Notes on 'Submersion': Studio Playback of the Tenor Sax Solo
- Walter Davis
- 4 days ago
- 1 min read
Here’s a moment from the Submersion sessions in Los Angeles. We’d just finished tracking the sax solo and hit playback in the control room. You can see my engineer locking into the groove as the horn opens up.
For this solo I was going for the emotion and the energy more than anything technical. I wanted the horn to feel like a voice—leaning into the intensity of the groove, then pulling back into space when it needed to breathe.
The track lives in that space between late‑night calm and a slow burn. The harmony leans into my love of retro jazz and R&B, but the phrasing is all about storytelling—letting ideas unfold, not rushing to fill every bar.
There’s a moment near the end of the solo where the line climbs and then hangs in the air for a second longer than you expect. That’s one of my favorite spots. It feels like coming up for air, which is a big part of why this piece is called Submersion.
Thanks for listening and for stepping into the studio with me for this playback.
Listen to the full track “Submersion” on Spotify here →https://open.spotify.com/artist/580AkLSAltqPK8S0HUNT9E?si=dbd273ac2f9e49c9
Purchase/Download 'Submersion'
Website: https://www.walterdavissax.com
Reach out: email info@walterdavissax.com
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