Pianist and Record Producer Patrice Rushen

Summary

All Of It: Episode Summary Featuring Patrice Rushen

Podcast Information:

• Title: All Of It
• Host: Alison Stewart
• Guest: Patrice Rushen
• Release Date: March 28, 2025
• Description: ALL OF IT is a show about culture and its consumers, aiming to engage thinkers, doers, makers, and creators in conversations about the what and why of their work.

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Introduction to Patrice Rushen

The episode opens with host Alison Stewart introducing Patrice Rushen, a multifaceted artist renowned as a pianist, singer, producer, and the first woman to serve as musical director for the Grammys, Emmys, and NAACP Image Awards. Rushen is celebrated for her 1982 hit "Forget Me Nots," which she wrote, arranged, performed, and produced herself. Alison highlights Rushen's classical and jazz roots and her ongoing contributions to music education as a faculty member at Berkeley College of Music and USC. Additionally, Rushen was recently honored with a lifetime achievement award by the National Association of Music Merchants for her role in promoting women in music production.

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Early Experiences in Music Production

[02:41] Patrice Rushen: "What do you remember about the first time you stepped into the studio as a producer?"

Rushen reflects on her initial foray into production, drawing parallels between her experiences as a music education major and leading small bands. She emphasizes the transferable skills she acquired, such as empowering musicians and maintaining focus on the project's goals. Her enthusiasm for creating environments where artists can perform at their best shines through, underscoring her passion for production.

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Evolving Role of the Producer

[03:42] Patrice Rushen: "What do you see as your job when you're the producer?"

Rushen discusses the evolution of the producer's role from managing budgets and logistics to deeply understanding and nurturing the artist's vision. She elaborates on creating optimal environments, selecting suitable studios and musicians, and employing methodologies that elicit the best performances. Her approach prioritizes bringing out the best in artists and fostering collaborative creativity.

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Discovering the Passion for Producing

[04:50] Patrice Rushen: "Had you always been interested in producing or was it something that you discovered in the process of making your own albums?"

Rushen explains that her interest in producing emerged organically from her experience in creating her own albums. She likens producing to band leadership, highlighting the necessity of organization, breaking down large tasks into manageable steps, and empowering team members. This natural progression showcases her inherent leadership and collaborative skills.

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Influence of Early Works and Instrumentation

[06:03] Patrice Rushen: "First of all, what was special about the Rhodes?"

Rushen shares her admiration for the Rhodes keyboard, particularly its unique sound and versatility. She recounts how the instrument allowed her to experiment with electronics while maintaining a connection to traditional piano, enhancing both solo and ensemble performances.

[06:34] Patrice Rushen: "Is there anything about the production of this song or the album overall that comes to your mind that we should listen for in this track?"

Highlighting her 1977 album "Shout Out," Rushen discusses the integration of dance music with jazz improvisation, creating a sound that balances commercial appeal with artistic expression. This fusion is evident in tracks like "The Hump," exemplifying her innovative approach to genre blending.

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Diverse Musical Influences and Training

[08:37] Patrice Rushen: "How was your training useful to you as a performer when you spread out into R and B and other genres?"

Rushen recounts her extensive training in classical music from a young age, which provided a strong technical foundation. Her exposure to diverse genres—jazz, pop, R&B—fostered a versatile approach to music, allowing her to seamlessly transition between styles while maintaining a focus on musical communication and emotional expression.

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Mentorship and Professional Growth

[10:52] Patrice Rushen: "When you started in production, did you have a mentor?"

Acknowledging the pivotal role of mentorship in her career, Rushen credits her high school producer and teacher, Reggie Andrews, as her first mentor. She also mentions influential producers like Quincy Jones and Richard Perry, whose approaches to empowering musicians left a lasting impact on her production philosophy.

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Collaborations and Notable Projects

[14:18] Patrice Rushen: "How did the two of you get connected?"

Rushen details her collaboration with Sheena Easton on the jazz standard album "No Strings," which began with preparing Easton for her role in the film "Indecent Proposal." Despite budget constraints that limited the use of strings, Rushen adapted by expanding the ensemble, resulting in a successful project that highlighted her versatility and creative problem-solving.

[16:27] Patrice Rushen: "What did you bring out in Sheena Easton in that performance?"

Rushen emphasizes the importance of active listening and creating a comfortable environment for artists to fully express themselves. By focusing on the lyrics and emotional nuances, she facilitated Easton's ability to deliver intimate and authentic performances.

