I started listening to music at about
age five when my sister Steph included
me in the fun of listening to jazz with
her high school friends down in our new
basement playroom. There was magic
in the monaural sound of the record
player and the non-stop laughter of
the group. These were the years that
Stan Getz played with Joao and Astrud
Gilberto from Brazil and to this day, the
sound of quiet sambas strikes a chord
in me. Their soft voices gave me hope
that I too could sing in their style.

I almost always write the music first
and hope that the words will emerge.
Mostly they do. It's always revealing to
me because I usually have no plan. It's
therapeutic, especially since the words
seem to be a message to myself.
Though I sometimes feel like I should
write the message a hundred times on
the blackboard, I find it reassuring that
there is a voice inside that insists on
having hope and a sense of humor.

Without telling you what song is what
age, I'll tell you that many of these
songs are 25 years old and some are
brand new. It feels good to get them
recorded. People ask me about two
songs in particular: White Joker and
the Trumpet Scout. White Joker is
about a horse named Joker and he was
white. All the horses on the farm
where he lived were allowed to run free
...no stalls! It was a beautiful sight.
Trumpet Scout is a song dedicated to
my sister who has always reminded me
of my love for music and laughter.