What better way to celebrate spring than to witness the birds whistling their songs as they flutter by in the warm sunshine? This piece started as bass line, and with its development, I realized it was a throw back to Beethoven. Again. I combined pieces of my classical training with my love of steel pan, reggae, and dub, and finally made good on an idea I had long ago: Flute floating the reggae bubble. Enter Sean Arawjo, who overlayed the tweet of birds and the breath of the wind on the sunshine that is reggae music.

I first heard Sean on recordings with Matt Wixson, who was kind enough to suggest him when I failed miserably at keeping my tone consistent. I was mesmerized by Sean's talent, creativity, and how he views music. I don't know Sean personally, but from my brief interactions with him over the past few days, I have no reason to believe anything other than he's the nicest guy... educated, expressive, extremely talented, musically proficient, on point as a collaborator, artistically experimental when needed, dedicated to his craft...and for hire at www.seanarawjo.com

TRACKS:
01. Ode to Spring • A reggae improvisation on steel pan and marimba, with flute undertones, and little homages to Beethoven
02. Smile, Earth • Improvised by Sean Arawjo.
03. Air on a New Spring • A brief homage to Bach, with heavy focus on flute and real wild birds making music in nature.
04. Ode to Riddim • Stripped down backing rhythm track for... whatever.

It’s an honor and a privilege to create music. Music transcends borders and boundaries of location, time, and culture. Digging deep into music is learning about these histories and cultures. I want to pay respect to the chain of sonic creators before me. My steel pans were crafted in the 1990s by Trinidadian master builder/tuner Dr. Ellie Mannette and are still maintained by his long-term apprentice Chanler Bailey. The musical melting pot that inspires me includes genres and sounds blended from multiple regions - Trinidad, of course, followed closely by Jamaican reggae and ska, often interwoven with global influence from far and wide. I rely heavily on improvisation in my process: composition, recording, and performance. Technology has advanced the exchange of information in such a rapid way that we can learn and build together rapidly from around the globe. Music travels, develops, transforms, and returns. Recording is a spotlight on a single moment of this process - a single moment that we’ve often taken the time to revisit and redevelop. I am not trying to be another musician, but like any creator, my output is limited to ideas that stem from whatever input and experience I’ve gained along the way through life. Creating through this lens of experience is one of the ways I enjoy life. I urge you not just to listen to music, but to hear and experience music. Let the sounds influence your vibe. Travel. Develop. Transform. Be inspired. Inspire others. Create and enjoy art.