AIRSHOW MASTERS SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK'S THE WOMEN GATHER; HONORS 15-YEAR COLLABORATION AND GROUPS 30TH ANIVERSARY
February 18, 2003 – Boulder, CO – Airshow Mastering recently completed The Women Gather, the studio's 13th project with the acclaimed a capella folk group, Sweet Honey in the Rock. Charlie Pilzer, Airshow's engineer in the Springfield, VA studio, worked with the group's founder, Bernice Johnson Reagon, to ready the project for release on Earthbeat! Records. Airshow's relationship with Sweet Honey in the Rock began 15 years ago, in 1988, when David Glasser, Airshow's founder, recorded their GRAMMY™-nominated Live at Carnegie Hall recording.

"It's wonderful to work with artists who are masters of their craft. Each member contributes: they're composers, arrangers and performers. The technical challenge is to retain on the CD the subtle blend of their voices, the wide dynamic range and the emotional power of the performance," says Pilzer. "We've worked on their children's projects, concert and studio recordings, and recently a ballet soundtrack, reports Pilzer. "A memorable project was Dr. Reagon's production of the soundtrack for the PBS series, Africans in America. Of the nearly 60 tunes, 37 were either composed or arranged by Dr. Reagon." The 1998 3-disc set was released on Rykodisc.

Bernice Johnson Reagon commented, "It's been a joy to have the talent and dedication of Charlie Pilzer as a partner in the production of my projects. Airshow has been an essential part of documenting and sharing Sweet Honey's music. May the songs and the singing continue.".

Says Glasser, "We feel very fortunate to work with the group regularly over the past 15 years. Year in and year out, they keep their message of social justice clear and compelling. We wish them the very best on their 30th anniversary, and hope to celebrate many more years of creative collaboration."

In addition to mastering hundreds of contemporary and traditional folk and acoustic recordings, Airshow Mastering has worked on some of the epochal restoration projects of recent years. Among them are the Grammy™-winning reissue of Harry Smith's seminal Anthology of American Folk Music (Smithsonian Folkways) and the current Grammy™ nominee, Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues: the Worlds of Charley Patton (Revenant Records). The company operates studios in Springfield, Virginia, as well as Boulder. For more information on Airshow Mastering call Ann Blonston at 1-888-545-9035 or visit their Web site at www.airshowmastering.com.

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Press Contact:
Ann Blonston, Airshow Mastering (303) 247-9035