Liner Notes
Moita
Moita was composed in 1976, after I spent a week aboard a beautiful sailing yacht docked in Antibes, France, on the Mediterranean Sea. This is however, the first performance and recording of this piece, that hopefully evokes the calming nature of the sea.
Mashabito
I originally composed this music as a relaxation piece for my wife Erica to be played during the delivery of our daughter Reesa in 1984. Then, when she was getting ready to marry Mark Morabito, Mark’s mom asked me to give her some music for the slide show she was creating of photos of Mark and Reesa as they grew from birth through childhood to the adults they had become. So I re-arranged and re-recorded the piece for that slideshow, then released that on my Mashine Music record “Seasons.” Here it is re-worked yet again, at a slower tempo, more gradually unfolding, and with less of a rock edge than I had used for the Seasons release. it is very different indeed, and more in keeping with the original nature of its creation – relaxation.
Nursery Wonders
This was composed for my grandson Avery Frinzl, one morning when he was visiting us at our home in Massachusetts. I was playing a little 3 chord arpeggio on my guitar and he was sitting still, enrapt with the sound. So I decided to expand the concept to be a serenade to sleep for all my grandchildren. It was originally released as a short piece on the Mashine Music “Seasons” album, but here is totally reworked, expanded in length and orchestration into a fantasy piece to help relax and calm…
Alone – Inuk
Alone was composed in 2009 when I was recovering from the first time I fractured my spine, and recorded for my 2010 release “Decades,” by Mashine Music. Here it is totally reconceived, inspired by a beautiful new instrument created by my good friend Robert Godin of Godin Guitars. The Inuk is an 11-stringed instrument, much like the Oud, but with steel strings and a haunting sound that draws me to my Semitic roots, and this piece evolved from a drone and Inuk improvisoation to bring in the theme from Alone completely reconceived in a middle-Eastern mode. I hope you enjoy this one!
‘RoundArounditGoes
This piece emerged from an improvisation that I did with my good friend Joe Zobkiw. We went around and around with looping guitar improvisations that Joe captured on the fly, and manipulated in real-time, inspiring new improvisations, and on and on it went until this piece was hatched. This also inspired the next project by Stefan – watch for more on that one – “Variations on Themes by Zobkiw.”
Changing Weather Patterns
This started out as a few different short patterns of notes, entered into a sequencer then developed over time into a multi-phased composition that evoked the sound of a storm, becoming a nice sunny respite before returning into a storm. Close your eyes and watch the weather change.
Getting Better
This was composed after I had broken my back for the second time, in 2018. I had been laid out for a couple months and was starting re-entry with physical therapy, acupuncture, and massage therapy, plus western medical interventions, and was finally beginning to feel like myself again. This experience inspired the Stefan persona to emerge and create this album, and celebrates health and happiness.
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