This September I am releasing a new EP called "Hot Damn Romance". It contains five songs, all of which I recorded in Toronto at the beginning of June. The songs are all originals, but they were written at different times. One of the tracks, "Brawler", is the oldest. In fact, it was part of the same stream of inspiration that created all the songs on my first album, "Songs...
I am excited to announce that there is new music almost ready to release. This year I released some songs as singles, and now there is an EP of five more songs that will come out in September. These tracks are special because they feature the incredible skills of some very fine musicians from Toronto. Producer Bryant Didier of BMusique Studios is a friend of a very good friend of mine,...
My single "I Will" was released in May, and it's completely different from anything I've done before. Well...
Jazz is such a large umbrella term for music. You can find the French gypsy style of Django Reinhardt, the New Orleans trumpet, melodic jazz guitar, meditative midnight sax, and even the club pumping style of Electro Swing. One of the well established sub genres of jazz is Brazilian jazz, and bossa nova in particular. "The Girl From Ipanema" is probably the most well known song from this tradition. When I was...
This time I said I’m going to keep my cool Not going to lose my head Not going to play the fool And that four letter word I will not speak The one that starts with “L” And ends with “E” Chorus: But everywhere I go People seem to know Just what I’m not speaking of And they say…. They say “You must be in love” Stopped by a café One Saturday afternoon I had a smile on my face I was humming a tune And the barista said As she poured my...
It's been a long journey, but I am thrilled to be releasing my second album, "Borderless Sky". A project like this is always intensely personal, but it also involves many other people along the way to bringing it into being. There are 8 tracks, ranging from the romantic to the lively and humorous. Songs like "They Say" and "Traces of You" are classic jazz, and feature piano and trumpet, recalling the style of Louis Armstrong...
When I was a kid I listened to a lot of Nat King Cole. His smooth vocals and almost confidential tone were part of my early exposure to jazz. I also listened endlessly to an album by his daughter, Natalie Cole, whose versions of "Nature Boy" and "Lush Life" still dominate my memory. When I started writing the songs for this album, it was inevitable that these experiences would colour my style. I think of...
Well, it's been a long journey with a lot of unexpected delays, but my second album is almost ready to release. It will be called "Borderless Sky" and includes a mix of all original songs, from vintage jazz to a few tracks with a more folk or country twist. This album also includes one of my favorite songs of any I've written. It's called "Back Country Blues". The first line is: There's a summer...
I have notebooks everywhere. There is one I carry in my bag as I am out doing my errands. Another sits on my work desk. Still others lurk on the shelves of another room, and there is one beside my bed. Why all this paper in the digital age? It's partly habit. I kept a diary for years. Something about the pen moving across paper, kept in a beautiful binding, was very attractive to me. I...