For the last day or so, I've felt compelled to try and post something here to corroborate what Miles has said on the subject of why I was the only ex-Beulah to not participate in his soon to be released solo record. I plopped something up here only to delete it and start over.

Let me simply say that I concur 100% with what he has said, there are no hard feelings, we do stay in touch (I still manage the Beulah site, for one, and there's always the subject of the Packers v. Steelers or Giants v. A's to fall back on), I just didn't feel like participating at that particular point in time which, according to my recollection, was a decision made way back in September of 2005 with no rhyme or reason other than it felt better to sit out and see what he could do with calling up some other horn players from the farm. I was feeling kind of spent back then and had a sense that I would do a half-assed job, perhaps a parody of myself ending up on the cutting room floor? As usual, being too hard on myself I suppose. I seem to forget that we moved to Santa Clara around that time too, so that might have had something to do with it. The fog of too many glasses of red? Quite possibly that, too.

Anyway, I'm very interested, like everybody else, in what the result is going to be. It's kind of fun that way. And I'm sure it will be great, and I'll bet I'll be jealous that I didn't take part. But...I am happy to know that Steve LaFollette has plugged back in, he's an amazing musician, and very much underrated. His impact was all over Heartstrings and Coast and didn't always get a lot of credit since he played the bass onstage. He played some wonderful piano for the Bye Bye Blackbirds record I helped out with more recently and was very patient hanging in there through some technical issues we had on that particular day.

Also, Eli is the man. I can't think of anything he's not good at, unless he hasn't had his morning cup of coffee (then he's useless and irritable). First rate engineer, first rate bass player, easy to work with, quick on the draw, great translator, able to eschew the pretensions that many of his peers in the graduate musical program no doubt exude (akin to how I chose to write this sentence, perhaps?), and on and on. Roger Moutenot probably put it best: "It's great to work with a band with a member who knows how to 'op a tape."

As for Miles records, I imagine I'll be back around sooner or later in one form or another (tambourine or triangle?). But all of my attention now is focused on the birth of our first child in October, and I'm not taking on any new musical projects now other than the occasional one off, and likely trumpet, since there seems to be more of a demand for that and trumpets are easy to carry. Old debts are almost paid off and new responsibilities are soon to follow. Time for all of that, work, family time as well as time to unwind, is the most precious of all.