Passings, my 10th album, is a collection of 15 songs written about the many transitions and endings which have happened in my life over the past few years: the death of both my parents, my children leaving home, changes related to the pandemic, and other profound endings which I won’t mention here. These soundscapes have given me a sense of peace somehow and my hope is that they may offer something to others…
David Franklin: Acoustic Guitars, Piano & Programable Music Box
Michael Manring: Fretless Bass
Owl Licks - Alex Franklin: Guitar on Another Perspective and The Meeting Tree
Warren Kahn: Mixing, Mastering (and awesome ideas): Banquet Studios, Medford, Oregon.
You can listen to it now here! :-)
OLD POSTS….
Dec, 2021: I’ve just finished Mixing and Mastering my new album with Warren Kahn. I just sent the master out for CD replication (hey, I’m old-school) and it will be released on February 18, 2022. Titled Passings, it’s my 10th album to date, and contains 15 new instrumental songs for guitar, piano and wind-up music box. Michael Manring is again a featured artist, and he appears on 9 songs; Alex Franklin (aka Owl Licks) is a featured artist on 2 of them. This collection of new material contains pieces written and recorded before and during the pandemic and reflects a number of elements of endings - or passings - which have occurred in my life. You can find the album’s liner notes here and ultimately, I hope that you’ll listen to it!
April/May, 2020: I just found out that a series of summer performances I had scheduled in Italy with Rogelio Lopez & Dancers, has been cancelled due to Covid-19; this was for a new production that I had composed music for. I continue to write and record (including recording pieces in tunnels in Oakland, CA and working on my new album with Michael Manring) but more importantly, I’m hoping we all stay safe and healthy at this time.
Fall, 2019: I have been writing new instrumental pieces on piano and guitar and started recording another instrumental album for 2020; Michael Manring said he would join me again. Alex Franklin and I have also been recording together and are working on pieces. Finally, two bands I play drums in, performed at Salamander Meadow, 2019. You can see Porcupine Petting Zoo performing an original song here.
May, 2019: Performance at Mills College in Oakland, California with Rogelio Lopez & Dancers of selections from Dichotomy of Silence.
March, 2019: Opening and performances in Berkeley, California with Rogelio Lopez & Dancers of Dichotomy of Silence. I composed and performed the entire score for this piece and incorporated electronics and found sounds from various objects (chains, bowls and more) while playing guitar, piano, synth and Cajon during the performances. One highlight was being on stage for the first dance, playing Tibetian Bowls and chains (below).
Fall, 2018: Performances at Saint Mary’s College of Radical Acts Of Love with The Davalos Dance Company.
Summer, 2018: Performances in Italy of Radical Acts Of Love with The Davalos Dance Company. I performed music I composed for this dance piece, on both piano and guitar. One personal highlight was playing solo piano during a festival in an ancient square in Penecale, Italy.
My album: SONGS OF POTENTIAL EMBRACE
made the top 10 On the ZMR
instrumental music chart in 2017.
This new recording is an eclectic collection of instrumental music featuring 16 songs:
12 new ones and 4 re-mixes from older material.
Ten of the songs comprised the soundtrack for the modern dance performances of Potential Embrace, by Rogelio Lopez and dancers, which opened March, 2017 at the Dance Mission Theater in San Francisco.
I wrote, played and mixed all the music, much of which contains Found Sounds that I've collected over the years...pianos (grands and an 1800's standup) with guitars (baritone, harp and more) with synth, percussion, violin, sometimes mixed with vacuum cleaners, babies cries, telephones and more? Yum!
Thanks for listening and for all the support! You can read more about Songs of Potential Embrace here.
REVIEWS:
“A uniquely creative joy to experience; highly recommended”, Midwest Book & Music Review
“Music that pushes your senses and sensibilities…will challenge you perceptions, precepts and priorities”, Buzz Music
“Quite the Adventure!”, Music-forum.org
“Sonic dreams that will stand the test of time”, Improvijazzation Nation
“A ride worth taking and your consciousness will thank you”, Mangle International Music Forums
My album: PLAYING WITH SHADOWS (2015)
made top 30 albums of 2015 & spent 2 months on the top 10
on the international ZMR instrumental music chart.
18 tracks of instrumental acoustic piano and guitar pieces. Special guests include Michael Manring
(fretless bass), Rick Corrigen & Alex Franklin. Mixed and mastered by Warren Kahn.
REVIEWS:
"Heartfelt music that touches the listener deeply”, Harmony Central
“This music awaits you; holds beauty and elegance at the same time”, Keith Hannaleck, New Age Music Reviews
“Blissful…one of the finest albums I have heard this year”, Steve Sheppard, One World Music Radio
"Resonates to the core of your being; you feel this as much as hear it", 8Notes.com
"Expressive and flowing", Michael Diamond, Music & Media Focus