Studio News

World Music Label Joins Forces With Eller Studios!! We have a new partner at Charles Eller Studios!! His name is Jacob Edgar and he recently left his position as the Vice-President of A&R for the highly successful world music label, Putumayo, to start a sister company, Cumbancha, which is now headquartered at our Charlotte location. This huge move is putting Charlotte on the map as a destination for musicians from around the world. [read more...]
Habib Koite Is In Recording His New Release World Music superstar, Habib Koite, from Mali, spent a week recording at Charles Eller Studios. His latest CD, his first in almost 7 years, is slated for release on Jacob's Cumbancha Record label later this year. Habib is not only known for his original songwriting, vocal style, and superb guitar work, but also for his collaborations with pop musicians such as Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne. A gifted and soulful person, it was a treat having him with us in the studio!
Congratulations To Grace Potter & The Nocturnals!! Three and a half years ago Grace Potter and her band, the Nocturnals, approached us about doing their first CD. The moment I heard them I knew that with the right recording and production, they could be headed for greatness! After doing several critically acclaimed CDs with the band, a High Definition television special, a DVD, and recording their entire "Bringing It All Back Home" tour, we had the pleasure of watching the band sign a historic record deal with Hollywood Records! Our congratulations to Grace and the Nocturnals! We love you guys! [visit Grace Potter's website]
Kilimanjaro Records Their First CD in 25 Years! As some of you may know, Chas Eller has lived a "dual life" for the past twenty-five years, simultaneously performing with successful groups such as The Unknown Blues Band, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Elisabeth von Trapp, and of course Kilimanjaro while at the same time recording and producing 100's of successful CDs for numerous talented artists at his studio in Charlotte. While earning his wings as a recording engineer for the Philo Records label in the late 70's, recording folk icons such as Dave van Ronk, Chas was approached by guitarist Paul Asbell, who had written some very catchy jazz tunes and was looking for a keyboard player to join forces with. Along with bassist Tony Markellis and drummer Bill Kinzie, that band became Kilimanjaro and with the backing of Philo Records, the band vaulted to national recognition when their debut album got up to #3 in the national Jazz Radio Airplay charts. Their second album went to #5 in the country which led to three U.S. tours and appearances at some of the most world's most prestigious jazz festivals. Now, 25 years later, the band was recently commissioned by the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival to work up some new material for the 2006 festival. The response was phenomenal, with the show selling out quickly enough that the festival had to add a second show. The group has begun to record that new material at Charles Eller Studios and hopes to be releasing a new CD sometime this Spring.
Maria deBarros of Cape Verde Records with Her Band Cape Verdean singer, Maria deBarros was in during the month of December with producer, Danny Luchansky of Argentina, who now resides in L.A. Her band of amazing players are the perfect compliment to her breathtaking vocals which can be heard on her upcoming release for Cumbancha Records. A superb singer in her own right, Maria hails from the vocal tradition of Cape Verde popularized by Maria's godmother, the great Cesaria Evora. And, Maria's talents aren't just limited to the stage. While her band was busy cutting basic tracks one day, she cheffed up an incredible Cape Verdean feast for the "staff" that was truly memorable! Thanks again Maria!
Composer Kento Masuda Comes All The Way From Tokyo To Mix His New Release At C.E.S! Electronic musician and composer Kento Masuda came to the studio this winter to mix his newest release on The Globesounds label. Kento is an artist as well as an incredible craftsman at writing highly imaginative music that defies categorization in a good way. The music has extremely lush textures that work by defining intricate themes that evolve throughout each spellbinding composition. It ended up being a huge job, requiring that we combine both of our Protools HD3 systems in order to accommodate the 80 channel mixes!! Kento's label, which is based out of Burlington, VT is a story in itself. The label along with it's publishing company, JPMC, which among other things holds the publishing on the entire Parliament Funkadelic catalog, is owned by Swiss-born entrepreneur, Jane Peterer. For more info about Kento, please visit his website. For info about purchasing his CDs and other great music please check out the JPMC website.