Creating lullabies is like creating a movie score. Film music serves a purpose, which is to underscore whatever happens on the screen. The emotion on the screen is more important than any personal emotional statement the composer could make.

Lullabies are similarly purpose-created music. There is room for a personal statement, but the parameters are fairly clearly defined. I have noticed that it is important that they hover somewhere between relaxing and boring. A little bit of boring is good, but I find that too much is depressing.

The best go-to-sleep music I have ever heard was this Indian Bansuri flute master that Jon Gagan turned me on to. His name escapes me right now. His beautiful and haunting melodies put me to sleep after feeling very stressed – in under 10 minutes. My favorite massage music is a re-recording of Brian Eno’s “Music for Airports” by a British group called “Bang on a Can”…..it’s fantastic and I like it even better than the 1978 original. (The original “Music for Airports” was played continuously at La Guardia airport in New York during the month of May in 1979.)

Recording these lullabies is a very unique challenge for me and is proving to be very interesting! It takes a certain state of mind to play this music and one has to relax to hear the result and be able to make a judgment about it.

In two weeks time we will be in Boulder for the final rehearsals and the tour will start with our performance in Boulder on June 13th. I am starting to get excited about the show.