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Pioneering Roles as Musical Director

[19:55] Patrice Rushen: "How did you begin working as a musical director?"

Rushen narrates her entry into musical direction through composing the score for "Hollywood Shuffle" and subsequently working on HBO comedy specials. These experiences led to her roles as musical director for prestigious award ceremonies, breaking gender barriers in the industry.

[21:39] Patrice Rushen: "What do you think about those milestones?"

Reflecting on her achievements, Rushen expresses pride in paving the way for future women in music production. She emphasizes the importance of expertise, confidence, and humility in overcoming biases and achieving recognition in a male-dominated field.

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Recognition and Influence

[23:42] Patrice Rushen: "How did you, how did you react when you heard that?"

Rushen shares her excitement upon being acknowledged by Alicia Keys at the Grammys, highlighting the significance of recognition from peers and the impact it has on inspiring others in the industry.

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Continued Performances and Legacy

[24:00] Patrice Rushen: "You are still performing. How can people see you when can People see you."

Promoting her ongoing performances, Rushen directs listeners to her website (www.patricerushen.com) to stay updated on her concert schedule. She shares memorable moments from recent performances, such as witnessing a young girl and her grandmother singing "Forget Me Nots," illustrating the timeless appeal of her music.

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Closing Remarks

The episode concludes with a preview of Rushen's recent video for Roland, showcasing her career and keyboard skills. Host Alison Stewart thanks Patrice Rushen for her time, celebrating her contributions to music and her role as an equalizer for women in music production.

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Notable Quotes:

• [03:47] Patrice Rushen: "The producer's role is to bring the best out of everybody, to get the best performances of these songs."
• [06:03] Patrice Rushen: "The Rhodes sound was so amazing... it could either blend well with other instruments or be a solo instrument as well."
• [10:57] Patrice Rushen: "Production is an offshoot of the music. It has to be that people come together and it has to be that they have a common purpose."
• [21:55] Patrice Rushen: "Being first is overrated because when you're first, sometimes a lot of the biases and concerns that people have can take you off your goal."

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Conclusion

This episode of All Of It offers an in-depth exploration of Patrice Rushen's illustrious career, her impact on music production, and her role in breaking barriers for women in the industry. Through engaging conversation and insightful reflections, listeners gain a comprehensive understanding of Rushen's contributions to music and her enduring legacy.

Transcript

[Tiffany Hansen]

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[Alison Stewart]

Listener Supported WNYC Studios.

[Tiffany Hansen]

This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Tiffany Hansen filling in for Alison Stewart. The next guest in this special Women's History Month episode is a pianist, a singer, a producer, and the first woman to serve as musical director for the Grammys and the Emmys and the NAACP Image Awards. She also made this song.

[Alison Stewart]

Those that's.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Patrice Russian's 1982 hit Forget Me Nots, a song written, arranged, performed and produced by Russian and one of a number of hits she's had on the R B and dance charts. But Russian got her start as a classical and jazz pianist, and in 1993, she put her jazz experience to use as the producer of Sheena Easton's standards album no Strings. In the years since, she's continued to perform and work in the studio and as a faculty member at Berkeley College of Music and usc. She was also recently given a lifetime achievement award by the national association of Music Merchants for our series Women in Music Production. Here's Alison's conversation with Patrisse Rushin.

[Patrice Rushin]

What do you remember about the first time you stepped into the studio as a producer?

[Alison Stewart]

Wow. Well, I, I had had a little bit of experience with it, co producing most of my own records and in doing so much studio work for other people, observing other really fantastic producers in terms of what they, how they would get the best, you know, out of the musicians. So I gathered a lot of information before I actually had an assignment to have to produce a project on my own. But what I learned is that a lot of the things that I took away as a music education major in school and leading bands, little small combos and things like that, a lot of the information was transferable in how you empower others to be able to give you their best and keep the goal in mind for what it is that you want and cast things correctly. And it was always fun for me. I always enjoyed, always enjoyed doing that.

[Patrice Rushin]

What do you see as your job when you're the producer?

[Alison Stewart]

Well, the producer, you know, I think the job has kind of morphed. The word has kind of morphed into a different place than it actually was when, when I started, the producer used to be the person who would all, in addition to handling all of the budgetary consistent considerations, would also be able to get into the head of the artist enough to understand that the idea was to create the environment for them to be at their peak. And that would mean everything from the choice of the studio to the choice of the musicians, to the order and methodology that would be used in order to record the songs. It was a given that the artists were worth documenting and the producers role was to bring the best out of everybody, to get the best performances of these songs. Sometimes you were involved in picking the songs, but I think that the biggest thing was to create that environment for everything to be at its best.

