Originally Posted on February 25, 2020
Remember the moment you realized that being a studio musician was a real job?
The realization that all of the music we hear around us was recorded by real people whose job it was to flawlessly play new music every day?
“I want to do that!”
That’s exactly what I said when I learned about studio musicians as 13 year old band student.
What we find out later is that landing a studio musician gig is like getting into the “Big Leagues” of music…
My new friend Willie Murillo turned his big league dreams into a reality and is now one of Los Angeles’ most successful studio musicians!
Don’t you just love it when dreams come true?
Willie presented at the SCSBOA conference where I shared Bebop Boot Camp last month. He was kind enough to chat with me afterward and offered some insight into the LA pro music scene.
When I asked how getting around town for gigs worked in Los Angeles traffic, he said:
“When I have a 10 a.m. session at Capitol Records if I leave 6:30 a.m. I’ll be there way early but if I leave at 7, I won’t make it…”
All I could think was: “CAPITOL RECORDS! As a regular thing! OMG that is SO COOL!”
When you check out his website, you’ll see that he must make that drive a lot. We’ve heard him on our favorite tv shows, and movies like Elf, Anchor Man, and Frozen (ok, maybe your kid’s favorite movie) along with mega brand commercials like McDonalds, Burger King, Macy’s, Best Buy, and Target, etc. The list goes on and on…
You might also be familiar with his work with The Brian Setzer Orchestra and Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band. If so, you know he is an absolutely phenomenal trumpet player with a giant sound and pyrotechnic capabilities!
While doing a “YouTube Deep Dive,” I found this duet with New York (by way of Australia) Vocalist, Olivia Chendamo amongst other videos highlighting his stratospheric virtuosity.
I immediately fell in love with this song and transcribed it because it’s unique in that there’s no comping instrument yet we can clearly hear the changes of the song. Olivia swings like crazy too!
Just click on the buttom above to Download the PDF absolutely FREE.
Don’t forget to check out Willie’s website to learn more about his work. He’s also an accomplished vocalist, producer, and composer….
http://www.williemurillo.com/
Here’s Olivia’s website too - check her out!
https://www.oliviachindamo.com/
Hope you enjoy the transcription,
~ Kenyon
*PS - I have really enjoyed transcribing lately and recently completed a few commissioned projects. If you have a project needing transcription service, I would love to help. Just shoot me an email!