"You gotta love close to your bones whatever dies just like your own 'Til you find the groove you doubt the thing is real what no one can prove but any fool can feel . . . " - - from Tom Ross's song "From the Root" Composer-performer Tom Ross grew up in a musical and verbal family. As a teenager in Colorado Springs, he became a protege of jazz guitarist Johnny Smith. At Wesleyan Ross studied with John Cage, gained a PhD, and learned to perform the music of many cultures. He spent years in India and Africa on Fulbright grants, and his album *Horse of Stone* was sponsored by co-writer David Crosby. Tom Ross has appeared in concert and on radio and television worldwide. He has played with jazz drummer Ed Blackwell and Indian tabla master Zakir Hussein. Ross’s music is like the world speaking a single musical language. His sophomore album is *The Rain Takes Off Her Clothes*: global jazz songs with compelling rhythms and fresh tones from India and Africa. Tom's latest project is the acoustic *Reach In This Dream*: crosscultural songs by turns sultry, thoughtful, and funny - - with lyrics springing from poets such as Emily Dickinson and Billy Collins.