Radio Focus Tracks

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St. Louis Blues - "Woody Mankowski's jazz saxophone interjections, my organ and piano work, and the hip bass playing form the core. However, Grammy-winning Paul Nelson's electric guitar is the true centerpiece. The conversational nature of trading solos is grounded in the jazz tradition, but Paul's lead guitar transforms this multi-genre arrangement into a vintage blues piece."

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Eleanor Rigby - "Dark harmonic chord substitutions create tension above the triplet rhythmic bed, my way of expressing the tragic expectation of joy behind McCartney’s lyrics. The emotional eruption during the climax frames the restraint of everything that comes before and after, as often happens in life."

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Take the A Train - "Mercer Ellington (Duke's son) found a draft of Take the "A" Train in a trash can after Strayhorn had discarded it. It soon became the most famous composition to emerge from the historic collaboration between Billy Strayhorn and the Duke Ellington orchestra. The title refers to the then-new "A" subway service that runs through New York City, going at that time from eastern Brooklyn up into Harlem and northern Manhattan."