AIR featuring Googie

Our first year of almost daily rehearsals began in Great Neck, Long Island, at the home of drummer, Mark Rosengarden, whose dad, Bobby (who later played on our first album), was then leader of the Tonight Show Band. We began to create what we thought were "mini-epics." Satellite band members included Rick Derringer (Steely Dan, Johnny Winter) and Robbie Kogel (Todd Rundgren). There were lawn parties at nearby places on the North Shore. We would test out our repertoire. We changed our rehearsal space to a loft near New York's Fillmore East, and later to a place in Soho, after we became the touring band for Herbie Mann. We recorded some early tracks at the old Atlantic Studios on 60th Street. The engineer was Gene Paul, nephew of the late Les Paul. We augmented the band with trumpeter Randy Brecker; saxophonist, Mike Brecker; and trombonist, Barry Rogers. we are most often compared to Soft Machine or early Genesis. Our greatest asset has always been Googie's uniquely beautiful voice.