By ROBERT DUGUAY

With the rise of streaming services and casual listeners gravitating to the convenience they provide, the way bands and musicians release music these days has very little restrictions. The idea of releasing an album for people to check out has become passé for some due to the vast amount of short attention spans and the cost that comes with professionally creating a full-length record. There’s also some experimentation taking place with a few artists only offering new material exclusively at their shows or in a different way. For the Providence jazz-pop act The Real Marie, they recently decided to take an idea from the past and bring it into the present with “DC-Disco 45”, which came out on Sept. 23 via the record label Pixie Pockets. It’s a digital release with an A-side and a B-side, similar to an old school 45 rpm vinyl.

The idea for the release came from pianist and vocalist Dawn Cabral’s upbringing where she would spin these records that only had two songs on them. Another element that played a part was the ease it would take to put it out rather than having to wait for the completion of an entire album.

“As a kid, I loved playing my parents’ records, especially the 45s, which perfectly suited my little kid hands,” she says about how the unique record came to be. “I remember spinning ‘I Think We’re Alone Now’ by Tommy James and The Shondells and I would play it over and over and over again. Then I would flip the record, play the B-side, which was ‘Run, Run, Baby, Run.’ It was wildly entertaining, just the two songs, when I was 6 years old. Cut to last year, realizing how long it was taking me to develop and record my work, I decided to release a two-sided banger rather than wait for completion of a full-blown album, believing two great songs could still provide that joy of spinning something new and exciting over and over just like the old days.”

For the making of “DC-Disco45,” Cabral met up with Ray Gennari, who runs the recording studio Rocktorium Records in West Kingston. They initially started collaborating due to them both being influenced by and fans of reggae music, which has a very vibrant scene around Rhode Island.

“Much of my material is peppered with roots reggae rocksteady influence, so I knew a producer versed in that genre was essential,” she talks about how she started working with Gennari. “Producers can adeptly handle rock, blues, funk, experimental and other genres, but not necessarily the riddims and kotch of the blue beats. When I played my material for Ray, he said this was the kind of stuff he really wanted to be a part of. In other words, we shared the same brain and worked together for the song. First, we cut demos of my scratch keys and vocals, but with Ray, a scratch track behaves more like the finished product, the product you will be feeding the players’ cans for drums and bass.”

“His approach is nothing short of meticulous, and pushes things naturally to decision points, which we make on the spot during playback,” she adds. “Not after, once it’s mixed and then listened to and reviewed later on, it’s decision time right then and there, and if something isn’t ready, it isn’t ready.”

The two songs within “DC-Disco45” are “Real Marie” and “Bright Sky,” with the former embracing a rhythmic structure with the horns having a major presence while the latter has more of a reggae vibe. Drummer Ziggy Coffey, trumpet player John Allmark and Cabral’s daughter, who plays the saxophone, lended their talents for “Real Marie” while bassist Doug Spencer, guitarist Ted Stevens and drummer Austin Andrews were involved in the making of “Bright Sky.”

“I typically write a melodic bass line first, and this is especially true on ‘DC-Disco45,’” Cabral describes the songwriting and recording process. “‘Real Marie’ opens on piano playing the bass line theme riff and the disco hustle vibe is apparent the moment it hits your ears. It’s precise and it’s packed with energy. I have often said things like this song was written for a great funk guitarist who definitely needs a horn section, particularly trumpet. The demo had a prominent breakdown section where I envisioned a trade-fours arrangement, but it just wasn’t coming together. At this point, the song required a high energy precision drummer who could bring the fun factor through the kit as well as incredible percussion work. Ray and I both thought of Ziggy [Coffey] and when I approached him about it, his answer was an immediate ‘Yes!’”.

“During the making of this record, I landed a gig hosting the open mic night at Askew [on 150 Chestnut Street] in Providence,” she adds. “Weekly, usually after 10 p.m., John Allmark would show up and we got to know one another while being fans of each others’ work. I decided to ask John to rip a trumpet part and to my delight, he agreed. The final icing came when we knew the bright shiny trumpet solos needed some low end support from sax and trombone, so we thought it would be an incredible thing if we could capture my daughter’s beautiful saxophone tone on record. The trick was having her agree and trust that we weren’t placing her in a position to fail and that this was something she could do and do really well. To watch Ray do his thing while coaching my daughter to do her thing, was a tremendous honor and not something I will ever ever forget.”

“Bright Sky” is an older tune of Cabral’s that’s been part of her repertoire since the start of the decade. Certain aspects of it have changed over time, and she wanted to recognize that while working in the studio with Gennari and figuring out the other musicians to bring into the fold.

“‘Bright Sky’ has an ‘Endless Summer’ vibe, it’s one of those arrangements that seems to capture every genre,” she mentions about the tune. “The song was actually born during the touring of my first record in 2019. I wrote it as a song to jam on while I spent a few minutes introducing the players on the bandstand. Nick Iddon debuted the song at AS220 [on 115 Empire Street in Providence] and exuded a dancehall vibe with Nate Beauvais on bass and Derek Reynolds on guitar. The lyrics were nothing like they are now, and there was no bridge.”

“Even with these new developments, the song remains an intentionally very simple piece that takes on a few personalities with some bossa, surf, ska, rocksteady and even some dancehall. I often play the song skanking with my right hand and dancing while doing it. It was evident to me that the drummer involved would need to have strong jazz sensibilities and not be flustered when the mood shifted from one thing to the next while knowing how to play very little, but with energy and intention. I had been working with Austin [Andrews] for live performances of The Real Marie and he was living through the many iterations of this song and not running away. He was able to tackle so many genres as well as put in work to deliver vibes in areas that were outside of his comfort zone, and I wanted that work represented on this record.”

“‘Bright Sky’ also required layers of Ray’s percussion work, which is a constant throughout the track,” Cabral adds. “Next, a groovy surf guitar sound was essential and Ray knew exactly who to call on for this specific role, Ted Stevens, who’s ethereal surf guitar intro and outro is something you just wanna hang onto long after the song ends. Doug Spencer holds down the steady low end then delivers a bouncy, catchy groove that holds up the energy without turning the groove into a polka, which is no small task.”’

For the future, there are a few plans for “Bright Sky” that include re-releasing it as a dub instrumental as well as recording versions of it with the lyrics in French, Portuguese and Italian. Folks can keep tabs on that by following The Real Marie either on Facebook at facebook.com/dawnoftherealmarie or on Instagram at instagram.com/dawnoftherealmarie. In the meantime, give both tracks on “DC-Disco45” a listen on the streaming service of your choice and enjoy.