"Anyone can make a record; doesn't mean it's going to be good but the possibility to do so is there," laughed multi-instrumentalist and horn player Jeff Oster as he and fellow FLOW band mate Will Ackerman discussed their latest release.
"I've been recording with Will since '03," continued Oster. "He has done three of my albums in his studio and I'm his Flugel Horn guy if needed. Three years ago I was asked to put a band together and I thought we'll have Will produce it; so I asked him and he became part of the group. The whole thing was and is quite organic as everyone brings their own stuff and we just build the music from there with each of us adding parts."
Ackerman, a Grammy Award winning producer and founder of Windham Hill Records still shakes his head a bit when he recounts how things all came about; especially since he thought that he was out of the music business years ago. "I was with another company and I had signed a three year non-compete agreement; essentially I thought I was done. I wasn't producing music and I withdrew from the industry because the bureaucracy bothered me. I was doing some things here and there and then I was back into it and then Jeff, Fiona (Vocalist/Pianist Joy) and Lawrence (Guitarist Blatt) asked me to produce an album and play guitar on it. I had worked with all of them individually and they wanted to bring me into the band. This was threatening at first because I had to exhibit the same faith and trust in trust in them and another producer that they had in me and at age 68 doing that and learning songs was like a brand new experience. The nice thing about it though is that it's like a grown up's sandbox; we just start playing and throw ideas around (Laughs)."
Now that Ackerman was part of the group, they utilized the services of his co-producer Tom Eaton to aide in the process. "Tom Eaton has great focus and doesn't like to add a lot of overdubs," explained Oster. "He said, "The four of you have sonic identity" and that meant a lot to me because as a horn player tone is my thing, I like warm sounds and dynamics."
Given this great new line up and a self titled record; they were presented with the opportunity to perform at the famed Carnegie Hall. "That gig presented somewhat of a challenge," laughed Oster. "We had only played together three times so it took work on our parts to put this together for a live show. So for now, we're trying to build a live performance around this and see where we go from there."
Ackerman has won a Grammy and been nominated for multiple others and his and Eaton's production work has garnered 24 ZMR Awards from various projects; with much fanfare for his home recording studio in Vermont. "Being here, I'm generally staying close to what I know," says Ackerman. "I've got this Steinway piano in my studio and I get this great piano sound. I get clients from all over the world who come to my studio for the piano sound. They've come from Malaysia, Japan, South Africa, Germany and all over and I only do about 10 projects a year. My studio musicians are some of the best around, Jeff, Tony Levin, Steve Holley, Russell Tubbs, Eugene Friesen; these guys are quality players and with Tom Eaton as a producer it works. The thing is, ego has totally left the equation now. When an artist or someone comes to me and wants to use our services, we offer a unique environment. We gain their trust and loyalty in that order and throughout the process I state my opinion but the decision is totally theirs. I've been involved with something like 27 to 30 platinum records here at Windham so I must've done something right (laughs). The most rewarding thing though is when people leave here and say that their wildest dreams are small compared to what actually happened while here."
Oster says that his solo music can probably best be described as, "Miles Davis meets Pink Floyd," but he has a long storied career and even has a Jersey connection as well. "I have six solo records that are rather melodic," he stated with a slight laugh. "I have a couple of different viewpoints on music and music today. I'll sit in my house with "Garage Band,"cobble together a few things then ride around, listen to it and come up with some organic line then take a loop to my guys and start letting each one put in their own parts; I think it makes it less sterile that way. I use very few click tracks as I'm more old school than most. I was in New Jersey not too long ago, I recorded at Jankland Studio near the shore area and used Nile Rodgers and Bernard Purdie, those guys are fantastic! I think Bernard did it in one take and it was perfect (Laughs)."
With so many irons in the fire, it seems that the band with the acronym name (FLOW stands for Fiona, Lawrence, Oster, Will) may not be coming to a town near you but they've not ruled out a west coast tour or the occasional one off type gig. They have however, stated no plans for a second disc. "This band doesn't sting to play with," said Ackerman. "The vibe is very positive but as far as a second record goes; it has not even been discussed. My home and the outlying studio are on a farm here in Vermont. I own 282 acres with turkeys, ducks, chickens and it keeps me pretty busy. These days I seem to have a chainsaw in my hand more than a guitar and the sound of reverb has been replaced by the sound of tractors but hey, I'll never say never."
Oster echoes those sentiments, "I do my own thing. I have another album coming out at the end of 2018 and I used musicians from around here where I live in the Bay Area. I'd like to tour Europe a bit more as the audiences are more receptive over there. FLOW? I'm not sure because as individuals we are always writing and yet we are so spread out. We've not talked about a follow up record but we certainly haven't ruled it out."
To discover more about the new age band that is FLOW, please go to www.flowthegroup.com.
That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
Join us for McCarter at the Museum - renowned performing artists in one-night only events at the Princeton University Art Museum.
Jason Robert Brown is a four-time Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist of The Last Five Years, Parade, Songs for a New World, 13, The Bridges of Madison County, Honeymoon In Vegas and The Connector, has performed as a soloist or with his band in venues around the world, including sold-out shows at the London Palladium and Carnegie Hall. His albums as a singer-songwriter include Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes and How We React and How We Recover on Ghostlight, and Coming From Inside the House and Live In Concert with Stephen Sondheim on Concord.
With Special Guest Tony nominee Betsy Wolfe. Tony Award-nominated actress Betsy Wolfe is currently starring as Audrey in the acclaimed Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, following her recent Broadway run as Madeline Ashton in the hit musical Death Becomes Her. She previously originated the title role in Joy, the new musical inspired by inventor Joy Mangano, and earned a 2023 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her celebrated performance as Anne Hathaway in & Juliet. Other Broadway credits include starring as Jenna in Waitress, Cordelia in the acclaimed revival of Falsettos, Bullets Over Broadway, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Everyday Rapture, and 110 in the Shade, as well as her critically acclaimed performance as Cathy in the Off-Broadway revival of The Last Five Years. Wolfe made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Die Fledermaus and has appeared as a guest artist with more than 65 symphony, pops, and philharmonic orchestras worldwide, including the New York Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra, with performances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Her screen credits include First One In, Estella Scrooge, CBS’s Instinct, and the film adaptation of The Last Five Years. Wolfe is also the co-founder of BroadwayEvolved, the acclaimed musical theatre training program she launched in 2018 to train and mentor the next generation of theatre artists.
A limited number of early access tickets for McCarter Director’s Circle members and members of the Museum’s Partner Circle are available, on sale Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM. General public on sale begins Friday, September 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM.
Please be aware there is no public drop-off or parking at the Museum. For visitors with mobility needs, please contact the Museum at least three business days in advance of your visit to request special access to the Museum via Elm Drive. Call 609-258-3788 and select option 1 to speak to a visitor services staff member, or email Louise Barrett at [email protected].
