Day 3 - The Storm

Our party, engulfed by a monstrous storm, must decide whether to press on or go back.

‘Providence’

“The danger of an adventure is worth a thousand days of ease and comfort.” – Paulo Coelho

Every journey faces a defining moment. When one is balanced on the razor’s edge. In this moment, advance or retreat are the only options.

This song was written in an interesting way. I took the words of a nineteenth century sea captain’s letter and set the words to music, then removed the words.

In the letter, the captain spoke of being caught in a great storm and how only ‘Providence’ could save them. Now, I’m not overly spiritual, but something about this spoke to me. It is a good thing to be humbled in the face of nature, after all, we exist because of it, and not the other way around.

Although this song tends to sound ‘free’, it does have a very solid structure. In my arrangement, the song is to start quietly and build continuously, each element collectively improvising, growing in intensity, like an epic storm. It finally resolves with the melody at the end and dissipates, receding back from where it came.

Bonus Material!

Below is a podcast interview I did at my favorite recording studio, Rittenhouse Soundworks. I’ve recorded and performed there many times, actually my record ‘Voice = Power’ was recorded there.

Anyway, this interview was conducted by founder of RSW and master percussionist Jim Hamilton and music journalist Thomas Hagan. It was a super fun hang and inspired me to start my own podcast, which you can check out below.