random thoughts at 2am about "the process"

in the last four years of presenting collaboration concerts at the church in Austin Texas
i've seen so many people truly become connected and alive from hearing our music that i'm continualy inspired to keep doing this every month.

they often ask what it is I do and how exactly does it affect the songs

songwriting and composing instrumental music share the art of storytelling

while songs in themselves can be more concrete in their communication since they employ verbal language, instrumental music is abstract and is able to communicate raw emotion, character and dymanics – more is left open to the imagination of the be-hearer

Listeners really "feel" - but don't necessarily anylyse it or make cognitive connections . that's why music is often called the universal language? one doesn't need to think in order for the soul to receive its gifts

so the fun challenge i face with each guest artist is to create arrangement road maps that pull the listerner into the song emotionally and amplify or in some cases exagerate the character and/or mood of a song. At the same time that i'm designing these "master" road maps, i allow ample room for the strengths of my musicians to add their own personal majic. majic that most times is improvised and comes to life as a result of the chemistry between the band and guest artist - in a way each new collaboration is like the romance period in a new relationship - the inherent risk in this process pushes the guest to reach out creatively into new musical territory

it is through this process that we leave a musical signature on each artist's song or in a way re-envision the presentation of their stories.