Even though love & passion are primal, essential forces in each of our lives, it is very difficult to treat them in a musical way that does not appear trite or cloying. Fueled by the appreciation I have for having my wife, Nona Leigh, in my life, I spent many months in research – reading & listening to everything on the subject that I could get my hands on. My goal was to try to capture the process of being in passionate love – the real feelings. I ended up deciding to incorporate the work of 3 others into the album’s 44 minutes. First, I chose a rare Bob Marley song (from his Exodus LP) – one that has been relegated to relative obscurity since his death because it was allegedly written for a woman other than his wife. Then, I decided to take on Al Green‘s dauntingly perfect recording of Let’s Stay Together. Any one who tries to do it like he does is doomed to failure – so I changed it up & tried my best to make it mine. Lastly, I had the idea to plug in a little French poetry from Jacques Prévert. And I wrote 6 new songs of my own.
It was such a fun, charged project to work on, & I drew ideas & energy from all of the inventive friends in my circle. I pulled in drummer/producer Cliff Almond to oversee much of the music. His creativity is so innate & musically pure. My friend photographer Dennis Reiter & I would meet almost weekly for a beer & kick around packaging & presentation ideas. We conceived the limited edition handmade suede & crinoline pillow package – which his sister-in-law Jeanne Skeen designed. We also came up with the idea for a signature logo patterned after a Japanese chop stamp. One of his associates, Cathy Kniess, researched & designed it, & Hiro Ikezi had an actual stamp hand-carved by Masayoshi Miyata for me on his next trip to Japan. My wife Nona was excelling in her creation of Sumi watercolor bamboo, so I chose one of her paintings to grace the cover. Jamie Kim & John Paul Jones of Shadowlight Studios perfected the packaging graphics. It was a real family affair.
finally found a little girl
that fits my fantasies
I try to stay close to her
cause when I’m in her arms
the rhythms of existence
all fall into place
& I am one with the world
free to loose myself
to wander wild in the wilderness
where the waters run cool & the fruit is ripe
& when her lips brush mine
& glaze my mouth with soft sensation
then my cosmos clicks into focus
clear & defined
& I know I know I know
she’s everything I want
& everything I need
This album is dedicated to my wife & soul mate, Nona Leigh.
