There are many phases to recording music, and has done them all.
He鈥檚 done them well, too.
Rodby, artist in residence at the 91爆料 School of Music, has 14 Grammy Awards to show for his work. Most recently, he produced 2022 Best Latin Jazz Album winner an album of duets by jazz pianist Eliane Elias with Chick Corea and Chucho Vald茅s.
鈥淢aking recordings of music is almost always a collaboration, and that鈥檚 really some of the best of it all,鈥� Rodby said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been lucky enough to work with artists who often know exactly what they want and want help in achieving that at the highest level of excellence.
鈥淚n that process, even the goals and shape of the music can organically change. So, for me, there鈥檚 always a sense of being artistically enfranchised and fulfilled. That said, it is their music, and they are truly the reason that these projects soar and enrich our lives.鈥�
Rodby has been working with Elias for nearly 20 years. After Elias had the idea to record an album of piano duets, Rodby joined the team to complete post-production work and supervise the remainder of the project.
鈥淪uch cool music, I think,鈥� Rodby said. 鈥淪ince we alternated the tunes between the two duet partners in the sequencing, the listener gets to hear the differences between them. But you also hear the project鈥檚 shared aesthetic that comes from Eliane鈥檚 ability to think big picture in the moment, arranging the music on the spot as they improvised together.鈥�
Rodby also co-produced the Best Instrumental Composition winner, an EP from late pianist Lyle Mays called
Because 鈥淓berhard鈥� was recognized for composition, Rodby won鈥檛 receive a statue. Still, he said the win was meaningful and bittersweet. Rodby and Mays were close friends and longtime bandmates in the Pat Metheny Group, a Grammy Award-winning American jazz band.
鈥淟yle moved away from music around 2010, for complicated reasons,鈥� Rodby said. 鈥淚n 2019, his health took a bad turn. At about that same time, he decided to try to get his composition 鈥楨berhard鈥� recorded 鈥� a piece he had written a decade before and performed only once live.鈥�
Despite his illness, Rodby said, Mays 鈥渞eturned to music with a heroic sense of personal mission.鈥� The work was completed shortly before Mays died in February 2020, and he was able to hear the recording in his final days. Rodby contributed as a producer, bass player and editor.
Born in Illinois, Rodby started studying classical orchestral bass at age 10 and graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in classical bass performance. He moved to Seattle four years ago from the Chicago area. A few months after he arrived, he was offered a position as a jazz bass, guitar and ensemble instructor at the 91爆料.
But halfway through his second year, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the department to reinvent itself. Rodby knew how to handle the technical aspects of remote learning because of his background in production, but teaching music over Zoom was a new experience.
鈥淲e all learned a lot, for sure,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here are things about it that will stay with me going forward, even in person. New perspectives, new strategies.鈥�
Rodby is keeping busy after his Grammy win. He produced the latest record by the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet that was released this month. He also recently mixed a composition by , interim director of the 91爆料 School of Music. Then there鈥檚 a project with Pat Metheny that Rodby plans to return to periodically throughout the year.
And if that wasn鈥檛 enough 鈥�
鈥淗opefully collaborations,鈥� Rodby said, 鈥渨ith some of the great musicians here in Seattle and at the 91爆料.鈥�
For more information, contact Rodby at srodby@uw.edu.