Falling

Summer is always a sweet yearly pinnacle of family time and travel, every one surpassing the last on the list of best Summers, so returning to Fall can be a bit rugged. The annual educational calendar that I abide brings me back to work and my rhythm is re-calibrated. I love my work, but freedom and family are what I live for. This summer has to rank as one of my best ever. Miles and Ivy are old enough to entertain themselves (best friends) and appreciate our travels to familiar haunts. Every summer entails most of the same destinations but…

Fall From Summer

Autumn is undeniably here. The air is cool and my scholastic schedule returns. The shift back to work mode can be a bit bumpy and this year it has been inflamed by an infected corneal laceration sustained by my own fingernail while getting Miles dressed for the Sean and Kate’s wedding in France. But after a few weeks of adjusting to classes and schedules plus eight opthalmologist appointments, I am pain-free and ready to play music with kids! Sometimes it takes a break or an injury to come back and appreciate how wonderful it can be to work and be…

My Brother, The Legend

Andrew is an artist and a scientist, entrepreneur and chef. He is an explorer and adventurer in the kitchen and his journeys and creations bring ecstasy to the palates of his many delighted customers. It is a joy to consume his food, but an even greater joy to watch him work; seeing his vision and technical procedure with insight into the molecular process the ingredients undergo towards the final presentation is a deeply pedagogical and inspiring experience. He has a comprehensive knowledge of all aspects related to his craft, from farming strategies and livestock handling to transportation and storage; from…

Holidays

I could not have been luckier in the birth lottery, raised well by two amazing parents and accompanied by two siblings through my formative years, sheltered by a beautiful home in Newton Highlands, Massachusetts. This family has grown and now includes wonderfully-chosen spouses and incredible created progeny. When we assemble biennially on Lake Ave and fill the house that once fit five comfortably with fourteen, including six under five, it is wildly chaotic in the most fun and exciting way possible. Great people I see too rarely and whose company I enjoy more than anyone, make 72 hours in their…

Insane

What The Fuck? Our Country has lost its mind and I have been similarly afflicted with a haunting psychosis. Trump is scarier than anything I have ever encountered in my lifetime and my brain refuses to let me forget it. It's been one month since 11/8 and every day seems harder than the last as he picks his cabinet of ghouls and picks fights with Hamilton, The Media and China. He makes a private deal with Carrier by giving them corporate tax breaks to send jobs to Mexico (and save a few for us). He chooses Climate Change Deniers to…

President-Elect.

It happened. He won. She lost. We despair. I was hopeful. The polls and the math and the logic pointed to an historic election of the first female president. Our best political scientists overwhelmingly believed that the country was with her. And we were, with more individual votes than him. But the Electoral College! As Florida became increasingly red throughout the night and North Carolina began to lean, I became nervous. When Michigan and Wisconsin turned into battlegrounds, I went to bed. It was obvious where this was headed and salvaging what I could of sleep took priority over sinking…

Flow

Driving on the BQE with my family yesterday, I heard the end of a TED Radio hour on NPR and some quotes from Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, which I found very intriguing. He is a psychologist who has written extensively on a concept he refers to as "Flow"; describing it as losing oneself in an activity through complete focus and intrinsic motivation. I found it fascinating because I know exactly what he means and I feel it regularly when I compose music. Whenever I am able to fully concentrate on creating music, I have no other cares or desires; it is everything…

Podcast

Over the past year, my music production has evolved from my typical process of recording, editing and arranging to spontaneous compositions, completely improvised and recorded live. Several factors have contributed to this shift: First, my family now consumes most of my free time, and my potential window for music creation has been reduced significantly. Not that I am complaining: as I've said before their presence in my life is the greatest joy that I could ever imagine, but it is amazing to think about the abundant time I spent making music in the evenings before they arrived. Spontaneous compositions offer…