The Black & Blue Sessions Vol. 2 & More....

The second volume of pieces involving loops & samples written while I was recuperating from an arm injury. If you listened to Vol.  1, you'll know what I mean. It's adventurous & kinda weird but will reward listeners with a sense of adventure in their listening. I've put out quite a few albums & singles over the past 8-10 months. I don't want to overload your ears so I'll be taking a break for a while. I have enough new, unrecorded music to fill at least 2 more albums so there'll be more on the way in 2024-25. The Black & Blue music seems to have run its course so I'll be returning to more "normal" music. The new stuff will include some classical-influenced pieces which will be a 1st. I also have an idea to do something live (yes, LIVE!!) including musicians, a dancer & a poet. Don't know when this will happen but I'd like to do it in late 2023 or early 2024. We'll see. In the meantime, enjoy your summer & happy listening!!

The Unfolding Is Out!!

The new album, The Unfolding, is out & available pretty much everywhere! The basic info about it is on the Home page. Just want to also mention, in addition to 12 new original pieces, there's a cover of Thomas Dolby's "Airwaves" as well as a beautiful  tune by Japan-based guitarist Hiroki Endo titled, "Butterfly." Most of the music was recorded over the past couple of years. I had a great team of amazing musicians working on it with me. If you'd like a hard copy, there are a limited number of CDs available. Just drop me a note & we'll make that happen. If you've enjoyed my previous albums, I'm sure there'll be something there you'll enjoy. I'll be talking more about "The Black & Blue Sessions, Vol. 2" that's coming in May. Happy listening!!

The Story Of The Black & Blue Sessions 

The Black & Blue Sessions, Vol. 1 was released today & I thought I'd write a bit about how it came about. I took a really bad fall a year or so ago that left me unable to use my left hand for playing my usual instruments. My left arm was black & blue from my shoulder blade to my wrist. (Hence the title Black & Blue Sessions). Unable to play or practice piano or drums, I turned to the computer & Apple's Logic program. (I was still able to point & click). It's a great program & includes tons of loops. 

I started to investigate the loops & found some I liked. These became the starting points for the pieces on the album. In addition, I began to sample a bunch of weird things I found on social media posts as well as sampling things in my environment. I took the raw loops & samples & added some FX such as transposition, delay, overdrive, etc. Sometimes the loops themselves wouldn't make the final cut & the samples were featured more. At other times the opposite was true. All in all, it gave me a great creative outlet while my arm slowly healed. Plus, I was having tons of fun never having entered this zone before. 

Regarding the pieces themselves, the only one that has any kind of a backstory was Setback. It began as an electric arrangement of Arvo Part's beautiful piece, Fratres. When trying to secure a license to use it I was informed that Mr. Part doesn't approve of any electric instruments being used in his music so I took out his melody & added things of my own. I actually think Setback is a better piece than Fratres was so thank you Mr. Part.

For the more adventurous listeners, I hope you enjoy this side project. There'll be a Black & Blue Sessions Vol,. 2 coming out in the Spring of 2023. For those that enjoy my more "normal" music, there's an album on the way titled The Unfolding slated for release in March. 

Happy holidays & happy listening!

Lots Of New Music Coming Soon!! 

There's a whole bunch of new music coming over the next few months. 1st, in November, will be The Black & Blue Sessions Vol. 1 that'll include the 1st in a series of pieces using loops & samples. WAY different than anything else I've done. The music is kind of crazy & bizarre. I guess you could also call it avant-garde. So don't expect anything similar to what you've heard in the past. You have to be willing to stretch your mind a bit to listen. The Black & Blue Sessions, Vol. 2 will follow in May 2023. These pieces were created pretty much out of necessity. I badly injured my left arm towards the beginning of the year & was unable to play my instruments. However, it didn't hinder my use of the computer so I was able to point, click, copy, paste, etc. So I dove into Logic , my music composition program that includes thousands of loops, & began creating these pieces.  

