RAMI JAFFEE
"My favorite monitors have got to be punchy and bright. The Cerwin-Vegas give me complete happiness."
Rami Jaffee has accomplished what most aspiring musicians dream of: making a living creating music, earning Grammys, and performing on records that have sold in the millions.
You might know Jaffee from his first big gig, playing keys with The Wallflowers, or more recently, with the Foo Fighters (including a recent July 4th concert at The White House, as well as work on the band's upcoming new record). Or maybe it's the hundreds of records he's lent his signature style to, a few of which comprise the aforementioned, as well as Pete Yorn, Soul Asylum, Pearl Jam, Stone Sour, Joseph Arthur, Coheed and Cambria, Rickie Lee Jones, and Everclear to name a few.
Aside from playing anything with keys, Jaffee produces both from his Los Angeles studio, Fonogenic Studios, as well as on the fly for artists around the globe.
In Fonogenic's soundstage recording room, where bands are recorded live, Jaffee installed a full Cerwin-Vega! active speaker system as the main aural attraction. He was pleased to find they were a perfect fit for the room and the application.
"This sort of live recording is becoming more popular, since it emphasizes the interaction and performance of the band as a whole, not something that has been done regularly since multi-track recording came into popularity!," says Jaffee. "Unfortunately, this way of recording poses issues with all of the open microphones during the recording process, including picking up the other performers, as well as bleed from any PA speakers being used. These speakers need to sound great so as not to adversely affect the tonality of the vocals on the recording. I was extremely happy the way the CVs filled the room. They proved to be a perfect match for the space!"
Last April, the studio was also the setting for a biannual celebration of the arts and music, dubbed CCCCP (Constantly Changing Cultural Carnival Party), featuring a variety of Cerwin-Vega! speakers pumping out the onstage jams from artists ranging from Joseph Arthur to Minnie Driver.
"CCCCP is basically a party of sorts, celebrating the arts in LA. So far, it's been held biannually, but it needs to happen more often, as there's so much great live music and artists in town, and they need a place like mine to show and explore."
Jaffee added his distinctive sound to Wasting Light, playing keyboards, organ and mellotron. He has also appeared on three previous Foo Fighters albums, contributing keyboards to In Your Honor, piano, organ, accordion and keyboards to Skin and Bones and accordion and keyboards to Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace. Jaffee is also a full-fledged touring member of the group. The live acoustic CD/DVD release Skin and Bones reflects the significant role Jaffee plays with the band when they perform live.
Continuing with his success Jaffee will also be returning to his post as the keyboard player for The Wallflowers, which will reform in 2012 after a seven-year recording hiatus.
The Cerwin-Vega! family congratulates Jaffee and the rest of the Foo Fighters for their multiple-Grammy-winning night for their most recent album Wasting Light. The group won five awards including: Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song, Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance, Best Rock Album and Best Long Form Music Video. Cerwin-Vega! artist Rami Jaffee is a key part of the band's success.
