Big City (Dedicated to Nelson Hatt) After years of working in big cities such as Los Angeles, London, Tokyo, Singapore, Bangkok, and Hyderabad (to name a few), it seemed inevitable that a musical metaphor would eventually present itself, and it did in a big way in “Big City.” Though all the cities I have experienced added to the ultimate personality and flavor of the piece, New York was certainly the main catalyst and inspiration. Since I had grown up near New York, and studied there in my teens and early 20’s, it served as an icon of a place where big things happened, a “dream machine” filled with energy and opportunity, where the highest forms of creativity, talent, and innovation could be experienced everywhere. It was also the place that helped turn on the “jazz gene” in me, which has since served as the underlying foundation of my musical personality as a concert composer, songwriter, and musician as well. Its aesthetic and attitude helped give me a very clear direction, not only in my musical life, but also my personal life; to be adventurous, fearless, and be willing to take chances for the right reasons. Electric bassist, Alphonso Johnson, created a perfect counterpoint dialog to the sequenced bass part on “Big City,” both parts, in tandem, serving as the rhythmic engine and “funk” foundation of the piece, which was delivered with precision and soul. Alto saxophonist, Bob Sheppard’s exciting “stream of consciousness,” is undeniably evident in his stunning solos on “Big City.” His effortless blend of hardcore “bebop” with a very contemporary improvisational style is proof of his unrivaled virtuosity, versatility, and musicality. Wayne Bergeron’s trumpet solo on “Big City” rides the line of “super-human.” There are few trumpet players who could execute that solo with the power, accuracy, and far-reaching range for which he is known. Lastly, are the exciting performances of tabla maestro, Jagannath Singh of New Delhi, India. As a result of my nearly ten years of humanitarian work in India, the sound of the tabla, the manner in which it is played, the discipline involved in being able to play it well, and the guru-disciple relationship, had intrigued and inspired me. I was especially impressed by the fact that tabla players are also required to sing every beat they play with the same accuracy and spiritual intent, and I was captivated by the sound of it. So, in addition to my intention to add tabla to “Big City,” it was my strong desire to have the tabla player sing a vocal solo in the traditional style, since this composition seemed to lend itself perfectly. I was fortunate to have befriended producer, engineer, and software designer Sumit Kumar of Crypto Cipher Audio Lab in New Delhi, India, and he kindly helped me to realize my wish in ways that far exceeded my expectations. To both Sumit and Jagannath Singh, and all the musicians, I am sincerely grateful for your contribution. In Autumn (Dedicated to Sofia Samat) Autumn...the season when my heart is most tender, melancholy, and sentimental. It is the season that paints in me its late afternoon colors, the beauty in the sadness of the passing of time, the chill of its emptiness, and the twilight blues of regret hiding in the early evening shadows. It is a time of contemplation and self-reflection when I allow myself moments of solitude and quiet introspection and deep soul-searching, in anticipation of winter’s imminent call to pass, and the hope of a new beginning. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to collaborate with, and feature the inspiring performances of musical giants, Chuck Berghofer, Russell Ferrante, Joe LaBarbera, Bob Sheppard, and Bobby Shew on “In Autumn.” Individually and collectively they have added greatly to the American Music canon, and their historically significant performances over the years stand out as iconic examples of style, elegance, excitement, originality, intelligence, inspired musicality, and fine taste. Retrospective (Dedicated to the Florence E. Blackham School Graduating Class of 1969) Retrospective was my attempt to capture the essence of the moods, emotions, and moments I experienced as a child growing up in the New York metropolitan area, constantly looking west in search of liberation. It took a lifetime to be able to translate into sound the emotional subtleties and indescribable nuances of those inner thoughts and feelings of my youth. Thanks to the creation and development of thoughtfully designed electronic instruments that I could combine with resonant acoustic instruments, a sonic hybrid was achieved to help convey the experiences I sought to share. “Beyond Center Field” refers to the distant lights I saw while watching The New York Mets baseball night games on TV, all alone as a child. The twinkling lights in the distance served as beacons of hope, and the commercial jets constantly taking off from nearby LaGuardia Airport were invitations to dare to try. The layered synthesized sound reminded me of the melancholy and soul-searching I experienced watching both the far off lights, and listening to the skillfully written music on TV commercials that were metaphors of the elegance of