Story of the Music This recording represents part of my experience as a Fulbright Fellow at Concordia University in Montréal in late 2015. During that amazing time, I composed most of the music included here, based on places, people and situations I encountered. “Orange et Vert” reflects the morning and evening rush on the orange and green metro lines, my main route between home and Concordia. I wrote the languid “And Oui” on a warm September afternoon in the courtyard behind our home on Le Plateau (It was an El Niño year). My mind’s ear heard Jeri Brown’s voice as the perfect vessel for it. “Take the 24” is for the 24 bus, which provided great sight-seeing around downtown. “Do Right” reflects the harmonious ambience of that multicultural city. “The Laval Syndicate” was almost completed before we got to Montréal, but I tweaked it a bit and, unbeknownst to Charles and Josh, renamed it for their swing and lyricism. The three remaining tunes were all written before this Montréal trip, although we overhauled them significantly during recording. “Chasing Its Tail“ features a groove in 5/4 time that moves around a bit; “Wishbone” is inspired by James Brown and Ali Farka Touré; and “Chicken on the Beach” has nothing to do with food. It emerged after friends and I spied a brood of chickens patrolling a Virgin Islands beach. This project provides a snapshot of the music I was privileged to create with these fantastic musicians. I think the tracks contain some real highlights of my music to date, albeit with a few rough edges, which are part of the story anyway. Bon appetit, Baron