In March of 2023, a new album of more "normal" music will be released titled "The Unfolding." This continues in the same vein as the 1st 5 albums with instrumentations of solo piano thru quintet. Highlights are a cover version of Thomas Dolby's "Airwaves" along with a beautiful piece by Hiroki Endo called "Butterfly." Hiroki is a Tokyo-based guitarist as well as an old friend. While he was in NYC, we formed a band called "My Parents", which I still think is the best band name ever created. Other musicians performing include former Sonny Rollins pianist Mark Soskin as well as the great jazz drummer Billy Mintz. 

So there's a big bag of new stuff headed your way! Hope you check it out & find something to enjoy!

About The New Music 

Both Parallel Universes & Yar are out! Available on iTunes, Amazon & most digital platforms. 

Parallel Universes came about when speaking with guitarist Vinnie Zummo about going into the studio & playing something completely (or almost completely) free. I wrote a short melody that's played at both the beginning & end of the piece. Everything else is totally improvised. The only thing I asked from Vinnie was for him to use many FX. I don't remember if we specifically agreed on it being free of tempo but that's how it came out. It was done in 1 take. I'm on drums. Afterwards I decided to write & recite a poem to accompany it that can be heard on the version with voice. Many FX are used on the voice as well. I think both versions have their own stories to tell. 

Yar is an old Armenian piece that I've loved for a long time. The composer is unknown. After listening to the piece for many years I decided to write down the basic melody just to play at the piano. As I began to play & slowly learn it, I found that, for a few weeks, I couldn't get through it without breaking down in tears. It hit a very deep place in my heart & soul. The only explanation I can think of is that, possibly, I spent another lifetime as an Armenian. I used to play a fair amount of Armenian music & it always spoke to me in a special way. I was planning on putting it on the next CD but, much to my surprise, I wound up recording a demo version that I thought communicated my feelings extremely well. As it was recorded at home with inferior sound quality, I thought it'd just live in my personal archive forever but, thanks to engineer Mike Crehore & his magic touch, it's now out for you to hear. 

I hope you find things to enjoy in both pieces.

Special thanks to Vinnie Zummo, Sam Palumbo, Mike Crehore, Al Houghton & the staff of Dubway Studios in NYC. 

New Music October 1! 

On October 1st, I'll be releasing 3 new pieces as digital singles. The 1st two are 2 different versions of an original piece called, "Parallel Universes" with the great guitarist Vinnie Zummo. I'm on drums. The difference between them is that, on one, I'm reading a poem of mine in addition to the music. That'll be named "Parallel Universes With Voice." The other is the music alone. These pieces are not what you're used to hearing from me. They're VERY avant-garde & free with many FX on both the guitar & voice. It was done in 1 take. It's challenging listening but I hope you might be willing to expand your ears for a few minutes. I'm also in the planning stages of creating a video for it which should make it easy on the eyes to counteract what might be a bit hard on the ears for those new to this genre. 

The 2nd piece is an old Armenian tune which I call "Yar." It's solo piano & more in the vein of the other albums. The composer is unknown but the piece has always grabbed me by the heartstrings. So much so that, when I 1st started practicing it, it took me quite awhile to get through it without crying. For some reason, Armenian music has always touched me in a very special way. Must be from a past lifetime. It was recorded at home. I was planning on taking it to the studio but this version came out so well that, with the help of engineer Mike Crehore who was able to take a lot of the noise out, it sounded good enough to release. 

Really hope you'll check both out. 

More soon...

Long Overdue Update 

Wow, it's been quite awhile since I've updated this page so here goes with the latest stuff: The Women & Children album has been very well received worldwide over the past year or so.

Since the release, I've been busy doing a few things. First, I completed all of the work for the next album which will be coming out next year. Except for creating the actual CD itself, that's pretty much in the rear view mirror. In the fall, I'll be putting out 2 digital singles. A duet with the great guitarist Vinnie Zummo (formerly with Joe Jackson). It's 2 versions of the same piece. Stay tuned in to my Facebook page for more updates on that. Also, a documentary film where I co-wrote the music is finally scheduled to be released mid-June on Amazon Prime. It's about the writer Elmore Leonard & is called, "Elmore Leonard: But Don't Try To Write." Again, there'll be more on the FB page as the date gets closer.