New York style and fashion, presented in-between innings; just moments, a pastel wash of thoughts, feelings, and sounds melting into each other like the subtle colors of an Impressionistic painting. “Orchestral Interlude” further emphasizes the melancholy, emptiness, and moments of deep self-reflection, expressed with so much heart by the members of the Czech National Symphony Orchestra. Similar to his performance on “Big City,” Alphonso Johnson, again, serves as the driving force on Dreams, with his rhythmic and melodically conversational approach, which is vivid in its storytelling qualities. His versatility is contrasted stylistically and in sentiment with his sensitive performance and big, resonant acoustic bass sound on “Flushing Meadows,” which subtly compliments Bob Sheppard’s flute solo. The two, combined with the evocative atmospheric mood, convey the innocence and loneliness of childhood. Voyager (Dedicated to Professor Alex Lubet) Voyager, a suite from my PhD dissertation, "Resonant Trajectories," is loosely based on NASA’s Voyager Interstellar Mission. From the start of my doctoral work in Composition at the University of Minnesota, I wanted to devote my time to composing a dissertation that would be entirely electronic, something I had wanted to do for many years, but was never able to set aside the time for such an endeavor. However, there were two parameters I wanted to establish from the outset: the first was to avoid using traditional drums, drum loops, or sampled percussion as sources of rhythm, which I was able to create through the use of very exciting and imaginatively designed stereo effects, such as digital delays, reverb reflections, auto-panning, and arpeggiation, in addition to strategically placing instruments in the stereo field as I designed the counterpoint dialog. The second requirement I had set was that I perform the work entirely myself. However, soon after I began composing the first movement, “Escape Velocity,” two very special musicians came strongly to mind as the orchestration unfolded, and I felt it best to follow the intuitive lead to add them, rather than adhere to my original plan. It certainly proved to be the right decision. Both prodigious, internationally celebrated musicians, Jimmy Haslip (electric bass) and Mike Miller (electric guitar) added so much more musical depth and meaning to the recording than I could have created on my own, and I’m grateful for the good spirit they infused into their virtuosic performances. In addition, I must give much credit to the instrument and sound designers whose brilliant and revolutionary creations kept me constantly inspired to write more and more. I am in awe of their creative genius and owe them a huge debt of gratitude. Three Meditations (Dedicated to Kanchan Bhandarkar) Among the many inspiring software instruments I had to choose from, was a “sound generator” that, unlike a synthesizer that could be “played,” could only be turned on and off. It did, however, offer limited capability to allow a few of its performance parameters to be adjusted, so I took it as a compelling challenge to try to create a work under these restrictions because the sounds fascinated me so much that I didn’t want their functional limitations to be the cause of having to let them go to waste. Having been a Jazz soloist in the early years of my career, and missing the thrill of spontaneous improvisation, I set out to dare myself to “improvise,” adjusting the few parameters that were available, as the sound was being recorded, and to not edit the resulting performance later; to be “in the moment” and not judge or alter it. While listening to a playback of the first Meditation, I curiously heard the “bossa-rock” ride cymbal pattern that John Densmore, drummer of the legendary rock band, The Doors, played on their celebrated recording “Riders On the Storm.” It seemed to be a thought from deep within the collective unconscious. Not having known John personally at the time, and imagining that it might be very difficult to get in contact with him, let alone ask him to play on the track, the thought of John adding the ride cymbal part seemed like a real long shot. But the feeling persisted and grew daily, so I refused to let it go. In passing, I mentioned this wish to a Jazz musician friend, who I assumed didn’t even know who John Densmore was, but it turned out that we have a mutual friend who had a professional affiliation with John, and was also well acquainted with my work as a composer. An introduction was very kindly made in my behalf, and John contacted me. After a series of correspondences were exchanged, he agreed to play on the three tracks, and was a joy to work with. His generosity and kindness alone were inspiring. He cared about every detail of the music, and was especially thoughtful in his approach to each composition. Prior to John’s recording, Bob Sheppard played a variety of woodwind instruments on the tracks and, as expected, his performances were flawless. All the performances on "Three Meditations" were spontaneous improvisations done in one take, which is something very unique and unusual in the current age of digital editing.