Jasia - by Muck & Meyer

About Muck and Meyer: This music features O’Dain (later changed to O’Dean) on vocals and guitar family instruments (1948 Gibson J-45, circa 1930 National brass body resophonic guitar and a nameless electric Hawaiian solid body lap steel guitar) and Rick Van Krugel on vocals and mandolin family instruments (1914 Gibson F-4, 1972 Van Krugel “A” style mandolin, circa 1930 National Steel body resophonic mandolin and Fairbanks Vega Tubaphone banjo mandolin) Muck and Meyer was the name we used at the time we were recording these songs in 1980.

The recordings were made using a very early computer logic controlled high end Dual brand cassette deck made in Germany, on metal tape using a matching pair of Japanese Akai condenser microphones. Decades later I was able to reduce some of the minimal tape hiss and make some balance adjustments using the Steinberg Wavelab mastering program, which made the music enjoyable enough to make into homespun CD albums.

Jasia (the J is pronounced with a Y sound) was the assumed name of O’Dain’s partner at the time, who is of Slovak descent, and the piece was composed in celebration of that heritage. This is the prettiest piece we ever played, featuring the old Gibson J-45 and the Gibson F-4 mandolin.