In addition, I've been writing more & more & pretty much have the music ready for the CD after next year's release. I guess that'll see the light of day sometime around 2024. I hope to begin recording in the fall of 2022. All that & FINALLY trying to teach myself a music notation program. Something that's been long overdue. It'll be nice to hand out parts that are easy to read & to look at instead of copies of my pencil scratches that've been the norm for the longest time. (Well, they're not scratches, the musicians can read them pretty easily, but the new parts will almost look professional!) I've always strived for professionalism as my wife well knows! (Private joke). Hope to update here more regularly. Till then, be well & stay safe!

Women & Childern 

The new album, Women & Children, is finally released & available on Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon & most digital platforms. The project started way back in the fall of 2018 when recording began continuing through the beginning of 2020. In addition to doing my usual solo piano pieces, this time I had help from some incredible musicians including Mark Soskin, Vinnie Zummo, David Katzenberg, Billy Mintz, Lawrence Feldman, Sara Caswell, Richard Boukas, Dave Wechsler, Tony Cintron, Charlotte Durkee, Bill Hayes & Ruben Rodriguez. The combinations range from solo to quintet. Also, I'm playing more drums here than before. With the great engineering of Sam Palumbo, the mastering skill of Mike Crehore & Al Houghton along with the great staff of Dubway studios, it was a complete joy. 

Staying In 

Hope everyone is healthy & safe in the midst of all this. Had to push back the release date of Women & Children to July 24 due to the virus. Just hope things relax enough by then so it doesn't have to be pushed back even further. It just seemed in really bad taste to be promoting new music while people are becoming ill & dying. All of what I call the "me, me, me" stuff of social promotion & networking has to take a break for now. I could go on & on about that but I won't. Suffice to say that I'm always praying for everyone's health & give huge thanks to the doctors, nurses & all those on the front lines risking their lives every day.  Stay well...

 

Done!! 

CD #5 done!! The title of the CD will be Women & Children and the release date is July 24. Very, very excited to have you all hear it! I’ll be adding a shot of the front cover fairly soon.

CD#5 

It's been quite awhile since I updated this page but, now that I finished mixing CD#5, it seems like the right time. The project began all the way back in the fall of 2018 and now, 26 pieces later, it's very close to completion. First I want to mention my engineer, Sam Palumbo. A great guy, great work ethic, possessing much knowledge of his craft (he'd very often be thinking one step ahead of me), creative & willing to try anything & everything. Just the perfect engineer for me. The 26 pieces will be divided into 2 releases, one this year & one in 2021. (26 pieces=almost 2 hrs. of music!). There's a variety of styles & groupings from solo to duo up to a quintet. Working with old & new friends. I'm greatly looking forward to having you hear it! Stay tuned...

In The Studio 

Had a great day in the studio for record # 5 with special guests Charlotte Durkee on vocals and Bill Hayes on glass armonica. I’m told the glass armonica was invented in the 1700s by Benjamin Franklin. If you do a Google or Wikipedia search you’ll find some strange stories associated with it. You can go to the Photos page to see what it looks like.  I’ll be going in next month to hopefully finish up the solo piano pieces. Then comes the bands! 

Greetings Friends & Fans...

There's a whole bunch of new music coming over the next few months. 1st, in November, will be The Black & Blue Sessions Vol. 1 which that include the 1st in a series of pieces using loops & samples. WAY different than anything else I've put out. The music is kind of crazy & bizarre. I guess you could also call it avant-garde. So don't expect anything similar to what you've heard in the past. You have to be willing to stretch your mind a bit to listen. The Black & Blue Sessions, Vol. 2 will follow in May 2023. These pieces were created pretty much out of necessity. I badly injured my left arm towards the beginning of the year & was unable to play my instruments. However, it didn't hinder my use of the computer so I was able to point, click, copy, paste, etc. So I dove into Logic , my music composition program that includes thousands of loops, & began creating these pieces. 

In March of 2023, a new album of more "normal" music will be released titled "The Unfolding." This continues in the same vein as the 1st 5 albums with instrumentations of solo piano thru quintet. Highlights are a cover version of Thomas Dolby's "Airwaves" along with a beautiful piece by Hiroki Endo called "Butterfly." Hiroki is a Tokyo-based guitarist as well as an old friend. While he was in NYC, we formed a band  called "My Parents", which I still think is the best band name ever created. Other musicians performing include former Sonny Rollins pianist Mark Soskin as well as the great jazz drummer Billy Mintz.

