My portfolio includes scoring, arrangement and composition work for video games, feature film and television. As a musician and producer I have released over forty albums of jazz, folk, electronic, punk and modern classical music. I am currently accepting new commissions.
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Why Chris Schlarb?
The world is full of musicians, composers and producers. The hard part is matching the right person with the project they are best suited for.

Here is a quick example: if you want to approximate an orchestra of instruments with a single keyboard, I am probably not the right one for the job. My best work utilizes any number of unique, real world instruments including tabla, euphonium, mandolin, marimba and upright double bass. I thoroughly enjoy working with real instruments, in real spaces, with real musicians.

If your film, video game or album requires texture and atmospheric depth, unique or unusual live instrumentation, and thoughtful arrangement, I would love to hear from you. For the last decade I have explored the ambient, jazz, folk, electronic and modern classical genres as a member of both the American Composers Forum and ASCAP.

I specialize in taking small and medium sized budgets and turning them into expensive sounding recordings. I operate my own mobile recording studio and engineer most sessions, saving time and cost.

My work can be heard on this site and read about in the New York Times, All About Jazz, Time Out New York, Chicago Reader and Pitchfork.

Record Labels


Asthmatic Kitty


Sounds Are Active
Archives

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Jazz- A Compilation (2001)

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By 2001, I was starting to take Sounds Are Active seriously. We had changed the name (from the awful Mantis Music), started talking with Glen about putting out Soul-Junk and received the first of many logos for the label. I think it may have been Pete Deeble’s idea: assemble some of the most interesting, non-mainstream bands in Long Beach and release a compilation. Each band would get roughly 15 minutes to shine; and they did.

Jazz- A Compilation was an enormous undertaking. A co-release by Sounds Are Active and Pete Records, we pressed thousands of CD’s and vinyl with full colour sleeves. We organized two album release parties (one in Long Beach, of course, and one at the Knitting Factory in L.A.), and found ourselves the subjects of two features articles in the local weeklies and newspapers, both of which dispatched photographers and writers to our doorsteps.

We were also able to secure some legitimate distribution for the first time and, although it was a struggle, we were really starting to feel like we had done something important. Since 2001, Pete Records has shuttered its doors with Pete going on to become a husband, father and full time teacher. I recently bought all of his back stock and I couldn’t help but throw the 12″ on and take a listen. Still important.

Create (!) is:
Orlando Greenhill- upright bass, voice
Danny Levin- euphonium, trombone
Steve Richardson- drums
Chris Schlarb- electric guitar, electronics
Ian Souter- trumpet

Produced and engineered by Chris Schlarb

Mar 19, 2007 | discography, recordings, thoughts