Morgan|Husband|Feraud On the Making Of ‘A Soul in Time’
What was the initial spark or idea that led to the creation of 'A Soul in Time?'
Myself, guitarist James Morgan, wanted to record a solo album, after recording 4 albums in four years for the contemporary jazz genre. This album is a jazz rock fusion genre album that harkens back to the 1970s, when jazz rock fusion emerged. I wanted to record songs that reflected that time in music history. A time when guitarists explored new sounds and ideas on the guitar and piano players explored new electronic sounds, like synthesizers. Pianos That was the concept for this album.
How did you work with the producer or engineers to bring your vision for 'A Soul in Time' to life?
My friend and producer legendary guitarist Dean Brown who was part of that history in the 19802 and 90s, wanted to produce and co-write the songs with me. We started the album in June 2023 and during the production he battled with an aggressive cancer that took his life in late February 2024. I was then joined by Gary Husband as co-producer. Gary plays the drums and keyboards on the album, along with Hadrien Feraud on bass and Eric Marienthal on sax. Gary hired the final editing and mixing engineer George Murphy in London, England and also the mastering engineer Andrew Tulloch in the UK. Two of the top engineers in the country.
Which song(s) from the EP do you think best represents your artistic vision?
The song Samba Sky is a song that captures the Chick Corea Return to Forever, Al Di Meola vibe. “On the Edge” and “Eyes of Truth” capture the Mahavishnu Orchestra vibe that explores many time signatures and great instrumentation. That song has five different time signatures. The whole album reflects what I wanted to capture of that genre.
Can you tell us more about you as a trio?
The producer Dean Brown, chose both Gary Husband who has recorded and performed with Allan Holdsworth, John McLaughlin, Billy Cobham and many others as the drummer and keyboards. He also picked Hadrien Feraud, who is one of the top calls in the world right now on bass. Dean felt that they could deliver the stories and sounds we envisioned for this album.
Do you have a personal favorite among your compositions? What makes this piece special to you?
I really like the song “On the Edge” because it starts out slow and develops into a high-energy guitar solo that I always wanted to do on an album. I had one chance to record this kind of guitar solo, and I did it on this one. I also love the drum solo.