“Gratitude” written by Alyse
I penned this piece during a New Year's music writing retreat at the Krishnamurti Center in Ojai, California. The music embodies the serene atmosphere of the retreat, where I connected with nature and my spiritual self, surrounded by beauty.
“What if” written by Robert
It's a song about possibilities.
“Your light” written by Robert
Because I'm not great with words, I was trying to tell Alyse how I felt about her, with music.
“Distance Between Us” written by Alyse
Written following my relocation from the East Coast to the West Coast, leaving my family behind for the first time. Despite the physical distance, a strong bond remains, and they are only a phone call away.
“Tuesday's child” (title track) written by Robert
On one of my first dates with Alyse, it came up in conversation that we were both born on a Tuesday. We thought that was kind of special. Do you know what the odds are that any two people in the world will be born on the same day? It's actually one in seven, not nearly as special as we thought. I told that story to Alyse's father, and he said "what's more interesting and impressive, is that two people both actually know what day they were born on." This the first song that I wrote for Alyse.
“Winter” written by Alyse
Having relocated from Miami, Florida, to California, I experienced my first blustery and snowy winter (yes, in California.) This inspired “Winter,” a dark and moody piece that emerged during a contemplative practice session.
“Blue Jack” written by Robert
A song I wrote for my favorite uncle, uncle Jack. He was a real music lover and super supportive of me my entire life. He was a baker by trade and I have very fond memories of working for him in his bakery in one of my teen summer breaks. He came to so many of my gigs through the years, and I always loved seeing him there, along with his son, my cousin Howard, who continues the tradition. This is one of those songs that came to me fully formed while I was driving. It was so clear and powerful, that I had to pull to the side of the road and sing the melody into my phone. I just added the chords and made some slight modifications when I sat at the piano. Those ares my cousins Howard and Phyllis (his two kids) providing the finger snaps.
“Vivian's Danzón” written by Robert
Written for my sister Vivian. Composed recently during a time we were visiting her at her home in Portland, Oregon. She is not Cuban, but the song is written in the style of a Cuban Danzón, and meant to express her vivacious and dramatic personality.
“Ruby's Dream” written by Robert
I used to attend a yoga class with a very cool lady amed Ruby. One morning before class, as we were all stretching out on our mats, Ruby came over and said "You're a musician, right?" Yes, I answered. "And do you play the piano?" I responded that I'm not really a piano player, but I do use the piano for composing and arranging. "And do you have a piano?" I answered by telling her about the funky old World War II era upright piano that I had, but because of the war, the soundboard was made of aluminum (not steel) so the darn thing would not stay in tune. She responded "well I'm asking because I have this beautiful 1926 Knabe grand piano that we had purchased to give my children piano lessons, and at some point they grew out of being interested in playing the piano. So I've had it in storage for the last few years. You're going to think this is really strange (as we hardly knew each other,) but I had a dream last night that I gave you this piano and that it made you very happy." Needless to say, I was taken aback and actually blown away by this incredibly generous offer from a woman that I barely knew. Long story short, I thought about what I would do were I in her position, if I had a beautiful instrument that was not being played, and concluded that I would do the same thing as she. That said, I accepted her very generous offer.
The first song that I wrote on her piano, was “Ruby's dream.”