What's Goin' On?

This week's reading...... as some of you may have guessed, I don't watch much TV at all, but I try to read a couple of books a week.... these 2 books are a historical recollections that occur during World War II.... The "Nightingale" deals with the French resistance in Paris and "Beneath a Scarlet Sky" deals with the same subject in Milan, Italy...... one through the eyes of a young women, and the other with a young man........ It is interesting to note what these people suffered and sacrificed through this period of Fascist rule in Europe....... what our country is dealing with today is nothing in comparison to what this generation endured, yet I find many parallels to events unfolding in our country and the world. It gives me a better understanding how citizens can be coerced and brainwashed to do unimaginable things for their leaders. Those who know the history of the War, have heard of the Vichy-French government turning on its own people, as well the Mussolini fascist army that failed in North Africa, only to be brought back to Italy to be replaced by the Nazi's....... The point is that the people in these countries believed their governments and were tricked into submission by fear and repression of the free press........ yet through the horror, there were some who resisted and sought to put themselves above the politics and false information to fight for restoration and a return to normality....... a righteous path for those with the courage to see that they were in this together and that they would not survive without the bond of compassion and action. "Logic clearly dictates that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” ...... Yes I remember that quite clearly from the '60's......... but how far have we fallen from those aspirational goals???? and can we as a nation ever meet today's challenges as those of the "Greatest Generation" did in their time ??? We owe a lot to them for the opportunities we had growing up in the post war era. Change begins within and it may take one person at a time to realize we all live on this planet together...... or not at all.... rs 05.17.2020

Numero Group and R.Slap join forces !!!

I have just signed with the Numero Group to release a retrospective collection of my original music from the period 1986-1996. The 5 music albums are all instrumental tracks and range from jazz/fusion, soundtracks to meditative new age.

A little background about the Numero Group:

In the growing noise of the so-called reissue field, The Numero Group remains distinct in its quality: deeply researched, expertly resuscitated and lavishly packaged box sets, playlists and ephemera of historic music from the 1950s-1990s. Founded in Chicago in 2003 by Rob Sevier and Ken Shipley, for more than 15 years Numero has committed to unearthing precious lost sounds for new audiences, with an unparalleled ear for potential and spirited eye for detail.

I am very thankful to be working with this group dedicated to preserving and presenting various forms of rare and eclectic music that did not fall into mainstream/pop commercial categories.

Released in 1986, this music was inspired from my travels to Teotihuacan to visit the pyramids of the sun and moon while walking the avenue of the dead. A very introspective and intimate musical journey. This was my first attempt to improvise an entire album and I was very surprised how it turned out.

5 years later in 1991 I released my second collection of Atlantis themed music. This was based upon the ancient healing power of music, meditation and self actualization. It also contains some very nuanced tonality as my musical palette expanded over the years.

I originally created this as the soundtrack for Valley of the Sun's Video hypnosis series.  It was then released on CD in 1989 as an extended 60 minute version for meditation, yoga, healing and prayer. I was trying to create a spiritual, uplifting sound that would captivate the listener and draw them up into the realm of higher consciousness. This has been very popular with therapists, hospitals, churches, massage and yoga centers.

Collaborating with my dear friend Steve Powell, this collection is an upbeat, driving set of tunes that draw upon jazz, rock, world, and fusion. Also featured on this recording is Bray Ghiglia on flute and Dominic Buscemi on guitar. Released in 1990, it did not do well with the fans of my previous "New Age" style releases. However, it did do well on TV with spots on the Leeza Gibbons show and Playboy TV network. This was the transition period where I was moving into film scoring and serious composing and away from new age and pop music.

I wrote most of this music in 1993 for the ITV video documentary about Takemusu Aiki, who founded the martial arts technique of Aikido. I loved delving into the sounds of oriental and eastern music for this, blending with more modern arrangements. I then compiled this into an album format and released this as my last album for Valley of the Sun in 1995. Featured on this recording is Bray Ghiglia on sax and flute.

"Every dog has it's day"