So there's a big bag of new stuff headed your way! Hope you check it out & find something to enjoy!

Video For Yar

Video For Parallel Universes

Lots Of New Music Coming Soon!! 

There's a whole bunch of new music coming over the next few months. 1st, in November, will be The Black & Blue Sessions Vol. 1 that'll include the 1st in a series of pieces using loops & samples. WAY different than anything else I've done. The music is kind of crazy & bizarre. I guess you could also call it avant-garde. So don't expect anything similar to what you've heard in the past. You have to be willing to stretch your mind a bit to listen. The Black & Blue Sessions, Vol. 2 will follow in May 2023. These pieces were created pretty much out of necessity. I badly injured my left arm towards the beginning of the year & was unable to play my instruments. However, it didn't hinder my use of the computer so I was able to point, click, copy, paste, etc. So I dove into Logic , my music composition program that includes thousands of loops, & began creating these pieces.  

In March of 2023, a new album of more "normal" music will be released titled "The Unfolding." This continues in the same vein as the 1st 5 albums with instrumentations of solo piano thru quintet. Highlights are a cover version of Thomas Dolby's "Airwaves" along with a beautiful piece by Hiroki Endo called "Butterfly." Hiroki is a Tokyo-based guitarist as well as an old friend. While he was in NYC, we formed a band called "My Parents", which I still think is the best band name ever created. Other musicians performing include former Sonny Rollins pianist Mark Soskin as well as the great jazz drummer Billy Mintz. 

So there's a big bag of new stuff headed your way! Hope you check it out & find something to enjoy!

About The New Music 

Both Parallel Universes & Yar are out! Available on iTunes, Amazon & most digital platforms. 

Parallel Universes came about when speaking with guitarist Vinnie Zummo about going into the studio & playing something completely (or almost completely) free. I wrote a short melody that's played at both the beginning & end of the piece. Everything else is totally improvised. The only thing I asked from Vinnie was for him to use many FX. I don't remember if we specifically agreed on it being free of tempo but that's how it came out. It was done in 1 take. I'm on drums. Afterwards I decided to write & recite a poem to accompany it that can be heard on the version with voice. Many FX are used on the voice as well. I think both versions have their own stories to tell. 

Yar is an old Armenian piece that I've loved for a long time. The composer is unknown. After listening to the piece for many years I decided to write down the basic melody just to play at the piano. As I began to play & slowly learn it, I found that, for a few weeks, I couldn't get through it without breaking down in tears. It hit a very deep place in my heart & soul. The only explanation I can think of is that, possibly, I spent another lifetime as an Armenian. I used to play a fair amount of Armenian music & it always spoke to me in a special way. I was planning on putting it on the next CD but, much to my surprise, I wound up recording a demo version that I thought communicated my feelings extremely well. As it was recorded at home with inferior sound quality, I thought it'd just live in my personal archive forever but, thanks to engineer Mike Crehore & his magic touch, it's now out for you to hear. 

I hope you find things to enjoy in both pieces.

Special thanks to Vinnie Zummo, Sam Palumbo, Mike Crehore, Al Houghton & the staff of Dubway Studios in NYC. 

New Music October 1! 

On October 1st, I'll be releasing 3 new pieces as digital singles. The 1st two are 2 different versions of an original piece called, "Parallel Universes" with the great guitarist Vinnie Zummo. I'm on drums. The difference between them is that, on one, I'm reading a poem of mine in addition to the music. That'll be named "Parallel Universes With Voice." The other is the music alone. These pieces are not what you're used to hearing from me. They're VERY avant-garde & free with many FX on both the guitar & voice. It was done in 1 take. It's challenging listening but I hope you might be willing to expand your ears for a few minutes. I'm also in the planning stages of creating a video for it which should make it easy on the eyes to counteract what might be a bit hard on the ears for those new to this genre. 

