Most people who have seen me play in public over these past ten years would probably agree that I do my best to welcome an audience into a convivial space, one that over the course of an evening becomes sacred – which I define as sanctified by the deep listening that unites us. The songs that I write and play and improvise collectively with my band are designed to create moods and invite the musicians to share openly and imaginatively. The experience for me has everything to do with the immediacy of playing for a live audience – listening together – with discernment – but also with love.
What role does recorded music play in all of this? Recordings have helped me to get better gigs. They have allowed me to document the music I write. And they allow people to enjoy the songs in the absence of live performances.
Recordings also allow the music to function differently. The fact that you play them in your own space and time allows the sound to be used in many ways. My thinking has evolved on this. For a long time I resisted the idea of my songs being “background music.” Not any more.
I decided to make this compilation disc of a dozen of my favorite recorded original ballads from ten of my previous releases – some music to play that might help keep you in a restful frame of mind during these unsettled times.
I am so grateful to my friends, the musicians who helped bring these songs to life, and to the engineers who captured its intimacy. I hope you will enjoy close listening or just having it on while you dine. 😉
Here is the link to the new CD.
bert