I’ve Grown Accustomed to His Face

The next chapter for me in music, I think is also the next chapter for the genre in which I sing: i.e., American Popular Song.

The classics that speak most profoundly to me at this stage of my life are the ones that have been delivered by countless greats including: Ella Fitzgerald, Kurt Elling, Sarah Vaughan, Nat King Cole, Natalie Cole, Diana Krall, Anita O’Day, Antonio Jobim, Billie Holiday, Helen Merrill, Frank Sinatra, Julie London, Johnny Hartman, Carmen Macrae, Astrud Gilberto, Chet Baker, Blossom Dearie, Nancy Wilson, Dakota Staton, to name a few who have inspired me.

These singers not only extraordinarily deliver the music but they go beyond that by owning the lyrics and telling their stories in a truly believable way filtered through their own life experiences and truths. In turn, they represent a profoundly resonate association for the era in which they sing and serve.

IMHO, these songs endure not because they represent one moment in time or because one individual singer did it better than the one before. They endure and will forever withstand the test of time because the themes of which they speak of are eternal themes of humanity - love, loss, pain, healing and growth.

I sing these classics because I need to be connected with the world before me so that I can fully appreciate the world in which I live now. My unwavering passion is rooted in my true love for the totality of the music, including the time and era in which it was born, the composers and lyricists who created the work, the musicians who interpreted and delivered the stories to desiring audiences - including my own relatives from all walks of life and most likely yours - whose souls were all in need of at one time or another and whose souls were more probably likely than not touched by these very same century old notes and poems just as audiences today.

Don’t be mistaken. I am not so bold to think that I have anything particularly new or unique to bring to these tunes. Nope. Nothing that hasn’t always been there or wasn’t there to begin with, long before I entered the scene.

I do, however, think that I bring a level of service to cherished stories that spoke to a particular genre with increased popularity 100 years ago and whose familiar tales continue to speak to our real life 21st century world today.

Ultimately, I most enjoy connecting indiscriminately with the purest and most vulnerable parts of humanity - our souls - through this music. Regardless of what’s going on in our individual worlds, I think our souls are connected during these musical moments. And when it’s working, we are all in synch, and that feels good.

When the conversations taking place on the bandstand between musicians today harken back to similar conversations before now. And the stories shared between us all unfold with live audiences and take on new lives of their own. The music becomes immortal. And. That goodness feels great!

It is ALL OF THIS that comprises what I HAVE GROWN MOST ACCUSTOMED TO, what I need and what I love. ♥️

Greg Goebel “Don’t Explain” EP Studio Project

When it comes to newer sounds and bigger audiences, I trust Greg Goebel, a treasured national musician whose keyboard and arranging skills have been in demand for more than a decade through the US and Europe. His sensitivity to contemporary music, production techniques, and “vibe” were perfect for my next chapter. His Neo-soul, lo-fi, reharmonization treatment of of the music represent a small slice of his brilliance. He knows how to mic and direct a singer, shape tones, mix and master tracks to platinum level studio standards that are relevant and fresh.

To commemorate the launch of our “Don’t Explain” EP Studio Project, the first of our collaborations to see the public eye, I asked studioblue in Portland to capture me singing to the piano track Greg had laid down. This video, planned, edited, graded, and post-produced by Paul K. Ward, is in itself intended as a recognition of the beauty of the song and the importance of the work Greg and I are doing. “One thing I love about the way you sing,” says Paul, “is that you bring a vulnerability to so many of your songs, like you’re singing them for the first time. Greg’s great arrangement and piano tone give room for your voice to connect with listeners. I wanted to capture that in this video.”From my perspective, I feel like Paul’s vision was a success. I hope you enjoy the entire project.