A Coalescence of Dreams

When we dream, do we really dream alone? Do our dreams intersect such that our interactions are real?

I also chose this as the title for the album because it is, in fact, a coalescence of dreams.
 

 

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A Walk in the Summer Woods

The day is still young, a fresh breeze rattles the new leaves and scatters the old. Endless possibilities. Let's walk.image

Apparition_

Apparition - a) an unusual or unexpected sight or phenomenon; b) a ghostly figure. To me that includes music. The magic of a chance listen or the unexpected creation, arising unbidden. This song arose, unbidden.

Thank you Cynthia, Dennis and Diane for your comments during its arrangement.

 

 

 

 

Desert Sky

Inspired by the movie by Bernardo Bertolucci, this was meant as an alternative sound track to The Sheltering Sky (Paul Bowles). Epic, sweeping and emotive, it is a concatenation of a few simple themes. Each illustrate a different facet of the desert: the stark loneliness, the infinite horizon, the spiritual nurture and the cold night sky.

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Follow The River_

Mary Ingles was 23 and pregnant with her third child when Shawnee Indians attacked her settlement in 1755, kidnapped her and massacred most of the rest. They took her 1000 miles down several rivers to their settlement in Ohio. After her child was born, Mary did the unthinkable: she left behind her child and escaped with virtually nothing. Except a photographic memory of the route along which she had been taken.

Following the rivers, ever mindful of pursuers, she was always on the edge of starvation in this pristine wilderness. She risked everything to return to the ones she loved.

This song is a dedication to her spirit, and to the West Virginia wilderness through which she fled.

Based on the true story: “Follow the River”, by James Alexander Thom.

Cover art/photo: Timothy (The Gauley River in West Virginia on a cold winter day).

 

Lyrics:

 


Follow where the river flows in September
Far away from home
Close your eyes but never fail to remember
You will never be alone...

A cold wind blows, with burning toes, you shiver
A thousand miles alone
As darkness falls, you'll know, to follow the river
Let it take you home...

ending:
Let it take you home!

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Ice Wind

Ice Wind continues the Birka saga (see Birka lyrics), telling the story of a mother and two children fleeing across the frozen windswept lake, illuminated by the firestorm that was once their town. The father remained behind to defend the town and already knew his fate as he helped his family slip unseen under the city walls. The story is what the music tells your heart, the flight, the march and the remorse. And an eternal vigil by the mother that continues to this day.

Lenny Levash played the drums and did the arrangement. Michael Rud played that beautiful guitar at the end. They are true brothers and I thank them from the bottom of my heart.

 

Artwork: WCS-Wildcat

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Miles from Nowhere_

Miles from nowhere; and nowhere to go. A feeling like no other.

Photo: Timothy (SW Bolivia)

 

 

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Mountain Rain

 

A distant echo, thunder rolls
Cools the desert of my soul
Soothes the burning of my pain
Fall down on me, oh Mountain Rain

 

 

 

 

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Oasis of Souls

I tried to convey the feeling of the North African desert and the mysterious oases that punctuate the otherworldly landscape. These are pools of water from an underground aquifer that had somehow reached the surface. Many lie hundreds of miles from any known civilization - how were they found?
Settlements were founded at these sites, sophisticated agriculture developed and trade routes established. The full history of many of these is lost in time but the romance lingers. They represent an island of safety and solace in the hostile desert, a place to quench one's thirst. Surely they must exist for all wandering souls when we find ourselves alone in the spiritual deserts of this universe.

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Road to Hana

Along the northeast shore of the beautiful island of Maui, Hawaii, runs the famous Road to Hana. It's not that Hana is a big destination, rather it is the journey, the road, that makes it famous. Arguably one of the most scenic coastal roads in the world, it passes by a myriad of waterfalls, lush vegetation and a shoreline of black rock and aqua ocean. It was shortly after returning from a trip to Maui that this song appeared to me. I knew immediately what it represented: the famous Road to Hana.

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