[Patrice Rushin]

Had you always been interested in producing or was it something that you discovered in the process of making your own albums?

[Alison Stewart]

I think it came out of the process of making my own albums. And there were so many, as I said earlier, similarities to being a band leader. You know, in college I would play in small bands. We played for dances and parties and things like that. And putting those kinds of things together, those were some of the same kinds of characteristics that I think really good producers have to be organized and then to be able to take big things, break them down into smaller actionable bites, and empower people to give you the best so that at the end of the day, everything that you needed to have done is done.

[Patrice Rushin]

I'm speaking to singer, pianist, composer and producer Patrisse Rushin for our March Women's History Month series, Women in Music Productions. I wanna play a track from one of your earliest albums that you also produced, shouted out from 1977. Okay, you go on Google, you look it up and there's a picture of you and an ad for a Rhodes keyboard that you played on this track. First of all, what was special about the Rhodes?

[Alison Stewart]

Oh, the sound. That was the thing. And. And when the Rhodes first came out, that was really one of my first hands on opportunities to be able to experiment with electronics. There was a relationship between that and the piano, obviously, because it had keys, but the sound was so amazing. And I was always attracted to how it could either blend well with other instruments or be a solo instrument as well.

[Patrice Rushin]

We're gonna hear the album's intro track, the Hump, before we play it. Is there anything about the production of this song or the album overall that comes to your mind that we should listen for in this track?

[Alison Stewart]

Well, I think this was one of the tracks that I guess was sort of the beginning of the integration of dance music and commercial sensibilities, right alongside aspects of the tradition of jazz, because jazz is the music that has improvisation in it. And you know, you'll hear the solo and, and you'll hear those kinds of aspects included, but also in a way that lends itself into the idea that instrumentals can also be commercially the bible.

[Patrice Rushin]

Let's listen to Patrice Russian.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah, you make it.

[Patrice Rushin]

I'm speaking to singer, songwriter, pianist and producer Patrice Rushin. You trained as a pianist. How was your training useful to you as a performer when you spread out into R and B and other genres? You first started as a jazz pianist, I should say.

[Alison Stewart]

Well, I guess that's the first way that people saw me in a performance context was. Was playing jazz. But long before that I was, you know, I was. I started playing piano when I was five. So the type of music that was used to teach me that was actually music that was classical music. Yeah. And so I was doing that, you know, for quite a long time. But you know, at home I was hearing jazz and I was hearing the pop music of my parents day. And also, you know, as I was growing up as a teen, you know, I was listening to Stevie Wonder and Sly Stone and the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. And I'm hearing all this different kind of music. And I don't separate it in my mind by category, more just from the standpoint of how it makes me feel and what I like. So I guess a long time ago I determined that if I was going to be involved in music, it was going to be trying to be in a situation that would allow me to explore all of these different things because they weren't so different to me. You know, they were different in certain kind of nuance, maybe had a certain different lineage as far as the sociology and the history that brought that music forward. But the idea of music being a communicative art had always been front and center for me because of the reaction that I had to music. So while people saw me in the jazz context probably as a professional initially, it was, you know, a platform that obviously led to me being able to explore some other areas as well. And it, it set of a certain basis for me and for certain kind of credentials, I would say because jazz is so, so much a part of American music. All of, all of, all of the music.

[Patrice Rushin]

When you started in production, did you have a mentor?

[Alison Stewart]

I had several. I had several. My first, my first mentor was my first producer who happened to also have been my high school teacher. No way was Reggie Andrews. And just watching him get the best out of all of us and work Then Reggie shared the co, shared the co production with myself and also Charles Mims Jr. Who was the producer of many of the Elektra albums that I did after I left of Fantasy Prestige and I think also doing studio work and watching other producers like Quincy Jones and at that time Richard Perry. I worked a lot of, I did a lot of sessions with a lot of different people who just in watching the way that they got the most out of the musicians and again I keep using that word, empower people to give you their best, that those were very, very, very big, made big impressions on me in terms of how you treat people. And I think that for me again, production is an offshoot of the music. It has to be that people come together and it has to be that they have a common purpose and the producers identity there is. To help. To keep all of that in mind.

[Patrice Rushin]

Let'S jump ahead to a song from your 1987 album, Watch Out, we're gonna play Breaking all the Rules. Oh no. Why does that make you laugh?

