(Thanks B.T.)

‘Rejoice’ is a bookend to the piece ‘Storm’s A-Comin’ that I wrote at the beginning of the COVID pandemic. Two years later, the ‘storm’ appeared to have passed and we were all cautiously optimistic that the disease would no longer rule our lives. It was a joyous realization! I came across a piece by the great jazz pianist, Billy Taylor (B.T.) also called ‘Rejoice’ and I found my inspiration for this piece; a way to express that joy and sense of relief of surviving the pandemic. So, thanks, B.T.!!

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(BEM’s Lament)

How do you acknowledge the loss of a parent? It took me 2 years, after the passing of my Father, before I could fully express that loss. The theme of this piece is a lament but also a celebration of his life. 

My Father was a horseman, naturalist, and avid birdwatcher, as well as an amateur jazz piano player. And, most memorably, he never forgot his childhood dream of being a cowboy on the western prairie. 

During his final years, there was a particular bird call that seemed to follow me wherever I was walking. I always felt comforted by its song. My father helped me identify that songbird: a White-Throated Sparrow. So now, when I hear its song, I know my dad is still with me….and always will be. The ‘loping’ left hand melody speaks to his cowboy dreams of ambling across the plains on his beloved horse, Billy.

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Nothing like cruisin’ through nature on a sunny day. This piece was written in honor of my son’s 35^th birthday and his deep affection for all things mountain-bike related.