Album Notes

AMRAP, the title track on the CD, takes its name from the Cleveland suburb of Parma, Ohio. Amrap is Parma spelled backwards. The reference to the river, the flats, and the tower are all taken from Cleveland area landmarks. The Cuyahoga River, the waterfront, and the Terminal Tower each have their own stories to tell.

“Partying all night long with your white socks on” is my story. Parma is a small Polish community just south of Cleveland. A young teen growing up in North Central Ohio in the 60’s wouldn’t be caught dead in a pair of Parmas (white socks with red and blue stripes at the top). It was a sure sign that you were going to get a good razzing from the guys, if not a good old fashion ass kicking if you couldn’t take care of yourself. So the white socks made it into the lyrics as a tribute to all the white sock wearers around the world. Viva La Parma!

When writing “AMRAP,” I looked back to the great musicians playing in the area at that time. The verse “Back with my old friend Joe, back home in Ohio” (Joe Walsh with James Gang) just puts a perspective on the great quality of the music writing and performing experienced in the area during that time. At least, what I can remember of it.

So tap your foot to the beat and enjoy this “Funk 49” revisited number as The Blue Note Project pays tribute to Joe and the boys in “AMRAP.”

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Growing up in North Central Ohio, Chet Atkins’ name was synonymous with the guitar. Belonging to the decade of the 60’s, my friends and I were paying more attention to the rock guitar idols of that time and only had a slight appreciation for other guitar playing styles.

A guitar extraordinaire from Central Ohio and good friend, Pat Wasseman, performed a song for me that he learned from “dropping the needle” on Chet Atkins’ records. He played it note-for-note and my appreciation grew from curiosity to a full-on respect for Chet Atkins and the “Travis finger style.” Moreover, I was in total awe of how Chet Atkins had orchestrated an entire base, chord, and melody into one complete technical setting.

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“Billy Hill” is a fictional story about a country boy who grows up poor, but has a special musical gift for the guitar. The story takes him from birth in the hills (Tennessee) to fame and the top billing on the marquee: “Tonight, Playing Billy Hill.” This is a tribute and a simple thank you to a true American icon, “Mr. Guitar.” Thank you for the gentleman you were and for all you have done for the guitar and the ongoing musical inspiration you have provided us.

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Gary Stevenson, a good and dear friend of mine, lived in North East Ohio during the school year. He spent his summers in Central Ohio playing in a band with my brother Tom and I in The Second Coming. We would play our summer parties and then Gary would go back home to Warren, Ohio. He would tell me about a band from nearby Youngstown, Ohio, called The Glass Harp with this incredible guitarist named Phil Keaggy.

I first experienced guitarist Phil Keaggy and The Glass Harp when I was fifteen and there was no looking back. The Glass Harp was a staple of rock music virtuosity that we got to experience on a regular basis in the area. They recorded three albums at Electric Ladyland Studios from 1970 through 1972 letting the world in on their little secret. Of course, being of this musical caliber, next on the agenda was Carnegie Hall, which they performed in 1972. It may be folklore, but I’d like to believe it, Phil Keaggy was heard to have said, “Boys, we’re going to big town,” when finding out about the Carnegie Hall performance.

The Blue Note Project is proud to dedicate “Going To Big Town” to The Glass Harp and all the other bands who took a chance and whose musical journey took them to “Big Town.”

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From the phone booth that served as Michael J. Fox’s phone line, while he waited for his star to shine, to the West Hollywood club scene with the Viper Room, The Roxy, and The Whisky, “Crusin’ Sunset” takes you on a musical ride in the Southern California sunshine on the world’s famous “Sunset Boulevard.”

The musical idea came while driving down Sunset and taking in the sights and sounds of the boulevard. It’s amazing how much entertainment history is packed into one square mile on the boulevard. Capitol Records is one block away up on Vine, where four lads turned the music world upside down, while the Roosevelt Hotel sits just to the North where Marilyn Monroe’s famous photo shows her leaning out of the hotel’s window waiving to her adoring fans.

So sit back and take a ride with the The Blue Note Project down Sunset Boulevard as we’re “Crusin’ Sunset” in the endless summer.

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The “Blusion” format of original songs provides a high-energy performance that is not to be missed. Enjoy.