[Alison Stewart]

I guess that's kind of apropos for where we are these days.

[Patrice Rushin]

Let's list.

[Alison Stewart]

Breaking all the rules. Breaking all the rules Something's moving me to turn my life around Excitement sparks my energy there's no holding me down in the tail and that a little is enough and it's tough.

[Tiffany Hansen]

You're listening to Patrisse Russian and Alison Stewart as part of all of its Women's History Month series Equalizers. Women in Music Production. We'll have more with Patrisse after a break, so don't go anywhere. This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Tiffany Hansen filling in for Alison Stewart. Patrisse Rushin joined all of it earlier this month as part of our series Women in Music Production where we spotlight women who work behind the scenes on your favorite songs, in the studio and at the board. Here's more of Allison's conversation with Patrisse Rushin.

[Patrice Rushin]

Patrisse, in the early 90s you worked with Sheena Easton on the jazz standard album no Strings. How did the two of you get connected?

[Alison Stewart]

Well, I had met Sheena years before that. You know, I was a fan of her work that she had done and in the, in the popular music area, you know, she had some big, big hits and amazing, amazing voice. She called me because she had received a call to perform in a movie called Indecent Proposal and the movie was with Robert Redford. It was gonna, and Demi Moore. This was gonna be a big, big picture and she was supposed to Sing a particular song. The nearness of you A beautiful, beautiful standard. And, you know, she asked me if I would work with her to put it together. Just a trio of musicians playing as it was gonna be seen in the film. And so that's what we did. And it was so. It came out so successfully, and she enjoyed the process so much that she said, I'd like to try to do an album of things like this. I've never. I love these songs. I've never done anything like this before. And they went to the record company to talk about. And the record company said, yeah, sounds good if you want to do something like that. But no strings. You can't use any strings because it was expensive. They felt like. Like they didn't. They weren't ready to invest that kind of money in a. In a budget on some music that was not associated necessarily with Sheena, even though she was going to do an amazing job. So what we decided to do said, okay, well, you've been backed by a trio. Let's do backing by a quartet. Let's do quintet, let's do sextet. Let's do ninette. And we'll use no strings.

[Patrice Rushin]

Like, let's check it out. This is the nearness view.

[Alison Stewart]

It'S not the pale moon that excites me that thrills and delights me oh, no it's just the nearness of you it's not your A sweet conversation that brings this sensation oh, no it's just the meaning.

[Patrice Rushin]

Her voice sounds so intimate and in the way she's singing the lyrics. What did you bring out in Sheena Easton in that performance?

[Alison Stewart]

I think the confidence of knowing that the musicians who were playing with her were really listening to her and that the lyrics of the song. Everybody. You know, a lot of people don't think about this, but the lyrics of the song inform how we play. The lyrics of the song inform my touch on the piano, where I decide to play at a particular time or a particular voicing of a chord based upon. In a song, the most important things are the melody and the lyrics. And so I think for her to feel confident that there was this listening that was happening at the whole time allowed her to be able to really, really go into the character that she decided to go into for this song. And on the album, there's different iterations of that, you know, as she would want to change tempos or do something interesting of other songs. You know, we. That was brought to the table. And that may have been an environment where that was. May a Little lif different for her at the time. Then the singer just comes in and the track is there and you just play, you just sing. No, you're part of what is happening in the moment. And mo all. Nearly all of the things were recorded live, meaning that everyone was there at the same time. She sang with us. If she wanted to replace a line or something like that, it was an afterthought on the basis of how she wanted to do something. But being in the moment was a big part of that session for her. And making her comfortable enough to feel that she could do that safely and without feeling inhibited at all, I think, was a big part of the session and again, part of the producer's role at that time, as well as I was the arranger on the project. So I also was able to, for some of the other songs, when we had a different instrumentation, be able to write for those different instruments as well.

[Patrice Rushin]

As I mentioned in your intro, you worked as musical director for the Grammy Awards, the Emmy Awards, the NAACP Image Awards. How did you begin working as a musical director?

