An inside look at how Chisholm, Gordon spin tracks in studio

This story was excerpted from Christina De Nicola’s Marlins Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Sandwiched between a souvenir shop and a club in the heart of Times Square is a nondescript door serving as a portal into music history.

Through the lobby and up the elevator to the 10th floor, records line the walls of Quad Recording Studios to commemorate the sales of iconic albums -- from Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida or “Death and All His Friends” to Lil’ Wayne’s “Tha Carter III.”

During a June off-day on the baseball calendar, Marlins teammates and aspiring musicians Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Nick Gordon utilized the space for their own recording session. Chisholm and Gordon, who played baseball against each other as teenagers, have been friends for just as long. But it wasn’t until a year and a half ago that the pair worked on a song called, “Paris.”

“We’ve always really talked about it,” Gordon said. “He's kind of really just started to get more into wanting to record and wanting to do those things. That's all on him. I have been into it. I've been making music, and I've been recording, and it's been a part of me.”

While Gordon was dabbling with the software application Logic Pro as far back as seventh grade, Chisholm performed with the church choir growing up. Their music taste ranges from Lil’ Wayne to Adele.

When the Marlins acquired Gordon on Feb. 11, distance no longer stood in the way of them collaborating more often. Though they don’t have much time to record during the season, they have been known to take advantage of hotel bathroom acoustics or Chisholm’s home studio.

“He was just like, ‘Brother, just hop on the song with me,’” said Chisholm, who estimates the duo has recorded 200 songs together. “'Watch, bro. I'm going to make us great. I'm going to help you out, and it's going to be like this.'”

Neither Chisholm nor Gordon studied music in school, but they have learned from family and friends both in and out of the industry.

Every morning Gordon’s dad, former big leaguer Tom Gordon, woke him up, it was for his own good. If he wanted to be the best, he had to put in the work. That goes for the baseball diamond and the studio.

“I had to practice,” Gordon said. “I had to study. I had to do all the things that my dad was telling me I needed to do to be a better baseball player.”

Gordon credits Julio Fernandez, who goes by the stage name July Da Producer, for teaching him how to rap on tempo and know the tempo of the beats. It was Fernandez’s track that Chisholm and Gordon brought to the studio.

From the moment Chisholm and Gordon step foot in Q4 on the 12th floor for an hour-long session, it’s clear Gordon means business.

Chisholm hops into the booth and sits on a stool in front of the microphone. Gordon parks himself in the control room beside the engineer, observing the mixing board. Gordon has been using Pro Tools software for years, and he likes being hands-on.

Heads bop as the Top 40-sounding beat begins. Gordon and Chisholm type away lyrics on the notes app of their phones before sharing what they’ve come up with. Usually, they write stuff on the spot or freestyle. Gordon aims for authenticity in his sound, using the music to talk through life experiences.

In a few instances, Gordon recites lines for Chisholm to try out. After doing so, Chisholm asks how he sounds.

“Good. I wouldn’t lie to you.”

During another section of the song, Gordon joins Chisholm in the booth. He reads him some lyrics and races back to the computer.

“That’s close, but you can do better.”
“When you say it, like say it.”

In a tricky sequence where Chisholm tries to hit a high note, Gordon, who is snacking on Cheetos while listening to playback, challenges him to aim even higher.

“Smoother, smoother.”

“That's how we work, that's how we are as brothers,” Chisholm said. “We're always going to keep it honest with each other for sure. If I sound bad, he's going to be like, ‘No, brother, you might want to try and do that again.’ Or if the voice doesn't go with the beat or something, he's going to be like, ‘You want to try doing it this way instead of that way. I feel like this way is going to sound a little bit better,’ and then you can keep going off of that.”

Before Opening Day, Chisholm and Gordon released a song -- “Upset Your Maker” -- on SoundCloud under Nick & Jazz by Festine, their lifestyle brand. Both used snippets of it as their walk-up songs. It pumped up Chisholm, who says music puts him in a happy place to do one of the toughest things in sports: hit a baseball.

The positive response also encouraged the duo. They now have plans to release an album -- though not until at least the offseason.

“It feels great,” Chisholm said. “It's like people just saying, ‘Hey, I'm going out to the park just to watch you.’”

So, is this a hobby? A post-playing career?

“Once I'm finished playing baseball, I'm probably going to do everything,” Gordon said. “I just have a mind that wanders. I have a mind that loves to create, so I know for sure I'll probably be creating something or just helping others try to get to those same goals.”

Added Chisholm: “I feel like we want to own the label. I don't think we ever want to be the guys that like being told what to do, because we're not good at that.”