Now the flute music and other goodies are available on reverbnation.com.  I like the community feel of this site and have been working to update it with the latest information for you.

Here is the ReverbNation “widget”

I feel like I am on a journey of healing and discovery, and the flute is at once my guide and the stage. For some reason that seems both familiar yet undefined, I never question that when I lift the flute to my lips, that something that is meaningful to me will come out. I don’t fight it; I don’t edit out the unusual sounds that the flute or I may make in the studio. I let it all stay in the track. I guess that since the Peruvian shaman, Don Francisco first touched me with his medicine bundle in ceremony, I feel that is not for me to judge the melodies that have come forth in a constant stream of (un)consciousness since.

At first, I thought it was important to fill every silence with some attempt at virtuosity. I have since abandoned all expectations of any particular outcome and I admit that often I am as moved in the silence as I am by the notes.

These recordings were made after I made a trip through the Mojave Desert. I found a large group of people in ceremony around a fire there. These were people in various stages of learning how to let go of the stories that bind them stiffly in a particular role in life (e.g. “i am an engineer). As I watched them approach the fine in silent prayer, I realized that sooner or later, we all have to face a fire – a fire that burns away our protective stories until and essential layer is exposed.

Fire Ceremony in the Mojave Desert

I hope you enjoy these melodies; may they help you to … face the fire!

Listen to the album by clicking here.

The Return to Joshua Tree album has been a favorite on iTunes since its release in March, 2009. This year, two of the tracks have found their way to Hollywood. “Dry Lake” was placed in NBC’s Outsourced series in the “Mama Sutra” episode. And “Song of the Sand (Distant Sands)” was placed in Owen Wilson’s “Hall Pass.”

The Native American flute is a magical instrument. It is said that once a part of your life, it will lead you on a journey – a journey of the unexpected. It is an instrument of self-discovery, taking the player to places that reside in the deep subconscious.

Fledgling flautists will delight in playing arpeggios and riffs full of embellishments and notes. But as the newness of the instrument wears off, a personal style may emerge – a style that reflects echoes of the player’s memories, visions and emotions.

For me there was a breakthrough in style. I became aware that often the silences between the notes had just as much (if not more) content than the musical notes that I was playing. In fact, the silences seemed to define the notes. So I began to embrace the silences. I also began to appreciate the sounds that the flute and flautist make together as the melodies take shape. So I made no attempt to edit or diminish the sounds of my breath, the tap of the fingers as they cover flute holes or the squeaks that the instrument makes from time-to-time.

On these recordings, you will experience the flute without accompaniment. Listen to the silences and the sounds that occur adjacent to the notes as part of the musical experience. I hope you enjoy these melodies played on the Native American style flute as much as I did making them.

From its discovery, the Native American style flute has been considered an instrument of the heart. It is tuned to the natural sounds of the earth, it has the ability to reach deep inside the soul and stop time.

I try to make the approach to this instrument my own. I think most people who start out playing this wonderful instrument will attempt to copy the songs of Native musicians. I think this is a great way to not only appreciate the range of the instrument, but also to honor and respect the origins of the flute.

But a natural transition will take place once the flute is mastered – it can’t help but happen. The melodies will begin to reflect the life’s journey of the player. This happened to me. It was a subtle shift from Native-sounding sounds to improvisations which seemed to flow from the visualizations that were uniquely mine. And this is the magic of the
instrument. It facilitates the ability to see deeply into the player’s heart and share the emotions of a lifetime.

In the this album, I have presented the flute without pretense and without other sound effects – just the flute in moments of deep contemplation and sentiment. I wanted to let the flute take the listener to a place where my heart was
… laid bare.

You can listen to Laid Bare on

Bandcamp
CDBaby, and/or
iTunes