In February of 2014, I booked a recording studio and traveled to cold and overcast Poland to collaborate on a recording with NeoQuartet from Gdańsk. I didn’t have to do it in February. I could have easily waited till April or May when the temperatures would be warmer and the skies less dreary, but I was eager to set the project in motion and bought a pair of snow boots.
On the day my flight was supposed to take off from Asheville into Charlotte, a big snowstorm paralyzed all interstate and air travel. A few international flights were still taking off from the Charlotte Douglas International Airport after proper de-icing, including my Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt, but I had no way of getting there. Luckily, my trip was rebooked for the following day and I arrived in Poland with only a short delay. And with no snow in sight, I wore my heavy snow boots for nothing.
The collaboration with the NeoQuartet was inspiring and exhilarating but focused and intense. With only a couple of rehearsals and a handful of days in the recording studio, as the album’s producer, I made every minute count. There was no option to reschedule, to delay, or to hesitate. There was no room for error. I was determined to leave with a superb recording, and this, thanks to the amazing artistry of the ensemble, I did.
Today is the 8th anniversary of the release of my album Glossolalia and I marvel at the paths my music has taken since then. Next week, “Is Now Not Enough?”, the opening track from the album, in my arrangement for string orchestra, will be played at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. as a part of the New York City Ballet performance of “Suspended Animation” choreographed by Sidra Bell. I will be leaving my snow boots at home this time.
Link to the recording: Glossolalia
