Elmer Ferrer

Photo by Iván Soca

Making Music in Cuba

Gear and Setup

Gear and Setup

RS: How did the Fango Dance CD come together?

EF: In November 2004, Billy Johnston, who produced the Cuban stage at the Blues Fest in Ottawa, saw my band, EFB, play at Abdala Studios. A few months later, he offered to produce my record. We wanted a blues-rock album, and I already had some tunes composed. We started recording in May 2005. Most of the musicians I had worked with for years: Juan Pablo Domínguez on bass, Amhed Mitchel on drums, Alexis Bosch on piano, and Jalidan Ruiz on percussions. We all worked together for years as part of Habana Ensemble, a Cuban Latin jazz band. We know each other, and it’s comfortable to work together. We often do productions for other musicians and songwriters with this same group. They are really good. For the CD, we also needed some vocals, and Billy Johnston found Anders Drerup, Shawn Tavenier and Peter Voith, who contributed to the recording as guest artists.

RS: Kudos to Billy Johnston for recognizing your talent!

EF: Thanks! I’d like Billy to say something...

BJ: What can I say, it is all about producing quality music that I like, and I love Elmer’s tone. He is a great producer with fantastic instinct. Enuf from me, back to Elmer.

RS: Great rhythm section! The band sounds very tight. Was everything recorded live or tracked separately?

EF: Some tunes were recorded with all of us playing together live. In others, we played live, but only kept the drums and bass. The rest of the tracks were added later.

RS: On this CD, did you do most of the writing? How do you write and put a song together?

EF: Yes, I did all the music, except the two covers, of course. For composing, I don’t take any technical method as a guide. An idea simply comes up, and I start to develop it, trying different ways. Sometimes I get a tune in the blink of an eye; other times it’s a longer. I enjoy composing a lot. On “Crazy Window”, the lyrics were written by my wife Xyrla, who is a writer and also works with me as producer. She was writing “Crazy” as a poem for kids. I read it and liked it for a tune I was working on. We worked together, exchanged some ideas, and adjusted the verses to the music. Later, the Canadian singers helped check the language and make some retouches. “Crazy Window” by the way is a real window in our home. I already had 5 or 6 tunes finished when I received the proposal for recording Fango Dance, and I worked full time to finish the rest.

RS: Okay, I have to ask. Why the Beatles tune "Come Together"?

EF: It’s a Beatles song I always liked. We were already playing it in live shows before the CD as an instrumental.

RS: What is your setup? Guitars, amps, effects, strings?

EF: I play a Fender Standard Strat, made in Mexico, with DiMarzio Virtual Vintage 2.2 pickups, through a Fender Twin. Pedals include a Retro Sonic Compressor, Maxon SD-9 distortion, Ibanez Tube Screamer Overdrive Pro 808, MXR Double Shot Distortion, Xotics RC Booster, Roger Mayer Voodoo-1, Line 6 DL 4 Delay, Arion Chorus Sch-1, Crybaby GCB-95 Wah, and a Boss FV300H Volume. I like D´Addario XL .010 - 0.046 strings, and Fender Heavy picks.

Photo by Iván Soca

RS: What difference do you see between the Maxon SD-9 and the Tube Screamer? Do you ever use them together?

EF: The Maxon SD-9 has more gain and less mids than the Tube Screamer 808. The Tube Screamer is bluesier, while the SD-9 is more rockin’. Live, I sometimes use both pedals together at the end of a solo. But you have to close your volume fast, because feedback comes immediately. On the "Fango Dance" CD, I used both pedals together on "E-blues", with the gain closed on the SD-9. I used it more like a booster, because I liked the "color" and the strength it added to the Tube Screamer.

RS: Can you explain what the Xotics RC Booster does for your sound?

EF: I use it to change the color in some specific songs, and also to distort the amp's clean channel a bit. It gives a clean overdrive sound that really works for some stuff.

RS: Your tone on this CD is simply amazing! Rich, round, thick and juicy. How do you get your Magical Guitar Tone?

EF: For the CD, I mainly used the Fender Twin amp, the Tube Screamer Pedal, the Maxon SD-9 and the RC Booster. I placed two Shure SM-57 mics in the center of each speaker cone. On some tunes, one mic went direct to the board, totally dry. The other mic went through an Avalon preamp and a Rocktron Intellifex, for reverb and delay. A lot of guitars were recorded at home with the same set up. Thanks for the “Magical Guitar Tone”!

RS: The Avalon preamp rocks! Did you choose that specifically or was that just what was available?

EF: It was the only one available at the studio, but it’s really good. For guitar tracks I recorded at home, I replaced it with an Audio Buddy from M-Audio.

RS: Any difficulty getting gear in Cuba?

EF: A lot of difficulty. Here you cannot even find electric guitar strings. We have to take the opportunity when touring outside Cuba to come home with a lot of strings and other gear. Get it when you can.

RS: That must be frustrating! Are you able to mail order things like tubes and strings? Software updates?

EF: Nope!

RS: Are there many venues to play in Cuba?

EF: Not for this kind of music. We have a few venues in Havana, but you get paid so little, that when you get a taxi home, all your pay is gone. You can’t afford to do this very often.

RS: Any difficulties touring outside Cuba?

EF: Sometimes, due to red tape. We have to follow a large proceeding, and sometimes it causes delays. I don’t know why. But we do tour. A lot of Cuban musicians tour outside, which is really the best way to promote a band’s work.

RS: You have a new website at www.elmerferrer.com.

EF: You can hear clips off the new CD and also see video clips from a live DVD called Jazz Cuba Today.

RS: Is your first CD, Metropoli, still available?

EF: Yes, it is. You can find it at www.nlstore.nl or www.allimportmusic.com or www.songsearch.com.

RS: What is next for you, Elmer?

EF: Keep playing and supporting Fango Dance. I’m also composing, studying, working on my guitar sound and future productions. Right now, I’m working on two CDs as musical producer.

RS: Good luck, Elmer. We'll hope to see you in the States one day. Or at least on an EFB concert DVD!

EF: I’d love that, man!

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