The 2nd piece is an old Armenian tune which I call "Yar." It's solo piano & more in the vein of the other albums. The composer is unknown but the piece has always grabbed me by the heartstrings. So much so that, when I 1st started practicing it, it took me quite awhile to get through it without crying. For some reason, Armenian music has always touched me in a very special way. Must be from a past lifetime. It was recorded at home. I was planning on taking it to the studio but this version came out so well that, with the help of engineer Mike Crehore who was able to take a lot of the noise out, it sounded good enough to release. 

Really hope you'll check both out. 

More soon...

Long Overdue Update 

Wow, it's been quite awhile since I've updated this page so here goes with the latest stuff: The Women & Children album has been very well received worldwide over the past year or so.

Since the release, I've been busy doing a few things. First, I completed all of the work for the next album which will be coming out next year. Except for creating the actual CD itself, that's pretty much in the rear view mirror. In the fall, I'll be putting out 2 digital singles. A duet with the great guitarist Vinnie Zummo (formerly with Joe Jackson). It's 2 versions of the same piece. Stay tuned in to my Facebook page for more updates on that. Also, a documentary film where I co-wrote the music is finally scheduled to be released mid-June on Amazon Prime. It's about the writer Elmore Leonard & is called, "Elmore Leonard: But Don't Try To Write." Again, there'll be more on the FB page as the date gets closer.

In addition, I've been writing more & more & pretty much have the music ready for the CD after next year's release. I guess that'll see the light of day sometime around 2024. I hope to begin recording in the fall of 2022. All that & FINALLY trying to teach myself a music notation program. Something that's been long overdue. It'll be nice to hand out parts that are easy to read & to look at instead of copies of my pencil scratches that've been the norm for the longest time. (Well, they're not scratches, the musicians can read them pretty easily, but the new parts will almost look professional!) I've always strived for professionalism as my wife well knows! (Private joke). Hope to update here more regularly. Till then, be well & stay safe!

Women & Childern 

The new album, Women & Children, is finally released & available on Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon & most digital platforms. The project started way back in the fall of 2018 when recording began continuing through the beginning of 2020. In addition to doing my usual solo piano pieces, this time I had help from some incredible musicians including Mark Soskin, Vinnie Zummo, David Katzenberg, Billy Mintz, Lawrence Feldman, Sara Caswell, Richard Boukas, Dave Wechsler, Tony Cintron, Charlotte Durkee, Bill Hayes & Ruben Rodriguez. The combinations range from solo to quintet. Also, I'm playing more drums here than before. With the great engineering of Sam Palumbo, the mastering skill of Mike Crehore & Al Houghton along with the great staff of Dubway studios, it was a complete joy. 

Staying In 

Hope everyone is healthy & safe in the midst of all this. Had to push back the release date of Women & Children to July 24 due to the virus. Just hope things relax enough by then so it doesn't have to be pushed back even further. It just seemed in really bad taste to be promoting new music while people are becoming ill & dying. All of what I call the "me, me, me" stuff of social promotion & networking has to take a break for now. I could go on & on about that but I won't. Suffice to say that I'm always praying for everyone's health & give huge thanks to the doctors, nurses & all those on the front lines risking their lives every day.  Stay well...

 

Done!! 

CD #5 done!! The title of the CD will be Women & Children and the release date is July 24. Very, very excited to have you all hear it! I’ll be adding a shot of the front cover fairly soon.

CD#5 

It's been quite awhile since I updated this page but, now that I finished mixing CD#5, it seems like the right time. The project began all the way back in the fall of 2018 and now, 26 pieces later, it's very close to completion. First I want to mention my engineer, Sam Palumbo. A great guy, great work ethic, possessing much knowledge of his craft (he'd very often be thinking one step ahead of me), creative & willing to try anything & everything. Just the perfect engineer for me. The 26 pieces will be divided into 2 releases, one this year & one in 2021. (26 pieces=almost 2 hrs. of music!). There's a variety of styles & groupings from solo to duo up to a quintet. Working with old & new friends. I'm greatly looking forward to having you hear it! Stay tuned...

In The Studio 

Had a great day in the studio for record # 5 with special guests Charlotte Durkee on vocals and Bill Hayes on glass armonica. I’m told the glass armonica was invented in the 1700s by Benjamin Franklin. If you do a Google or Wikipedia search you’ll find some strange stories associated with it. You can go to the Photos page to see what it looks like.  I’ll be going in next month to hopefully finish up the solo piano pieces. Then comes the bands! 

