All In All (2020)

I composed the music for All In All during the last two weeks of December, 2019, and the first week of 2020. It was one of the most fertile periods I can remember. I wrote every morning and night, and ended up with 20 new compositions. I picked my favorite dozen for this project, and added my arrangement of a joyous gospel classic, Soon and Very Soon. It’s no secret that musicians are often propelled by the Sturm and Drang of their times. The angst of the last few years compelled many of us to speak out, to write and play with the big picture in mind, and also to remember how lucky we are to do what we do. I hope you’ll listen from start to finish with open ears, and remember Thomas Carlyle’s lovely homage to our chosen profession:”Music is well said to be the speech of angels; in fact, nothing among the utterances allowed to man is felt to be so divine. It brings us near to the infinite.”

All In All features Portland veterans Clay Giberson (piano, B3, rhodes, synthesizer), Bill Athens (acoustic bass), and Micah Hummel (drums and percussion).