Discography
Explore a collection of original songs, co-writes, and featured tracks spanning multiple genres and collaborations.
My grandkids recently received a rescue dog. This event brought back memories of my first dog. The protagonist of this song is my ‘tío taíno’ (mentioned in “Los Colores Boricua"). I will never know if anyone else in my family would have done the act of quiet heroism that he did that day, expecting no reward (and receiving none).
“Bear Witness” is a duet expressing different but related messages. This 'Blue Version' is a re-imagined, full band arrangement, compared to the original stripped-down piano version. The female voice is at peace but with fear of dying alone. The male voice fears his own mortality and is the one who needs to go through a personal journey during this song.
“Bear Witness” is a duet expressing different but related messages. This is the original stripped-down piano
based arrangement. The female voice is at peace but with fear of dying alone. The male voice fears his own mortality and is the one who needs to go through a personal journey during this song.
“A for Effort” was an exploration to compose a jazz/big band sound. This song gives voice to those who are compelled in a continuous search to explain the inexplicable fundamental nature of our physical reality.
I lived for several months ion the edge of a sugarcane plantation. I remember bleeding from sharp leaves as I ran through the fields and remember chewing sugarcane and discarding the fibrous (bagazo) after sucking the juice. Reading "Terrazo" in high school had a lasting impact and motivated me to compose these lyrics and music. ‘Bagazo Busca Sombra’ is the first song in a trilogy about 'el jíbaro'.
I made my first friends in the neighborhood playing ‘gallitos’ with seeds extracted from the (algarroba) pods of the (algarrobo) tree. It was an important competitive game of the 1960s where kids learned how to win and also to just climb back up the tree to get another pod after losing. Surprisingly, many Puerto Ricans have never heard of ‘gallitos’ and this song is to honor and remember.
"Los Colores Boricua" follows the migration from the island and complex emotions of self-identity that persist. The title speaks to the colors within the extended family of most Puerto Rican families with a common shared experience of heightened self-awareness of skin color only after leaving the island. ‘Los Colores Boricua’ is the final song in our trilogy about ‘el jíbaro’.
This was one of my earliest compositions and I wrote the music and lyrics of this bittersweet birthday song while babysitting grandchildren. Most of us can identify with regret and with the hope of doing better.
The lyrics of “Tango El Fanguito” begin with my memory of seeing the slum when looking out the window before landing at the airport. This area is currently covered by a park and ‘El Fanguito’ can be easily forgotten. Former residents often focus on memories of resilience and sense of community among the families. I wanted to honor those memories. This is the second song in my trilogy of 'el jíbaro'.
"Tomorrow Starts Again" was a conscious effort to write lyrics about the circular nature of war. Although I wrote the music and lyrics well before I saw the film '1917', this magnificently lyrical film definitely influenced my design of the album cover art.
"Banderas de Bayamón" refers to the National Cemetery in Bayamón, PR that is lined with flags. I was inspired to write this song as a tribute to this wonderfully peaceful resting place where my parents are buried. My granddaughters are on the cover art.