So nice to hear from friends, colleagues, and former students in response to posts about the recordings coming out. Chris Grymes doing a great job of getting the word out, largely using FaceBook and his OpenGRecords.com site, where he’s a beautiful design to attract the reader.

Perhaps one of the best treats was a phone call from a student from my first years here at ECU. Bill’s a bass player and just a guy who’s curious about lots of things. He’d taken some classes with me, then wanted more so signed up for an independent study in electronic music–to learn, but also to just hang and talk. He lost his dad while in school, and it was very difficult for him; I was able to easily relate...

It’s been a bit of a long stretch, and a very busy Feb-March bringing this project to the finish line, but new recordings of my music are now available on Open G Records.   “Addressing Wonder” is the title of the collection (and one of the pieces), with fabulous performances by wonderful friends and incredible artists: Sharon Harms (soprano), Steven Beck (piano), Hannah Levinson (viola), Chris Gross (cello), and Amanda Gregory (soprano), recorded by Adam Abeshouse, produced by Chris Grymes.  The artwork is by Chris Glass—I’d not realized how much the ‘look’ sets the scene for a listening, and I just love Chris’s imagery and design.  The four pieces included span from 1996 to 2017, and I’ve found this entire process an interesting means to learn about my own development and growth...

A podcast with Chris Grymes from 2014, just after he began doing lots of interviews.

And another from a week ago.

Big news; but first, the images of the morning; a grey sky, and dolphins fishing…

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And finally we’re nearly at finish line of getting the recordings of “Addressing Wonder” out into the world. Chris Grymes, my dear friend who founded and makes Open G Records function, has kicked into high gear over these past few weeks, pushing us over the line about a week from now. While Adam Abeshouse puts the finishing polish on the recordings, we’ve finished all the notes for the collection, the artwork is complete, and we’re almost there.

The artist/designer, Chris Glass, has just been a joy to work with...

The pleasant relief of being back in Surf City for a few days.

So much has been going on my little corner, lots to digest. All good, just feeling a need to rest and process a bit. TGIF.

Always getting the day off to a great start with Jackson

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Yesterday I gave a presentation on some of my music to the young composers at UMass/Amherst. A few undergrads, a few grad students, and two faculty. One of those faculty was Sal Macchia, my first composition teacher, and someone who was an enormous influence. As I came to realize while speaking to these folks, UMass was really a huge influence for me, with many kind, supportive, and gifted faculty and colleagues there to nurture, encourage, and teach me important lessons of all types.

The session went fine, I think...

Yesterday was just beautiful; sparkling and crisp. Gerald, my neighbor here in Greenville, has a new bike and, as a rider for many decades, now wants to use this bike as much as weather permits. So I get lots of invitations to join him and his School of Arts compadres for rides. Yesterday there were six of us, and we rode out to “little” Washington, NC, strolled the waterfront, and returned. A great afternoon ride and social spell.

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The balance to this afternoon of sunshine was the arrival of news that a dear teacher/mentor has passed. Marty Boykan was a long time prof at Brandeis, and a visiting prof at Columbia during my second year there. I worked with him that year, and he was a truly unique person/musician/influence...

I was a bit surprised at the sense of relief I felt yesterday in receiving the first vaccine.

At the Greenville Convention Center, the logistics were pretty amazing, actually. From entering the parking lot until turning back on the road, including post-vaccine observation time, the entire process ran less than 30 minutes. At no point did anything feel rushed, and at every point along the way, everyone involved was smiling, pleasant, and engaging. From those directing things in the parking lot to the nurse administering the shot, I must have been assisted in some way by 20-25 people, and they were all so welcoming and helpful.

Today’s side-effects seem limited to some ache at the injection site, perhaps a bit of ache in my neck. Nothing stopping me from any normal activities.

Last night:

And this morning

A fun call from Jackson this morning, which ended with he and Joe reading Jackson’s current favorite book, There’s a Monster in Your Book. I think this book is a bit of genius, taking interactivity to a more fun place than pressing buttons. The premise is exactly what it sounds like, there’s a monster in the book, and so the reader shakes the book, turns it around, leans it to one side, blows on it, etc., to get the monster out. Eventually, letting the monster stay in the book and go to sleep, quietly closing the back cover. And the glee on Jackson’s face as he did these actions–and on Joe’s face seeing the fun Jackson’s having…priceless.

In other news...