Hi folks!
As always been quite a while since last posting…and how does that come one might wonder, well don’t really have any good explanation. Maybe just beeing a little too lazy. Anyway today i’m back again with another edition of the slickest blog online, the home of slick music online! Today’s artist i’m pretty sure not many have heard or are aware of and they are called Windows. Myself i discovered them like 2 days ago but it shows my “musical radar” is still intact. For a exchange i was visiting one of the few remaining record stores in my town and i was checking out second hand cd:s and i was looking at the letter ‘W’. There i saw a cd called “Blue September” with a band called Windows. It cought my attention so deciced to look further and got some like good vibes and listen some on Spotify and i bought it.
The original line up of Windows left to right: Ed Cohen (keyboards), Skipper Wise (bass, vocals), Michael Acosta (saxophone) Tim Timmermans (drums).
The cd costed me as much as…20 swedish crowns that’s about 2 Euro, about 2 US dollar so nothing i couldn’t spare or so. This band started out in the early 1980:s in Los Angeles. When getting their record contract they had been doing the “classic way” of getting a contract. They had been sending demo tapes to 25 different companies and the 24 first returned their tape saying “not interested”. In Sweden he have a saying, maybe elsewhere too, “persistence wins” and with company #25 they finally got their contract. Michael Dion of ITI Records returded their demo saying “i like what i hear can we meet”. So in 1983 they signed a contract with ITI Records and their first, self titled, album was released the same year. The album received positive reviews that allowed the band to play at local clubs around in LA and getting a small audience. This local buzz got another guy interested, Jim Marton of the new-formed jazz label Intima/Enigma.
Left to right: Skipper White, Steven Chapman, Peter White, Ed Cohen
The guys signed a deal with Intima/Capitol Records in 1984 and released their second album “Is It Safe” later that year. In the summer of 1987 their third album “Mr Bongo” was released and it charted Number Three on the new R&R radio format charts now called N.A.C (New Adult Contemporary). When it was time for album number 4 once again they had changed label this time it was A&M/Cypress Records. This next album “The French Laundry” and here they had a guest vocalist named Al Stewart sharing the vocals with Skipper on the title track. This very album became a huge success it immediately went to number one on the radio charts and stayed there for six weeks.
Only one year after next album came still on the A&M/Cypress label and this album was called “Blue September” and it’s actually the very same album i bought the other day! However this album wasn’t quite as successful as the previsously one it reached number three on the radio charts. Singer Al Stewart is featured on this album as well so is also Janis Ian. In 1992 one of the founders left the group it was Ed Cohen who wanted to do some other things perhaps. Don’t really know why he quit but never mind. Skipper reorganized a brand new Windows lineup which released the album “From the Azylum” on Blue Orchid/DA Music Records. This album only reached number fourteen on the radio charts. Skipper continued making music and recording albums under the name Windows until 1996 when the band released their last album “A Funky Distinction”. They had their peak in 1989 and none of the albums which was released after wasn’t even close to that level. Thou during the second half of the 1990:s and people’s habit’s began to change. Now internet found it’s way into people’s life and you could listen/streaming music online.
Windows in action during a live appreance in 1990.
If i was to descbribe their music i’d say you can hear influences from like Toto but also guys like Michael Franks. The music is like ‘easy listening’ and definetely more smooth jazz rather than fusion. However it’s very solid productions and offcourse quite slick. Enough slick for me to write about them anyway! On their later albums they often had some fine cats playing. One frequent guest, maybe he was unofficial member , who often apperead on their albums is smooth jazz/fusion guitarist Peter White. Today an well established artist in his own right. Skipper actually helped him launch his solo career and also produced his first two albums. Skipper are still working with music and has created his own microphone brand. If you’re interested of knowing more about Skipper then check out his web page http://www.skipperwhite.com
Skipper Wise of today.
So time for the song it’s taken from “Blue September” album and it’s called Someone’s Growing Up Here and it got some like more laid back blues groove with Skipper singing lead vocals and it also features Richard Elliot on tenor saxophone and one day i’m gonna tell you more about him.
And as always i hope you’ll enjoy your listening!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihdGdAxbW-U
Tags: #worldofslickmusic #windows #edcohen #skipperwhite #michaelacosta #timtimmermans #michaeldion #jimmartans #alstewart #stevenchapman #peterwhite #janisian #toto #michaelfranks #richardelliot
World of Slick Music 
Thank you for your kind words.
I can distinctively remember writing and recording “Someones Growing Up Here” in all it’s detail right around the time of 1990. From writing the lyrics about my daughter Jessica and our home, to tracking the basics and capturing Richard Elliot’s great saxophone solo and recording my lead vocal. It’s a great feeling when someone discovers music that I have been apart of and share’s it with others.
Skipper Wise
November 2017
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Thank You Skipper. I am honored that the author of the song and also the founder/second half of the group who recorded the song made a comment. Thanks for sharing your memories regarding the song and what it means. Finally may i ask how did you came across this little blog? Sincerly: Daniel
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Hi Daniel,
I have a auto search set up for keywords that is needed for my microphone business side. It caught my name in your blog. Here is brief on the background.
Take care, Skipper
For over 25 years Skipper Wise and Martins Saulespurens have been creating cutting-edge microphones and professional audio products for studios and musicians. Skipper, a professional recording artist and engineer, and Martins, an electrical engineer from Riga, Latvia, co-founded Blue Microphones in 1995, and Neat Microphones in 2014. Together they changed the audio landscape with innovative designs, developing a new generation of recording tools with the vision that professional quality microphone products could be produced in an accessible package for today’s digital recording mediums.
Blue Microphones began as a boutique business, combining the best of old world craftsmanship and modern technology with an innovative sense of style, and developed into an internationally recognized industry leader in microphone design, manufacturing, and technology. Together Skipper and Martins developed a product line that includes over 40 products, comprised of microphones, microphone preamps and related accessories. Blue’s award winning and critically acclaimed professional microphone products are used by premier recording artists worldwide.
In an age of indistinguishable, cookie cutter microphones, their product designs stand apart from the crowd – both internally and externally. Each microphone design is meticulously crafted from custom made components to achieve inimitable styling and unparalleled performance.
You’ve got to hand it to Blue Microphones. Hands down, this company has changed the face of audio’s front-end with interesting mic designs using plenty of color, whimsical product names and of course, great sounding mics.”
n Kevin Becka, Mix Magazine
The primary technology behind the duo’s product line is its integrated transducer and circuit designs. Coupled with Martins’ innovative engineering solutions, the duo was able to amass over 50 patents and registered trademarks.
They were the first to release a high quality, affordable USB microphone that targeted the emerging market of consumer recordists. The Snowball USB microphone, became the microphone product recommended by Apple for use with their iLife software suite. This was then followed up by the world’s best selling USB microphone, the Yeti. At Neat Microphones for Gibson Brands the pair launched the critically acclaimed Bumblebee and Beecaster USB microphones pushing the design and technology to a new level.
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