Philly Godmother: the music of Trudy Pitts
Hey there! My name is Jarad Astin, I am a jazz musician and producer, and am enlisting fellow lovers of jazz organ to jump on board with an amazing and unique project - an album dedicated to the music of the late Trudy Pitts. I had the luxury of studying organ with Trudy in the late 90’s while living in Philadelphia, and man is her tunes are smokin’! So who am I? I’m a trained pro - and I’ve owned and operated CueBro Productions since 2001, having since produced over 20 records in a wide swath of styles. Let’s read on...and if you saw the video, you heard some of the tracks in the underscore.....
In her illustrious career, Trudy collaborated with some of the heaviest hitters of jazz including John Coltrane, Pat Martino and many others, and is considered one of the tastemakers of the Hammond organ in the genre. Being a true Philly native, and keeping her career close to home so-to-speak, her music is rarely explored by the scene, but now you have a chance to be a part of something wonderful - the opportunity to see her music arranged in a contemporary recording and presented to the world at large outside of the original pressings.
Jazz is one of America’s greatest artistic achievements, and seeing that our bed of talented composers and musicians are continuously etched into the annals of history preserves not only their music in particular, but our culture and heritage as a whole. I’ve received the blessing of Trudy’s family in this venture, won’t you join me on this journey?
The Lowdown
Rather than sit back and let Covid slow my creativity at a standstill, I opted to use the time to get back into the studio to finish some projects that have been looming, ones that a busy performance schedule made difficult to achieve. Over the summer I managed to pull off a session with a couple of players I’ve known for years out of NYC, drummer Brian Floody and the great guitarist Ed Cherry, both of whom have incredible resumes including work with Dizzy Gillespie, Fathead Newman, John Patton, and so many more. Now I am asking you to help me get the project out in the open!
One thing we are seeing right now is an absolute flood of new music coming from all angles and genres, as artists are not able to perform many are doing the same as I have - which makes releasing a bit more difficult to get above the “noise.” I am raising $11,500 to make this project happen in a manner fitting to someone of Trudy’s stature - the funds will cover artwork, PR by Lisa Reedy (a highly regarded jazz-centric publicist out of NYC), distribution to over 150 retro-minded international record outlets, release on all the major (and minor) digital platforms, a limited-edition pressing on Vinyl and CD, donations to the National Pancreatic Cancer Association and American Lupus Foundation in lieu of licensing fees (as per Trudy’s estate) and session costs - and by supporting this project you not only are lifting up the work of this amazing artist but supporting relevant medical research and the cats on the record, who are in and of themselves pillars in the foundation of the current flow of jazz!
I’m offering some great perks to you for supporting this project, check this out:
- $50 gets you a copy of the record on enhanced CD as well as a full-resolution download to dig while you jog around the block or walk the dog...and the chance to privately stream the record RIGHT AWAY to check out what you’re putting your hard-earned dollars towards! That means YOU get to hear it before ANYONE else. That’s serious...
- $100 gets you 2 copies, the full-res download as well as a “Who’s Hip” listing in the liner notes of a limited-edition CD and access to some killing session video
- $200 is gonna land you a copy of the vinyl pressing, 2 CD’s with a “Who’s Hip’ listing in the liner and access to the video footage...oh yeah, and don’t forget that pre-release access that NOBODY ELSE IS GETTIN’!
- $500 is big, baby - in addition to all the above you’ll receive a copy of my latest organ pressing on Vinyl, “Carpe Diem,” with the Boogaloo Communicators, the best record I’ve ever had the joy of getting to wax...and get hip to this, you’ll be named in the “Producer’s Circle” on the fist limited-edition run of the vinyl pressing! That’ll be one to impress even the stodgiest niece or nephew!
- $2,000 will get you to the moon - everything in the above package as well as a PRIVATE concert with the trio; given current Covid restrictions this’ll be challenging, but we can hook you up with a pro-level, multi-cam livestream and beam it anywhere you are in the world...and hook you up with a vid to remember the whole shebang. If you happen to be within a couple hours of NYC and wanna wait for things to clear, guess what?! We’ll nail it right in your living room! (will require some scheduling of course, but we’d rather play to a live audience!!)
So what happens if we don’t quite make the mark? Ya had to ask....
I’ve been at this recording thing a long time - the best part is we’ve ALREADY RECORDED AND MASTERED THE SESSION! At least that takes some of the edge off...At the minimum, we’re going for the limited run of vinyl and basic international distribution to some of the HIPPEST record shops on the planet. Trudy’s music speaks it’s own volumes, and in the right hands the project could very well take on it’s own life through some copious self-promotion in the regular guerrilla channels (Social Media, hounding phone calls...you know the deal).
Back us up, and we could very well be looking at a Grammy nomination. That’ll put you at the forefront of one of 2021’s happeninest digs. You’ll be a part of spreading the love that was, and IS, Trudy Pitts, sending a message to the world that YOUR culture is not only meaningful but full of some deep-soul...and groovy as the day is long. We invented groovin’ high, so let’s embrace it and tell ‘me all! Drop a dime, share the news, and help this album cut through all the noise.
So what are you waiting for? If you’re still with me, you’re a down individual. Let’s get it together! Can’t swing a contribution at the moment? No problemo! How bout this...share, share, share!! Help us get the word out and nail this sucker to the floor. I know we got some social-media superstars out there who can really help us put this thing on the map, and we can make it worth the effort by offering you access to the private stream for your first 100 confirmed shares to your network...That’s called “sweat equity.”
Thanks for hanging with me, thanks for giving this a shot in your busy schedule. Music is light, and light is love!
As Trudy always said, Bright Moments!
Your man,
Captain Jarad “Daddy Snuggs” Astin
