# My first album



## Ashermusic

With all the hats I have worn in my career (pun intended) my first one was singer/songwriter. So at 68 years old, I have recorded my first album. I just finished the last mix and all ten songs are off to the mastering engineer. 

This has been such a rewarding experience, can't wait to share it with all of you.


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## jemu999

Congrats Jay!


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## Alohabob

That's awesome!


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## J-M

Congrats Jay, can't wait to hear it! I'm in the process of writing two EPs...mainly because I can't stick to one style long enough.


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## Ashermusic

When I was 21, I moved to Los Angeles with the goal and expectation that I would have a career as a singer-songwriter recording artist. It didn’t happen, although I did make my living as a singer-keyboardist and enjoyed some success as a songwriter. Later I became a musical director for other performers and a composer for TV and films, and still later a Logic Pro consultant and trainer.

But my dream was still alive and well on my “to do” list and finally, I have done it: my album, entitled “Honestly.”

I recorded myself singing all the vocal parts, with the exception of the backing vocals of one older track, playing all the keyboards, and mixed all ten songs, again with the exception of the one included older track. I enlisted the talents of Carl Verheyen for guitar and Henry Newmark for drums and they delivered big time in my opinion. They are great musicians and supportive friends as well. Ron Boustead mastered the album.

I did this devoid of any commercial considerations, choosing the songs I really wanted to record and arranged them the way I really wanted to arrange them. One included song I wrote four months ago while another I wrote for the wonderful girl who would become my wife back in 1970. The end result, warts and all, is I think an accurate representation of who I am and have always been as a singer-songwriter.

So it is now available as a physical CD and downloads on CD Baby and soon downloads on all the usual sites. https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/jayasher1

Please do not think that I want you to feel obligated to purchase it, as clearly you are not. But my parents did not raise an idiot, so of course I hope that you do. And if you do, I do hope you enjoy listening to it half as much as I enjoyed creating it. It truly was one of the most joyful endeavors of my musical life.


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## rJames

Congrats Jay! My dream (the same dream) has been dying a slow and painful (if you heard my songs) death for 50 years.


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## thov72

congratulations, Jay!!!

a lot of songs with that 80s feel....


Ashermusic said:


> my parents did not raise an idiot, so of course I hope that you do


...yes, with 3 children and the fourth to be born in a couple of days, it just might happen ......
sorry, I couldn´t resist.
Greetings!!!


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## Ashermusic

An it is now available on iTunes and Amazon Digital Music.


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## Kaan Guner

I'm so happy for you! I hope I make mine true somewhere around next year! A solo piano album!

Gonna check yours out!


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## Ashermusic

Kaan Guner said:


> I'm so happy for you! I hope I make mine true somewhere around next year! A solo piano album!
> 
> Gonna check yours out!



Thank you Kaan, Ron, and thov72.


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## Parsifal666

A warm sound pervades! I found it easy to get comfortable listening to Jay's album, there's a feeling like one is meeting somebody who's immediately likeable (like someone you feel relaxed around right off. I'm not sure how opaque that representation is, Jay, but that's what I get from my listens).

I don't really even need to mention how well this was done, from all other aspects besides the songs (which are, as mentioned, consistently easy to like and somehow familiar).


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## Ashermusic

Parsifal666 said:


> A warm sound pervades! I found it easy to get comfortable listening to Jay's album, there's a feeling like one is meeting somebody who's immediately likeable (like someone you feel relaxed around right off. I'm not sure how opaque that representation is, Jay, but that's what I get from my listens.
> 
> I don't really even need to mention how well this was done, from all other aspects besides the songs (which are, as mentioned, consistently easy to like and somehow familiar).



Thank you for the kind words Parsifal666. So glad you are enjoying it.


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## wbacer

Hey Jay, congrats, well done, your parents would be proud and you should be too. I really liked, "How Blind Can I Be".


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## Michael K. Bain

Jay, you composed that awesome Zorro theme - cool! I love me some Zorro. I think just the tiniest bit of the the old Disney Zorro theme crept in at times, didn't it?


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## Matt Riley

Nice work. Who played on this Jay?


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## Michael K. Bain

Don't let Jay fool you; he has at least one more album, the https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Zorro-Soundtrack-Jay-Asher/dp/B007U2K5PQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1495840148&sr=1-1-mp3-albums-bar-strip-0&keywords=Jay+Asher (Zorro soundtrack). It's very good!


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## Ashermusic

Thanks Eric, Michael and Matt, I really appreciate the comments. 

Matt it is all me except for the guitars and most of the drums. The guitar work is all Carl Verheyen, my favorite LA session musician. He has made a lot of great records himself and in recent years has been playing lead for Supertramp. The drums are by a terrific LA drummer, Henry Newmark. Two cuts are MIDI drums that I did, "Norman The Doorman" and "Someone Will Be Watching". The joker in the pack is "How Blind Can I Be" which is an old recording from the eighties that I kept because The Brooklyn Dreams guys sang backups and clapped with great energy. Try though I did, for the life of me, I can't remember who played guitar and drums on it, but the bass player was my band mate and dear friend, the late Neal Lampert


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## Ashermusic

Michael K. Bain said:


> Jay, you composed that awesome Zorro theme - cool! I love me some Zorro. I think just the tiniest bit of the the old Disney Zorro theme crept in at times, didn't it?



Yes, but largely due to Dennis Spiegel's lyrics, I think ours was better.


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## Michael K. Bain

Ashermusic said:


> Yes, but largely due to Dennis Spiegel's lyrics, I think ours was better.


The lyrics were good, and especially the music, but I have a special place in my heart for "Zorro....The Fox! So cunning and free. Zorro....who makes the sign of the Z"


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## Ashermusic

I have no problem with that. As a kid, I too loved it.


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## Michael K. Bain

Well, I love your Zorro soundtrack. I just discovered it on Amazon Unlimited, and I'll be listening to it for a while to come.


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## Ashermusic

Michael K. Bain said:


> Well, I love your Zorro soundtrack. I just discovered it on Amazon Unlimited, and I'll be listening to it for a while to come.



Thank you. It was a fun show to score.


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## Ashermusic

BTW, if you bought it and liked it, please write a positive review. Thanks in advance.


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## whinecellar

So glad to read this Jay! I'm right there with you... in fact I go to mastering tomorrow on my own "dream project" I've been working on for over a year. Easily more rewarding than anything I've ever done - so I'm so glad to see someone else do it!

Can't wait to give it a listen!


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## Ashermusic

whinecellar said:


> So glad to read this Jay! I'm right there with you... in fact I go to mastering tomorrow on my own "dream project" I've been working on for over a year. Easily more rewarding than anything I've ever done - so I'm so glad to see someone else do it!
> 
> Can't wait to give it a listen!


Jim, I have been following your posts about it on Facebook and look forward to hearing it.


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## Ashermusic

I added a Listen tab on my website for my new album: http://www.jayasher.com/honestly/

Also, I added images to the Recorded Songs tab. Check it out if you get a chance.


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## Ashermusic

Just a reminder.


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## Ashermusic

Still hopeful some of you will take it for a test drive, It's on Spotify apparently.


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## Ashermusic

Just a reminder, as those of you who bought it have had kind words to say and seemed to enjoy it.


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