tommy LiPuma and Larsen-Feiten Band

Elegant record jackets seen at Mary Lou's

When I was a student, there was a jazz-rock cafe that I frequented. The members of the light music club, including myself, frequented this coffee shop called Mary Lou's. The reason we went to Mary Lou's was because the master would buy new records about once a week.
The master would buy a new record for us to listen to, which was a big advantage for us. As poor students, there was no way we could afford to buy records, and we stuck around all day after only ordering a cup of coffee and listening to music while attending classes.

One day, the master came back from an outing and displayed on the shelf a record with a very nice jacket.
The name of the band was the Larsen-Feiten Band. I had never heard of this band. In the age of color photography, the jacket was a black-and-white photo with a light cream color on it. The left side was a smiling profile of guitarist Buzz Feiten, and the right side was a profile shot of a smiling Neil Larsen from the front.

My friend beside me said, “I wonder if Norman Schieff took this?” I looked at the credits on the back of the album and sure enough, the photographer was Norman Schieff.
Norman Schiff is a well-known photographer in the industry who has photographed famous musicians such as the Eagles, Frank Zappa, Joni Mitchell, Keith Richards, KISS, and Rickie Lee Jones. He is one of my favorite photographers, especially for his monochrome images. This jacket photo also radiated such prestige that you could tell it was Norman Schiff at first glance. I still vividly remember this huge jacket photo being depicted in an advertisement for a building in Aoyama.

The sound was wonderful! The producer was Tommy LiPuma!

I was even more surprised when I heard the sound. In a word, the band sounded like they had great control! That's all I have to say. There is no bright synthesizer sound. The guitar sound also gives the impression of limited use of effects pedals. I can guess that the only effect on the guitar is probably an echo or a delay. The idea is not to embellish the sound, but rather to eliminate excess sound as much as possible, and to make each instrument stand out by bringing the raw sound to life.

The producer is, of course, Tommy LiPuma and his style of not adding extra embellishments to the ensemble is very well thought out. This is music by subtraction, not addition. This is the kind of approach that Tommy LiPuma is best known for, and it is the same with George Benson's and Marc Almond's albums.

I think the first time I saw Neil Larsen and Buzz Feiten live was in a session with Sadao Watanabe. Neil Larsen's Hammond sounded exactly the same as on the C and. Buzz Feiten's Strat, which was quite tall, sounded exactly the same as on the album.

■ Recommended Album: The Larsen-Feiten Band (1980)

Neal Larsen (Keys) is a keyboard player who was born in Ohio, USA in 1948. His main instrument is the Hammond organ. He also plays piano and synthesizer, but his main instrument is absolutely the Hammond organ. Howard “Buzz” Feiten (Gt) was born in 1948 in the U.S. and grew up in New York City, where he began his professional career at the age of 19 playing with Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. Neil and Buzz released their first album in 1972 under the band name Full Moon, but it was not a commercial success.

They performed together again on Neil Larsen's famous solo album Jungle Fever in 1978. This led to the Larsen-Feiten Band. In fact, Neil Larsen's Jungle Fever was also produced by Tommy LiPuma. This album is also a good album with emphasis on the Hammond organ. The producer really knew how to organize the sound and what to listen to is the same in every album.

Neal Larsen, “Jungle Fever” (1978)

Back to the story. The recording members of the Larsen-Feiten Band are Willie Weeks, who has played with Danny Hathaway on bass, Art Rodriguez, who has played with Tom Scott on drums, and Lenny Castro, who has played with TOTO and others.
The band's sound is simple, but Buzz Feyton's voice is brilliant, and the result is a masterpiece with a soulful feel.

Recommended Song: “Who’ll Be the Fool Tonight”

This is a great single song that opens with a brass section intro. The simple brass ensemble is a big part of what makes this song stand out.
Neil Larsen's Hammond organ supports the entire bottom line and adds thickness to the band's sound, which has few notes. Buzz Feiten's guitar solo echoes blues. The portamento-laden mini-moog glissando that enters for a moment just after the brass ensemble's theme at the beginning is a nice and stylish touch. Tommy LiPuma's mischievous laugh comes to mind.
My band in the early 80's used to cover this song, and I remember being puzzled at how to play the tame acoustic piano part that comes in during the second chorus.

■ Recommended Album: Full Moon (1982)

In 1982, the Larsen-Fayton Band suddenly changed their name to Full Moon and released an album. The producer was Tommy LiPuma. It is a mystery how and why the band changed its name. However, the sound is almost the same as that of the previous Larsen-Feiten Band album. The sound is developed with Tommy LiPuma's dignity. The sound of the band is organized with great control. It would not be an exaggeration to say that we are listening to the production of the gaps between sounds. In this sense, this album is an extension of the previous album.

Recommended Song: “Brown Eyes”

This catchy tune starts with impressive guitar cutting and handclaps by Buzz Feiten. The mini-moog solo played by Neil Larsen, which is rare after the minor chorus, is a nice touch. I even mistook it for a Buzz Feiten solo when I first heard it. The guitar-like tone, phrasing, and timing of the bends are outstanding among the many synth solos that imitate guitar solos.

Musicians, Albums, and Recommended Tracks Featured in This Article

• Artists: Buzz Feiten, Neil Larsen, Willie Weeks, Art Rodriguez, Lenny Castro
• Albums: Larsen-Feiton Band and Full Moon
• Recommended Track: “Who’ll Be the Fool Tonight”, “Brown Eyes”

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