Album Notes

All Through The Night was produced with one main goal in mind: To provide serene, calming music for relaxing, effortless listening. Because of the abundance of loud, repetitive sound in our busy world, I have always wanted to create the most peaceful music available anywhere. Julie and I started with the simple goal of providing peaceful lullabies for children and grandchildren. The end-product has resulted in a quality classical recording for the listeners of all ages to help reduce stress, lift spirits, lower blood pressures and help lull little ones into a peaceful slumber.

With the motives of sleeping, lullabies and stress relief, I sought out to create the most whispering, relaxing sound that can be produced on the flute. I chose a 54-year-old vintage Powell flute for this recording to achieve this goal. These prized older flutes are highly sought after for their airy, hollow-sounding timbres that also possess multiple overtones. They also give amazing flexibility, and allow the sound to be colored in the unique ways that Kurt Bestor was trying to imitate (i.e. mimicking the sounds of breathing, water flowing, wind blowing and other tonal colors). You may notice that by adjusting the volume, different sound moods are created. I always recommend flute music to be listened to softly. In the case of this CD, a quiet, ethereal sound is heard at low volume. At a higher volume, the rich tonal quality and overtones can be heard. Modern flutes are more fixed and rigid in their sound and don't offer this coloring flexibility.

In the similar manner to the flute parts, Kurt styled the harp passages with both classic themes as well as the sounds of nature. It is easy to be fooled by the effortless sound in Julies playing. The demanding chords and constant running along multiple octaves that Kurt put her through were quite challenging. Julie was able to pull this off seamlessly given her level of expertise. Wind, ocean, and trickling streams are just some of the sound moods that Kurt masterfully built into her part and which Julie executed beautifully.

All of the music was arranged exclusively for this CD by Emmy-award-winning composer Kurt Bestor, who for over 20 years has composed an incredible variety of music in a myriad of styles and genres. The amazing results speak for themselves and stand as a unique example of Kurt's diverse talents. I love the mystique and color Kurt brings to all his arranging. All Through the Night is no exception, yet his ability to stay within the classic parameters required by each song is evident. Disney requested a copy of our Stay Awake, and really liked what they heard.

Photographer Mark Mabry provided the CD jacket photography and digital art. Mark's work has been seen in person by over nearly a million people throughout Canada, New Zealand, and much of the United States. I feel that Mark was able to make All Through the Night the most eye-catching CD cover on the rack. He was also able to capture the mystique of childhood, lullabies and the theme of "night" into one cozy, magical package.

Recording by: Aaron Hubberd (Counterpoint Studios, SLC) and Michael Greene (Rotosonic Sound, SLC). All of the mixing was performed at Rotosonic Sound. Digital Mastering: Performed by Kenny Hodges, Kenny Hodges Productions, SLC.

Producing All Through the Night was definitely a labor of love. We hope you receive as much joy listening to it as we did in producing it.

Steve