Shortly after I finished recording Great Exploits in 2002, I decided it was time to upgrade my studio once again. This time I invested in a Pro Tools system for my home studio.

I got a Pro Tools LE Digi002, a Macintosh G5 dual processor computer, a Korg Triton Pro workstation and sampler, a pair of KRK V8 powered reference monitors, a Behringer 5 channel headphone amp and an ACARD CD duplication stack. I was ready to roll! But instead of starting my 3rd CD project, I began taking on outside projects in my studio as an engineer and producer to offset expenses. So for several years I worked on many CD and demo projects in my studio. My latest project was recording and engineering the tracks for Joe Santerre's new book for Berklee Press. At the same time I also took on the management of 2 high end local R&B groups which was a lot of work but I enjoy it very much. Well, I did gain a lot of experience on Pro-Tools. I had no choice since I had to get proficient fast in order to get these projects moving forward, which I did. So, finally in 2006 I decided to begin writing for my CD. I was studying with the famous Jazz educator Charlie Banacos at the time and he was giving me composition assignments every week. So most of these tunes came right out of my studies with him. Harmonically and melodically, I believe this music went to a whole new level. I experimented a lot more with non-functional harmony and stayed away for the most part from the more diatonic progressions. I also incorporated additional stylistic textures from my first 2 recordings including Bebop, Brazilian, funk and straight ahead.

Hey Banacles!

This song is a dedication to my teacher Charlie Banacos, hence the name "Hey Bancles!" Charlie has a lot of different nicknames but I like this one the most. This song starts out with some cool keyboard synth effects from Jordan Orvosh and some nice percussion things by Eguie. We then kick into a funk groove. Joe kills the finger style funk thing. Then we hit the melody and Dino doubles me the second time around. Then Dino and I play the B section together then back into the A section. Then it's solo time! I take the first shot. One of my students, Kyle Legg at Berklee transcribed this solo which you can find on the Learning Center page. Then Dino rips a solo that blows my mind. Then its back to the head!

Bop for Baione

Larry Baione is the Chair of the Guitar Department at Berklee, a great person and very talented guitarist. So I wrote this little diddy for him. This song is written with constant structure Chord Types. All the chords are Dom 7b5's. Of course with Dom 7th's there is so much you can do. I utilized whole-tone scales and Modes from Melodic Minor among other things. I wrote the melody from just soloing over the tune over and over again. Kind of like the Charlie Parker method, creating melody from improvisation. Jordan, Dino and I take solo's on this one along with a drum solo by Casey Schereuerell. This is pretty much the first time on all my 3 recordings that i use a clean sound. yikes!

Crucial Choices

I had my 2 sons in mind in naming this tune. It's all about the choices we make and how they effect our lives especially in the teen years which my oldest son Gianni is and Marco is close behind. The song is in 7/4. Mike does a great job with it, I love the drum solo he played after my solo. The song mainly uses 7#5 and maj7#5 colors. Also, Daniel McClain adds his amazing voice to the melody and then we overdubbed his voice in the B Section to outline the chords. Dino plays some nice lines in the outro to end this piece.

Bye Bye Mila

Mila was a family dog who died from getting hit by a car, what a sad tragedy. So this song is for her. This is a Bossa Nova groove with the main colors being -7b5's. Dino and I take solos and we go out with the head! There's the clean guitar sound again.

Second Half

This song is all about turning and forty and realizing that life is pretty short. Hopefully I have learned enough where I won't make some of the same mistakes that I made in the first half of life. The melody of this song is based around a Dominant Pentatonic scale and the harmony is based around the colors of 7sus 4's. Jordan plays a real nice synth solo on this one and I follow him with a guitar solo then back to the head!

Behind the Veil

This tune is in the style of a Brazilian Baione. At least that's what Drummer Casey Schereuell told me. I thought it was just a plain old latin thing but he corrected me on that one. The harmonic flow of this song reminds me of the Joe Henderson tune "Inner Urge". Eguie and Casey start this one off with a little percussion Intro. Then the melody comes in the A section. In the B section I sweep a Min7 Arpeggio and move it around to fit the changes that are going by. I play the first solo, then Jordan plays a nice piano solo next. After that, we have Dino smoking it which goes into a Timbale solo by Eguie Castrillo. We are then back in the melody and out!

15 Years

This is a song dedicated to my wife Jennifer. We celebrated 15 years of marriage while I was recording this CD. It is a Ballad with a Bossa flavor. The Harmony is basically Major 7b5 constant structures throughout. I play the melody for the first A section then Dino on the second A section. I then play the melody for the B Section and we both play the melody on the last A. I solo first then Dino and lastly Jordan. Then we go back to the melody.

What's next?

This song is a Jazz swing number. It sort of reminds me a bit of John Coltrane's Impressions. The harmony is based on all Minor 7 chords. I take a solo then Jordan. Joe Santerre plays a masterful solo on this one. Casey then does a nice drum interlude leading back into the melody.

No Divisions

This tune is one of my favorites. the song is in 6/8. Mike opens up with a little drum intro. then the melody is stacked with guitar. Sax, and Daniel McClains voice once again. Danny stacked a bunch of nice harmonies. Then on the last melody out Danny sings a counterpoint line to the melody which I love. Jordan and Dino play awesome solo's that are very emotional and magnetic. I do a little solo in the outro as Mike and I play off of each other into a fade.

Vanishing Mist

This song was written by Jordan and myself. During a session, I just asked Jordan to mess around with whatever chord changes came into his head and he did just that. He fooled around with some things then jotted down the changes. We laid down the synths and called it a day. I then let Danny McClain here it and he suggested that I put an acoustic guitar part on it. So I messed around with it and came up with a melody. This song became the title cut of the CD.

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