My favorite book is "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein. Where I grew up, in Kindergarden we would sit in circles singing Joni Mitchell songs....as I continue to learn, so much of who we are, what we see, what we are blind to, and what we believe to be possible is deeply rooted in the beginning of our journeys....this of course is nothing new, it just feels more and more real to me as I go further through my life, my yearnings, and the adventure of what it is to be alive in OUR time, with these people...with music. There are also moments in our lives that forever change our paths, our purpose...there are people in our lives that do not merely walk by us in the wake of our shadows. It all matters...and it all hurts...and it all, every piece of what it is to BE, blows my mind every day.....so I write...so I open the window and sit in the hazy gaze of the midnight black with my bare feet sliding on the cold wood floor of my living room and I curl over the piano to try and make sense of it all. Maybe, sometimes its not supposed to make sense, or maybe it is. I hope the music and my passion for it will speak for itself and that you are thankful for letting me be a small piece of your life. That means something to me, beyond the success of what may come my way, all that has come so far....in the end it is about the music, the unexpected connection, the occasional fumbling moments of clarity, the longing and the ache, the raw and the glory....and most of all, the comfort in daring to question the questions that speak to us. I dont need to state all I have done, or where i have played and how long and how blah blah...just let this moment be enough....at least thats what I try and tell myself....Come to a concert. Let me see your eyes as I sing, and maybe Ill let you see mine...and for a moment, well, you just never know....you just never know...the only thing I know....you know?? There is so much more to come...Peace, JAKE