Featuring “Stack of 45s,” “Mystery & Wonder,” “Come By Here,” and “Perfect Little Mess.”
Living Room
Featuring “Miracle,” “Crazy Curlyhead (Live),” “Jackson, MS,” and “Stir It Up.”
“Mood Swings” released
September saw the release of a project I began in 2016. The album is called “Mood Swings” and the artist is Larry Wolf, whom I’ve mentioned a few times on this site. He was one of the circle of actors Robert Downey Sr. used for his movies back when Iron Man was just another dog in the “Pound.” It’s mostly a jazz record, with a little bit of Leadbelly. I produced a much of it, played guitar and harmonica, and contributed some BVs. Because Larry is a good actor, he’s such a good musical storyteller. But, this isn’t an actor’s record, this is a seasoned vocalist, digging into the essence of songs you may have heard hundreds of times…or not. Larry also adds some of his own verses and commentary to evergreen standards. What’s gratifying to me is that the reviews have been so positive, with special mentions for the guitar playing in a group with veterans of Jazz artists I’ve admired for years. And if I can share an intimate thought, I did have a moment listening to the rough mixes where I heard myself and felt like I was playing like I’d like to hear someone playing. That may sound silly (and all self-criticism is still close to the surface!), but it’s a wonderful feeling to step into a world and feel like you can do just what you wanted to do within it.
- Take Effect: September 2019: LARRY WOLF WITH FOUR CATS & A CANARY
- Jazz Weekly: August 12, 2019: Reviews: Larry Wolf : Mood Swings
- Michael Doherty’s Music Log: July 29, 2019: CD Review
Scoring “Webs of Compassion”
I wrote music for a film in July of this year. The film is about the caregivers to the people in a transitional living facility. The project is by a photographer turned filmmaker named Rebecca Truszkowski and it’s a subject dear to both of our hearts. Her grandmother, and my mother (not the same woman), both spent a good part of their lives caring for mentally ill homeless. What’s so beautiful about this film is that so many of the current caregivers had been clients at the facility before dedicating their work life to offering others a hand up. The music is clean acoustic guitar that tries to reflect the beauty of those who work so hard to provide a loving place from which to begin again for people who’ve been through some horribly difficult situations.
I can’t show any clips until the distribution is set. But I really loved doing it!
-->“Glad You Stick Around”
Singing and playing is the best part of it all. I miss doing regular shows here in LA. That involves more than just singing and playing, I guess, which explains my reluctance. And recording induces a similar fear of permanent impressions and failures. I didn’t realize until I decided to make this little video today how this song (with my recording struggles with it) was so appropriate for the moment. It makes me giggle at the perfect nuttiness of the universe. But it also makes me happy that the song is true, that music and my connection to playing and writing it is what keeps me going. It always seems to be there when I need it.
So take a look at my studio and listen to one of the songs I’ll be putting out when I feel like it’s ready.
Goodnight from LA.
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