Album Notes

Heaven and Earth: Contemplations on the Weather, multi-instrumentalist Doug Oreck's first commercially released CD, is a blend of improvised and premeditated music: The first track of each song was partly or completely improvised, while the accompanying tracks are improvisations on the theme of the original track. In their finished form, a listener might envision the songs as having been composed, rehearsed, and performed in a traditional fashion, or one might imagine a live jam by a band of telepathic musicians...

Although Doug enjoys singing, this CD is 100% "lyric-free." It's just the thing for that point in your day when you'd like a break from words.

Another characteristic these songs all share: a relatively relaxed tempo. Even at their liveliest, the songs of Heaven and Earth seem to have a soothing effect – a good accompaniment to a meal or a massage, or even while navigating a frantic freeway.

Doug lives in Santa Cruz, California, where he draws inspiration from redwood forests, oak groves, and the spectacular coastline. The photo on the CD was taken at one of his favorite walking places -- Sunset Beach on the Monterey Bay.