There’s always something exciting about announcing a new project of original music, and that’s the exact purpose of this entry today. For the last several years, I have been heavily involved in writing pieces that have been more heavily orchestrated and embellished in terms of instrumentation than in the past. However, I felt it was high time that I get back to what I call the ‘roots’ of my writing, which for me is lyrical solo piano music.

I have had the ideas in my head and heart for this release for a long time. One day, while I was driving to work, I got this picture in my head of an album cover. And on the album cover, you see a pianist, or rather, the pianist’s feet, while he or she is sitting at the piano. From the attire of the individual, you would think they are playing a formal event, and the tone of the evening would be one of hushed silence and little talking. From the vantage point of the photograph, one can make out both feet of the performer, and on one foot, a shiny black formal dress shoe, but on the other, a fuzzy rainbow-colored sock like the stockings you might find on a birthday clown.

And with that idea in my head, the idea for “Whimsy” was born. With the release of “Your Song” aside, it has been nearly four years since the release of my first solo piano album, and I wanted to get back to the roots of what I feel is the nature of my music. My first songs, while primitive in nature, were full of joy and in some ways, a sense of tomfoolery.

While it is not my desire to recreate the feeling of my first release, I do want to capture that spirit of imagination and sense of ‘fun’ that was present in some of my earlier work. And that, for me, is where “Whimsy” comes in. “Whimsy” is meant to be an album full of laughs, endless summer days, cups of coffee with old friends, smiles on faces, and lovebirds. It will be, I hope, everything magical about this everyday world we live in.

And so, it is with great honor that I announce that this new project will be released on October 5, 2010. It will consist of 12-13 new pieces, and perhaps a few live pieces thrown in for extra measure. And along the way, we will be doing a lot of fun things to get ready for this album, including collaborative YouTube projects, a fall concert tour, and many other surprises along the way.

To kick things off, I want to invite you, the listener, to partake of one of the early pieces I recorded with this project in mind. It is a waltz (and I have always felt like 3/4 was a more natural time signature for me) called “The Dreamers.” To quote my liner notes for this piece

“Children are a very big part of my life. From teaching piano to children, to spending time with my nieces, nephews and the children of my friends, there is something innocent, pure and magical about childhood. And for some reason, waltzes always remind me of lazy days as a kid, letting my imagination run wild and seeing what new adventure waited over the horizon.

This song is for children everywhere, and for the child within each one of us.”

We are only at the very beginning of this project, but I hope you will take some time to join me throughout its evolution. Please feel free to come by and listen to the music as often as you like, spread the word, and join me here at Heartspark for a little bit of our own “Whimsy.”

Yours in Music, as in Life.