Duo Chronicles

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k8M-zIQms8

Well, we made it.  52 weeks later, we've put up a new video every single Tuesday.  Every week, a new arrangement, a new recording, a new video, and most of the time, a new composition altogether...

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmgf9JSR1iA

The title "The Road Taken" is based on of one of more popular Robert Frost most poems, "The Road Not Taken." The whole idea for the music stems from a particular chord that I like to use, a major chord with the 4th added so a kind of consonant dissonance...

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr0yHx-88fA

For the past couple of weeks, I've been at Portland Center Stage (http://www.pcs.org/) as part of the orchestra for a production of the "25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (http://www.pcs.org/spellingbee/)."  The show is a musical comedy, following...

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkPZMC0Vmko

Influence is all around us whether we are conscious of it or not. Ultimately what resonates with us comes out in how we express ourselves and in our art. Chances are if a thought or idea resonates with you, it probably does with someone else as well. I l...

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f342tJieuzc

A ritual has an inherent shape or form built in. From this one can let the story unfold in this space. This space is the possibility of sound or rather one possibility at one given time. Improvising to me is like observing and observance is a ritual...

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGAVENHlAwc

I wrote "Open Road, Closed Door" just a couple of weeks after moving from New York to Portland in November of '07.  If I remember correctly, the first performance of the song was at the Portland Jazz Festival in February 2008 when I was featured at Darr...

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CJHI32P5l8

This week continues my trend of writing pieces that were influenced by specific writers or compositions.  "Another Noon" was heavily influenced by a piece called "Hi Noon" by Justin Morell, a guitarist that I've been playing with in the Damian Erskine P...

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udv_vTIQzk0

This week's video was shot at the home of a friend who has a very nice Steinway piano and some colorful artwork. Location recording can be more tricky logistically, but having done this for a few weeks now everything went surprisingly smoothly...

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=se9ewuNHlhM

Some of you may recognize the title of this tune from a Clint Eastwood movie from years ago. Although not a great movie, I like the title and thought it summed up this weeks tune musically...

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Niyv8iNzC4

"Rejuvination" is a simple tune that I wrote based on the keyboard groove you hear in the intro - sort of an "Afro-Pop" type thing.  Simple chord changes, simple melody, but a good feeling, thus the title...