We’re deeply saddened by the news that our beloved Adjunct Associate Professor Henry Gaffney passed away yesterday (May 23rd).

Henry began his career in music as a solo recording artist, releasing albums on both RCA  (“Waiting For A Wind”), and United Artists Records (“On Again Off Again”).  He was a staff writer for Koppleman / Bandier (EMI) for 9 years. His songs have been recorded by artist from all over the world, including: Roberta Flack, Judy Collins, The Four Tops, Jennifer Warnes, Tanya Tucker, Stephanie Mills, Glen Campbell, The Pointer Sisters, Nana Mouskouri, Chris Thompson, Peaches & Herb, Faye Wong and Camillo Sesto among dozens of others. He wrote numerous songs for the Emmy winning Television series “Fame”, in addition to other TV features and in 1987 composed, arranged and produced the original score to “Sidewalk Stories, winner of the Prix Du Public at the Cannes Film Festival.

Henry taught our required freshman core Songwriting course – “Writing the Hit Song” – for many years consecutively. With his trademark mix of folksy charm and razor-sharp intellect, Henry played an instrumental role on The Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music’s faculty, bringing plenty of enthusiasm and vibrant ideas to the table. Above and beyond all else, we’ll remember Henry as a warm and generous human being.

We extend our deepest sympathy to Henry’s family and friends and we are keeping them in our thoughts and prayers at this time.

“MAKING IT IN THE MUSIC BIZ WITH KEVIN LILES”

Entrepreneur and philanthropist and KEVIN LILES – the storied former Executive Vice President of The Island Def Jam Music Group and The Warner Music Group – will offer a three-week masterclass entitled “Making It in the Music Biz.” He’ll teach the course alongside Recorded Music Chair Jeff Rabhan, the multiplatinum music manager for artists like Kelly Rowland, Kelly Clarkson and Jermaine Dupri. Liles will draw from lessons relayed in his popular how-to book Make It Happen: The Hip-Hop Generation Guide to Success, giving students the inside track on how to turn their music business fantasies into reality and providing hands-on workshopping of student music demos and business plans.

The Clive Davis Department also offers an official INTERNSHIP CLASS during the summer – one smart way to get in the door at major record labels and recording studios among other potential places of employment.

“MUSIC PHOTOGRAPHY MASTERCLASS WITH MICK ROCK”

The visual genius behind the landmark iconic images of Bowie, Queen, T-Rex and Lady Gaga among others, MICK ROCK will join NYU’s faculty to offer sage advice in this summer’s “Music Photography Masterclass.” Teaming up with former Geffen Records creative director Joe Mama-Nitzberg, Rock will reveal his unique artistic process and will work directly with students to help shape their photographic vision. Students who enroll in the class will get the added benefit of studying music fashion history and they’ll also get the extraordinary opportunity to observe on a Mick Rock photography session as well.

“DJ-ING, PRODUCTION, MIXING AND REMIXING MASTERCLASSES”

NYC music maven DJ REKHA, one of the key figures behind the South Asian dance music scene, will team up with 2009 DMC World DJ Champion DJ SHIFTEE. Together they’ll offer “DJ History, Culture and Technique,” a masterclass that provides DJ history, entrepreneurial training and technique for aspiring turntable fiends, regardless of skill level. The course is taught both at New York University and at state of the art DUBSPOT DJ facilities just blocks away.

Journeyman remixer/producer MOCEAN WORKER will offer “The Art and Business of the Remix” for those interested in the finer points of cutting and mixing. Abd Grammy-award winning studio wizards KEVIN KILLEN (U2, Peter Gabriel, Elvis Costello), and BOB POWER (D’Angelo, Common, Erykah Badu) will be on hand to offer masterclasses in mixing and production, respectively.

HOW TO REGISTER

It’s so EASY!

ENROLL NOW IN A SUMMER COURSE BY CLICKING HERE

FOR THE FULL SCHEDULE OF OUR SUMMER COURSES: CLICK HERE

Classes for the first summer session begin May 17, 2010 and spots are already filling up quickly. Act now.

You can also call 212.992.8400 for more information.

See ‘ya in class.

Stay tuned to find out info about our upcoming summer masterclasses, and other good things that we’re up to.

The Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music at Tisch School of the Arts, New York University is proud to be hosting a special discussion event with Grammy-winning Columbia Records artist, producer, songwriter and entrepreneur Raphael Saadiq
as the final event in our Motown U record label series.

Oakland’s Raphael Saadiq emerged in the 1980s as the front man for platinum selling r&b group Tony! Toni! Tone! before becoming one of the chief architects of today’s modern soul. He’s written and produced some of the seminal records of the last 20 years for artists like D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Q-Tip, Snoop Dogg, Macy Gray, TLC, the Roots, Joi, Mary J. Blige, Angie Stone, Bilal, Ginuwine, Kelis and many others.

A record label founder (and more recently a video game entrepreneur), Saadiq also fronted Grammy-nominated supergroup Lucy Pearl in the early 2000s, and his solo albums have included Instant Vintage, which earned five Grammy nominations in 2003, and 2004’s Ray-Ray.

His 2008 three-time Grammy nominated Motown-inspired album The Way I See It, featuring Stevie Wonder, Joss Stone and Jay-Z, is his most successful project to date. Entertainment Weekly’s A-grade review of The Way I See It says: ‘Backed by a 
 galvanizing ensemble of musicians that would make the Funk Brothers proud, Saadiq belts out effervescent love songs with infectious vigor.’

In this rare onstage conversation, Saadiq talks about his rich array of musical influences, his musicianship and his unique approach to producing and writing records that matter.