Lots Of New Music Coming Soon!! 

There's a whole bunch of new music coming over the next few months. 1st, in November, will be The Black & Blue Sessions Vol. 1 that'll include the 1st in a series of pieces using loops & samples. WAY different than anything else I've done. The music is kind of crazy & bizarre. I guess you could also call it avant-garde. So don't expect anything similar to what you've heard in the past. You have to be willing to stretch your mind a bit to listen. The Black & Blue Sessions, Vol. 2 will follow in May 2023. These pieces were created pretty much out of necessity. I badly injured my left arm towards the beginning of the year & was unable to play my instruments. However, it didn't hinder my use of the computer so I was able to point, click, copy, paste, etc. So I dove into Logic , my music composition program that includes thousands of loops, & began creating these pieces.  

In March of 2023, a new album of more "normal" music will be released titled "The Unfolding." This continues in the same vein as the 1st 5 albums with instrumentations of solo piano thru quintet. Highlights are a cover version of Thomas Dolby's "Airwaves" along with a beautiful piece by Hiroki Endo called "Butterfly." Hiroki is a Tokyo-based guitarist as well as an old friend. While he was in NYC, we formed a band called "My Parents", which I still think is the best band name ever created. Other musicians performing include former Sonny Rollins pianist Mark Soskin as well as the great jazz drummer Billy Mintz. 

So there's a big bag of new stuff headed your way! Hope you check it out & find something to enjoy!

About The New Music 

Both Parallel Universes & Yar are out! Available on iTunes, Amazon & most digital platforms. 

Parallel Universes came about when speaking with guitarist Vinnie Zummo about going into the studio & playing something completely (or almost completely) free. I wrote a short melody that's played at both the beginning & end of the piece. Everything else is totally improvised. The only thing I asked from Vinnie was for him to use many FX. I don't remember if we specifically agreed on it being free of tempo but that's how it came out. It was done in 1 take. I'm on drums. Afterwards I decided to write & recite a poem to accompany it that can be heard on the version with voice. Many FX are used on the voice as well. I think both versions have their own stories to tell. 

Yar is an old Armenian piece that I've loved for a long time. The composer is unknown. After listening to the piece for many years I decided to write down the basic melody just to play at the piano. As I began to play & slowly learn it, I found that, for a few weeks, I couldn't get through it without breaking down in tears. It hit a very deep place in my heart & soul. The only explanation I can think of is that, possibly, I spent another lifetime as an Armenian. I used to play a fair amount of Armenian music & it always spoke to me in a special way. I was planning on putting it on the next CD but, much to my surprise, I wound up recording a demo version that I thought communicated my feelings extremely well. As it was recorded at home with inferior sound quality, I thought it'd just live in my personal archive forever but, thanks to engineer Mike Crehore & his magic touch, it's now out for you to hear. 

I hope you find things to enjoy in both pieces.

Special thanks to Vinnie Zummo, Sam Palumbo, Mike Crehore, Al Houghton & the staff of Dubway Studios in NYC. 

New Music October 1! 

On October 1st, I'll be releasing 3 new pieces as digital singles. The 1st two are 2 different versions of an original piece called, "Parallel Universes" with the great guitarist Vinnie Zummo. I'm on drums. The difference between them is that, on one, I'm reading a poem of mine in addition to the music. That'll be named "Parallel Universes With Voice." The other is the music alone. These pieces are not what you're used to hearing from me. They're VERY avant-garde & free with many FX on both the guitar & voice. It was done in 1 take. It's challenging listening but I hope you might be willing to expand your ears for a few minutes. I'm also in the planning stages of creating a video for it which should make it easy on the eyes to counteract what might be a bit hard on the ears for those new to this genre. 

The 2nd piece is an old Armenian tune which I call "Yar." It's solo piano & more in the vein of the other albums. The composer is unknown but the piece has always grabbed me by the heartstrings. So much so that, when I 1st started practicing it, it took me quite awhile to get through it without crying. For some reason, Armenian music has always touched me in a very special way. Must be from a past lifetime. It was recorded at home. I was planning on taking it to the studio but this version came out so well that, with the help of engineer Mike Crehore who was able to take a lot of the noise out, it sounded good enough to release. 