[Alison Stewart]

It kind of came out of an experience that I had when I was asked to compose the score for a motion picture called Hollywood Shuffle, which was director Robert Townsend Townsend first big picture. And as a result of the success of. Of that movie, he got five HBO comedy specials. So he called me to ask me, do you know anything about how to do this? And he said, well, I. I'm gonna do like a sort of a comedy slash variety show. I'll have some film clips, I'll have, you know, sketches. I'll have comedians come on and play, and I'll have other musical guests. And I need somebody to help me put that together. Do you know how to do that? So I said, yeah. And there were aspects of it that I was quite familiar with. I mean, well, within my wheelhouse at that time and other things that. That were going to be new. But I knew that I would. I would be able to rise to the occasion. And we had a terrific time. And it was from that show that other shows happened. One of the directors that was helping him with those comedy specials was doing the Emmys. The producer of the Image Awards watched the comedy special and noticed what was happening. And each thing sort of enhanced the idea that I would be able to do these other things. So one job kind of helped the other one.

[Patrice Rushin]

It's interesting because you're the first woman to serve as musical director for each of those ceremonies for the Grammys, at least that was at least since the early 2000s. What do you think about those milestones? What do you think about that milestone?

[Alison Stewart]

Well, there's a part of me that if I had been thinking about that at the time, I may have not even done it. It was pretty major. But the work and the music and the idea of being respected for the work, you know, overrode everything else and the desire to do a great job. You know, as I look back on it now, you know, sometimes I don't receive necessarily the kind of credit for. For some of those milestones. And it's interesting because it's not necessarily that the credit is only. Is for me as much as it is to offer the idea, maybe other young women, that pursuing what they, what they are about and what they do with the idea of the work and the integrity behind. Behind it, the joy of doing it, the love of doing it, that that can also help to create a platform for maybe you to do some things and you might happen to be first. But I also know that sometimes being first is overrated because when you're first, sometimes a lot of the biases and concerns that people have, some of which are completely unnecessary, can take you off your. Off your goal if you're not very, very, very careful. So I think that the way to combat all of that is to know your stuff, be prepared, do everything with a certain confidence and joy and humility. And it worked out.

[Patrice Rushin]

You got your flowers a little bit from Alicia Keys. She gave me a shout out at the Grammys this year when she got her Global Impact Award. Let's listen.

[Alison Stewart]

Female producers have always powered the industry. Patrice Rushin, Missy Elliott.

[Patrice Rushin]

How did you, how did you react when you heard that?

[Alison Stewart]

I was floored because I met Alicia a few times on some television shows where I was music directing and she happened to be a guest. And, you know, I had to interact with her to prepare, help to prepare her for her appearance on a particular show. And of course, I'm a fan of her music and I've really enjoyed, you know, what she. What she does and what she represents. But I had no idea she was paying attention like that. And so I'm. I was flabbergasted, you know, that. That she mentioned me and that she mentioned me first. And obviously it was a big moment. My phone was blowing up with people said, did you hear? You know, which was also fantastic. So it's, it's wonderful to feel like especially someone as gifted and wonderful as her would acknowledge. That's really cool.

[Patrice Rushin]

You are still performing. How can people see you when can People see you.

[Alison Stewart]

Well, they can go to my website. That's the best way to find out when I'm performing. That website is www.patricerushen.com. and there's a calendar there. And you can kind of see all the things that I'm up to and that I'm doing because I do so many different things that sometimes, you know, people don't catch one be doing one thing, they'll catch me doing another. But of late, I've been doing more dates because people want to hear some of the music that, you know, you've just played. They want to hear me do that. I've been kind of responding to that a bit and doing some, some concerts, and I'm enjoying doing it very much. You know, it's nice. I, I did some dates in Europe last summer, and one of the, on one of the dates, it was a, it was a big festival and I looked out into the audience and I saw a little girl, 7 years old, and she was obviously with her grandmother who probably was 70 plus, and they're singing the same songs. And that blew me away that they're singing Forget Me Nots and all of these songs, you know, it was fantastic.

[Patrice Rushin]

I have been speaking with Patrisse Rushin for our March Women's History Month series, Equalizers Women in Music Production. It is so nice to speak with you, Patrice.

[Alison Stewart]

Thank you so much, Alison. This has been a blast and a continued success.

[Patrice Rushin]

Patrisse did a video for Roland recently where we see her talking about her career and playing keyboard. Let's go out on it.

[Tiffany Hansen]

That was Allison's conversation with Patrice Rushin for our series Equalizers Women in Music Production. Coming up, more conversations with women who work behind the scenes in the music industry. That's coming up right after the news. This is all of it. Stay with us.

[Alison Stewart]

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[Tiffany Hansen]

We interrupt this program to bring you.

[Alison Stewart]

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[Tiffany Hansen]

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[Alison Stewart]

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