At a tender age I began to notice how music influences our lives and manages to provide resonant platforms for the expression of one's inner life. From my earliest days I found both the beauty of voice and the textures of instrumental music to be richly evocative of the intangible characteristics of the human spirit. Perhaps these ideas came about as I listened to my grandfather play his violin or improvise upon the piano for hours on end. My grandparents had a vintage Stromberg-Carlson radio (powered by vacuum tubes) which I listened to regularly and quickly learned to love. Here were the textures of Classical music, European folk music, Broadway melodies, film soundtracks and popular music, all brought to life in a high-ceiling room.
Time-Lapse to the Present Age
Always I will be grateful for these early reflections on music, as these memories continue to shape the call of the musician upon the study and practice of his art. Hearing my grandfather invent new worlds of music so many years ago still inspires me today as I play the accordion. I never realized the staying power of music until I took up the instrument again after a long absence (from 1965-1999). That small seed which once was given life has now blossomed into a fragrant garden of formidable delight. So that is the embrace and the passion of a lifelong endeavor, a soulful dialogue I like to call The Caress of Music.