Opinion SESSION DIARY ...
As Adam Goldsmith writes his final column, he reflects on the industry – then and now – with session supremo Mitch Dalton
When I was first asked to write this column several years ago, my inspiration was Tommy Tedesco’s ‘Studio Log’ column in Guitar Player magazine. Here he would describe a day’s work recording a movie, TV show or album, the special challenges each job posed and how he solved them, what instruments he used, and how much money he made on the job. I think it’s fitting, therefore, for my last effort for a while in this magazine, to speak to someone who many would regard as the UK’s answer to Tommy, and someone who was very much an inspiration to me in my formative years – Mitch Dalton.
It’s a well-worn cliché to say: “While you may not have heard of ‘X’, you’ve certainly heard their playing!”, but this is definitely true of Mitch. He’s probably the UK’s most-recorded guitar player to date, having worked with everyone from Herbie Hancock to Ella Fitzgerald, via Robbie Williams and a myriad of film and TV score recordings. Here’s what he had to say...
How did you get started in the studio scene?
‘The simple answer is pure luck. There was a vibrant recording scene back then, providing employment to hundreds of musicians in a wee cottage industry. The busiest guys (they were all guys, with the exception of an occasional harp player) would be performing on three three-hour sessions per day, often at different locations. One-hour commercials would be slotted in frequently at 8am to accommodate the standard 10am start to the working day. And there were even engagements slotted in at night when necessity called.
“There were contractors that ‘fixed’ musicians and it was not uncommon to be working seven days a week for such individuals. Consequently, my evaluation of this niche of the music profession led me to believe that if I worked extremely hard, possessed a modicum of ability and met one or two individuals that recommended me along the way, there was a chance for me in this sub-niche of Show Business. I entered this world – eventually– via a patchwork quilt of dance-band functions, strip-club gigs, support for down-and-going cabaret artistes, as well as theatre deps and pop/rock one-nighters. This is how you paid your dues.
“I may have a framed LRAM diploma gathering dust in the attic, but two years of playing in the resident band at The Dorchester Hotel’s Terrace Restaurant – from 8pm unt