Really hope you'll check both out. 

More soon...

Long Overdue Update 

Wow, it's been quite awhile since I've updated this page so here goes with the latest stuff: The Women & Children album has been very well received worldwide over the past year or so.

Since the release, I've been busy doing a few things. First, I completed all of the work for the next album which will be coming out next year. Except for creating the actual CD itself, that's pretty much in the rear view mirror. In the fall, I'll be putting out 2 digital singles. A duet with the great guitarist Vinnie Zummo (formerly with Joe Jackson). It's 2 versions of the same piece. Stay tuned in to my Facebook page for more updates on that. Also, a documentary film where I co-wrote the music is finally scheduled to be released mid-June on Amazon Prime. It's about the writer Elmore Leonard & is called, "Elmore Leonard: But Don't Try To Write." Again, there'll be more on the FB page as the date gets closer.

In addition, I've been writing more & more & pretty much have the music ready for the CD after next year's release. I guess that'll see the light of day sometime around 2024. I hope to begin recording in the fall of 2022. All that & FINALLY trying to teach myself a music notation program. Something that's been long overdue. It'll be nice to hand out parts that are easy to read & to look at instead of copies of my pencil scratches that've been the norm for the longest time. (Well, they're not scratches, the musicians can read them pretty easily, but the new parts will almost look professional!) I've always strived for professionalism as my wife well knows! (Private joke). Hope to update here more regularly. Till then, be well & stay safe!

Women & Childern 

The new album, Women & Children, is finally released & available on Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon & most digital platforms. The project started way back in the fall of 2018 when recording began continuing through the beginning of 2020. In addition to doing my usual solo piano pieces, this time I had help from some incredible musicians including Mark Soskin, Vinnie Zummo, David Katzenberg, Billy Mintz, Lawrence Feldman, Sara Caswell, Richard Boukas, Dave Wechsler, Tony Cintron, Charlotte Durkee, Bill Hayes & Ruben Rodriguez. The combinations range from solo to quintet. Also, I'm playing more drums here than before. With the great engineering of Sam Palumbo, the mastering skill of Mike Crehore & Al Houghton along with the great staff of Dubway studios, it was a complete joy. 

Staying In 

Hope everyone is healthy & safe in the midst of all this. Had to push back the release date of Women & Children to July 24 due to the virus. Just hope things relax enough by then so it doesn't have to be pushed back even further. It just seemed in really bad taste to be promoting new music while people are becoming ill & dying. All of what I call the "me, me, me" stuff of social promotion & networking has to take a break for now. I could go on & on about that but I won't. Suffice to say that I'm always praying for everyone's health & give huge thanks to the doctors, nurses & all those on the front lines risking their lives every day.  Stay well...

 

Done!! 

CD #5 done!! The title of the CD will be Women & Children and the release date is July 24. Very, very excited to have you all hear it! I’ll be adding a shot of the front cover fairly soon.

CD#5 

It's been quite awhile since I updated this page but, now that I finished mixing CD#5, it seems like the right time. The project began all the way back in the fall of 2018 and now, 26 pieces later, it's very close to completion. First I want to mention my engineer, Sam Palumbo. A great guy, great work ethic, possessing much knowledge of his craft (he'd very often be thinking one step ahead of me), creative & willing to try anything & everything. Just the perfect engineer for me. The 26 pieces will be divided into 2 releases, one this year & one in 2021. (26 pieces=almost 2 hrs. of music!). There's a variety of styles & groupings from solo to duo up to a quintet. Working with old & new friends. I'm greatly looking forward to having you hear it! Stay tuned...

In The Studio 

Had a great day in the studio for record # 5 with special guests Charlotte Durkee on vocals and Bill Hayes on glass armonica. I’m told the glass armonica was invented in the 1700s by Benjamin Franklin. If you do a Google or Wikipedia search you’ll find some strange stories associated with it. You can go to the Photos page to see what it looks like.  I’ll be going in next month to hopefully finish up the solo piano pieces. Then comes the bands!