"It has been 18 years since I recorded an album under my own name (Night Owl Suite, 2004), not because I didn’t want to, but because sometimes life gets in the way. The most significant event that occurred during this period of time was my wife Nancy’s passing in 2010 from pancreatic cancer. At that time, I took myself out of the loop of educating and performing out of town and concentrated on my new role as sole parent to my daughters, 11 and 14 at that time, an experience that changed me in the best way possible. Two of the pieces on this album were composed around that event. “Angels” was written a couple years before Nancy’s passing and is dedicated to her and my daughters. “Heaven Sent” was composed in memory of the one-year anniversary of her passing and was premiered on what would become the first of seven yearly concerts I would produce as fundraisers for PANCAN (Pancreatic Cancer Action Network). It was originally written for a small group which I later arranged for large ensemble and re-premiered it on the fifth of these events.

When the time was finally right for me to record again, I chose to return to the Washington, D.C. area to record with the musicians with whom I had spent my younger days. As a member of the Army Blues (1980-1997) and the D.C. music community, I was fortunate to perform on a daily basis with some of the best musicians anywhere, both military and civilian. I have kept in touch with many of them and am honored to have them on this recording; they are the best at what they do because they have lived in a big band for a good portion of their lives and know exactly what to do. Intermingled with these old friends were some relatively new ones from the military bands whom I have met on my travels
back to the area over the years, as well as some of my favorite Pittsburgh musicians whom I brought down to play on the album. Also on hand was Jay Dudt, a Grammy Award-winning engineer and great friend of mine who resides in the Pittsburgh area. With all these pieces in place, the tracks went down in a modicum of time; the album was rehearsed and recorded in 12 hours.

I am delighted that you are listening to this recording as it constitutes lots of music that very few have heard. I have enjoyed a robust career as a published composer and arranger for companies that release music geared toward educational situations, but the music on this recording is the most near and dear to my heart. Thanks for listening!"