The idea that the creation of an infinite number of melodies is attainable from just 12 tones has always fascinated me. Additionally, I find it intriguing that folk music, the traditional music of the people in a country or region, is strikingly analogous in its raw melodic content despite developing in relative isolation to one another over hundreds of years. As I composed the music for this album, I had the idea of folk melodies in mind: minimal but not minimalistic - simple but not simplistic - miniature melodic moments; specifically crafted for skilled improvisers to instantly absorb and interpret. Apart from the composed melodic content, this music was fully improvised without frameworks or forms.
The melodies set the tone for group improvisation. “Heaven Above” is the only exception, in which the improvisations occur within a circular form over a predetermined harmonic sequence and tempo.
John, Michael and I have been playing together for several decades resulting in a deep, nearly telepathic, musical connection.