In the moment is Tom's third instrumental project and features a who's who list of famous guest artists and musicians. Drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, Bassist Nathan East, keyboardist Michael Omartian, and vocalists Bill Champlin, Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Christopher Cross, American Idol's Mandisa and Melinda Doolittle, all lend a hand to this outing. Some thoughts from Tom on the songs of "In the Moment": HERE & THERE.... Long before I first started recording this project my ear has always bent toward the "out of the norm" interesting sounding music. It may be a different harmonic progression, an odd meter, an unusual melody or a different arrangement or sequence of notes in a solo that grab my ear. HERE & THERE is a composition in which I tried to incorporate all those different elements. It starts with this mysterious sounding synth that melts into a bed of odd metered percussion, 11/8 & 9/8 every other bar, which sets the stride for the quirky counterpoint action in the melodies between the guitar and the bass. I felt that this composition was the defining musical mood of the project, so that's why it's the opener.  IN THE MOMENT.... What can I say other than it's a whacky little musical Odyssey between myself and Vinnie Colaiuta..... Short, sassy, and to the point! SEVENTH HEAVEN.... Once again, my fascination for "out of the norm' led me to compose this 7/8 metered tune. I grew up playing finger style guitar and I've always loved the tone and texture of the nylon string guitar, so this latin groove oriented feel was the perfect backdrop to feature my affection for the instrument.  SUB AQUA.... I have long been a fan of Scott Henderson's instrumental compositions as well as his guitar playing. I had played this song live for a few years and just couldn't resist recording it for this project. Once again it found it to be one of those compositions that struck a nerve in me because of it's fascinating chord progressions, intriguing melody, and celebratory groove.  GERALDINE.... This may be one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have ever heard. This composition by Russell Ferrante' went way beyond something that "grabbed my ear". This is a piece of music that grabbed my heart the first time that I heard it. When I decided to record this song I loved the idea of the haunting sound of a harmonica carrying the melody over a mellow bed of strings, piano and nylon string guitar.  KRUZZIN'.... when I wrote this one I envisioned myself in a convertible driving up a California costal highway on a warm sunny day with a cold milkshake in one hand and the world's problems in a rearview mirror....... SCHEMES & DREAMS.... I first heard this recording on a CD by my dear friend Pat Coil who composed this with keyboardist Lyle Mays. I love this song! This is a world class composition, and I was honored to have world class musicians Pat Coil, Nathan East, and Vinnie Colaiuta taking this tune to the highest level of musicianship.  MAN THAT'S CRAZY.... When I wrote this funky little tune I wasn't sure what to title it. So, when I played this tune for different people there was always a common response that ultimately became the the working title.... "Man, that's crazy!" THE NECESSARY BLONDE.... This is a magnificent composition by Gary Willis. I have been playing this one live for quite some time. It has a brilliant melody over some of the most sophisticated chords and progressions.  This is not one for the faint of heart to perform.  It can definitely be a challenge for us meager minded guitarists who are attempting to explore and comprehend it's introspective complexities. I love playing this tune because it keeps you on your toes and keeps your blood pumping!  THE OTHER SIDE OF FRIDAY.... I wanted to round out this project with something with a blues/rock edge to it. I've always enjoyed playing slide guitar from time to time, so this is the result of my quest. Also, I'm honored to have my dear friend Mark Douthit , ,who is one of the best sax players of our time, to put the icing on the cake.  THIRD WORLD MAN.... I've always been a Steely Dan fan. I was just playing around with this tune one day when a magical thing started to come together on guitar with some harmonics. I quickly realized that I was maybe on to something, so I began recording....  TWISTED TRAFFIC.... This was one of the first tunes that I wrote for this project. I programmed and played this one from the ground up. I was determined to make any song that I programmed have a convincingly "live feel". So, after I played this one for a few drummer friend's of mine and then they asked "who played the drums on the tune" I was able to say ... "mission accomplished"  GOODBYE FOR KATHY..... I've been a long time fan of Dave Grusin. So, when I heard this tune on his "Cinemagic" project I instantly heard in my head a guitar playing this beautiful melody.  CAN I COUNT ON YOU ...  I wanted this project to be more than just another collection of songs to come and go in vain. It became my wish to do something to make a difference in the world. So, to help raise awareness for the less fortunate and homeless through HABITAT FOR HUMANITY I thought of this particular song. The first time that I heard this great song was back in the 80's on a Robbie Nevil CD.  It possessed an infectious groove and fiery energy that immediately caught my attention. It was sometime later that the lyrics of the song struck me as having a broader based message when viewed in the light of human struggle. So, when I decided to record this tune my dear friend and legendary producer, Michael Omartian, helped me round up an all-star cast of artists to participate in the recording.   So, thanks to MICHAEL OMARTIAN, VINCE GILL, AMY GRANT, BILL CHAMPLIN, MANDISA, MELINDA DOOLITTLE, CHRISTOPHER CROSS, and RON HEMBY for they're participation and contribution in the recording of  CAN I COUNT ON YOU.  There are many misfortunate people in the world that deserve to have a roof over their heads. So, CAN I COUNT ON YOU to help? I encourage you to donate of your time or financial resources to HABITAT FOR HUMANITY.