This is a FREE event but RSVP is required. Seats are limited, first-come first-served. No one will be admitted without a reservation. Because of the limited number of seats, there are no plus ones for this event; only unique RSVPs will be honored.
Unclaimed RSVPs will be reclaimed fifteen minutes prior to the start of the event. Please arrive early.

MAKING AN RSVP DOES NOT GUARANTEE ADMISSION. State or University issued i.d. is required for admittance.

CLICK HERE to MAKE AN RSVP.

There is no filming or photography of any sort allowed in the venue; failure to comply may mean removal from the venue.

Motown U Series curated by Clive Davis Department Artistic Director Jason King

The Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music at Tisch School of the Arts and music and technology networking organization Sound CTRL, in conjunction with event sponsors Billboard and Pepsi, are happy to co-present a special evening with music industry legend Clive Davis, commemorating Arista Records’ 35th Anniversary.

Through Arista Records, Clive Davis launched or helped catapult the careers of world renowned artists, including Whitney Houston, Barry Manilow, Patti Smith, Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Babyface, and Sean “Puffy” Combs.

Jason King, Artistic Director of NYU’s The Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music, says: “I wanted to reach out to Mr. Davis to come in and talk directly to students about his success in this anniversary year. While music executives come and go, Clive Davis has made a profound, lasting impact on the industry. He’s a continual inspiration to our students.”

After more than four decades in the music industry Davis, who now serves as Chief Creative Officer at Sony Music Entertainment and helmed the recent Whitney Houston comeback album I Look to You, has remained at the top of his game. He is one of only a few music executives who are able to successfully keep up with the changing pace of this industry and consistently create hit artists and hit songs for a turbulent marketplace.

Bill Werde, editor and chief of Billboard magazine, will be interviewing Davis exclusively about his passion for music and why he has chosen to speak at this event.

“In order to create a successful and innovative future in music we need to fully understand the past. We are delighted to be able to present Clive Davis, one of the most successful music men in the history of the recorded music business. This promises to be one of music’s most remembered conversations for the SoundCtrl community” Jesse Kirshbaum, SoundCtrl co-founder.

This private event is only open to NYU students, faculty and staff and Sound CTRL invited guests.

Alicia’s performance opened with a particularly appropriate rendition of “Empire State of MInd” from Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 3 album: it got the entire audience on its feet.

Hundreds of NYU students were given free tickets to attend the grand event.

Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music students got the special opportunity to sit right up front in the orchestra pit seats, where they were only an arms length away from the superstar as she did a Q&A with MTV host Sway, and then performed some her classic hits with a full band and debuted new material from her forthcoming album also titled The Element of Freedom, set to be released on December 1st.

We created some unique opportunities for our students to get involved with this event.

During the Q&A, Clive Davis Department students were specially selected to Alicia questions.

In addition, NYU students enrolled in Adjunct Professor Kobi Wu-Pasmore’s Curating Live Music Events course were given the special opportunity to observe and assist the production and design team for rehearsals and sound check for this event.

Lucky students!

It was a tremendous success, but don’t take our word for it. Here’s the MTV roundup of the event. Here’s Billboard’s article. New York Magazine. And Parlour Magazine. and Newsday.

(All photos on this page were taken by Adjunct Professor Jonathan Fine of Finegold Music).

The Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music at Tisch School of the Arts, NYU is proud to co-present with Sony Music Entertainment an exciting lecture and performance event with Alicia Keys this October.

Alicia Keys is releasing her 4th studio album, The Element of Freedom, in December. With her new single “Doesn’t Mean Anything” currently exploding at radio, Alicia Keys will take part in a 3-city, college lecture and performance series leading
into the album’s release.  For the inaugural event of the series, Alicia Keys will be giving a private performance to NYU with her band, debuting songs from her forthcoming album, singing some of her hits and participating in a moderated discussion.

The topic of the event is “Inspiration: What Inspires You and Why?”

This week the 127th Audio Engineering Society Convention New York gets underway at New York’s Javitz Center.

“For over 60 years, the AES has been the largest gathering of audio professionals and enthusiasts on the globe, attracting delegates from over 100 countries worldwide.

Workshops, tutorials, technical papers and the trade show floor provide attendees with a wealth of learning, networking and business opportunities.”

Clive Davis Department Professor Jim Anderson serves as the President of AES. And many of our talented faculty and staff including but not limited to Nick Sansano, Jason King, Noah Simon, Michael McCoy will be taking part in this year’s convention events.

Not to mention our students: on for this Friday at 5 pm event, Professor Nick Sansano leads a panel of Recorded Music alums like Jesse Lauter and Carter Matschullat alongside famed producers Bob Power (also a Recorded Music professor), Mark Ronson, Tony Visconti and Jeff Silverman. The event is called “Producing Across Generations: New Challenges, New Solutions – Making Records for Next to Nothing in the 21st Century.”

We’re super happy this October to be hosting Grammy-nominated musician, songwriter and creative entrepreneur Pete Wentz for our Music Entrepreneurship Series.

Illinois-born Pete Wentz serves as bassist, lyricist and co-founder of the phenomenally successive pop-punk band Fall out Boy. Fall Out Boy’s five studio albums, distributed on indie label Fueled by Ramen and major label Island Records, have generated over 12 million in worldwide sales and a string of chart hits.

Beyond his musical contributions, Pete Wentz has excelled as a creative entrepreneur. His imprint label Decaydance Records (Atlantic Records) has signed major pop acts like Gym Class Heroes, Cobra Starship, and Panic! At the Disco. His merchandising compan Clandestine Industries has delivered books, fashion and branding partnerships. Pete’s been involved in music video direction and has a film company, Bartskfull Films; his nightclub Angels & Kings has been enormously popular; he opened an art gallery; and he’s working on a comic book mini-series.

Pete will be doing a conversation event as part of our series; the event is only open to enrolled Recorded Music students.