SOUNDSCAPES: the story My two passions in life are music and mountaineering. This album connects these two passions. SOUNDSCAPES is a six-movement suite for jazz quintet in which each movement is inspired and driven by a nature sound. The compositions are skillfully interpreted by my fellow members from Jazz Winds, a composers collective with whom I have been performing for many years. Thank you Cédric, Frank, Trish, Aaron, and Robin for accompanying me on this musical journey. SUITE #1: THE RIVER follows the development of a river from its early beginning as a small creek to its grand finale in the form of a roaring waterfall. SUITE #2: THE BULLFROG is performed by the bass clarinet which artfully picks up on the animal's characteristic sound and develops it into a jazzy swing. SUITE #3: THE MOOSE mimics the heavy stepping motion of the moose as interpreted by the tenor saxophone. SUITE #4: THE CRICKET meets us on a lazy hot summer afternoon. It is a "Jobim" style Bossa Nova featuring the soprano sax. SUITE #5: THE BABOON is the only animal in the suite that does not originate in North America. I was captured by its very unique sound and came up with a montuna style composition to match it. It features the full quintet. SUITE #6: THE THUNDERSTORM is a weather phenomenon that has always fascinated me, especially after once nearly been hit by lightning during one of my numerous mountaineering trips. Thunderstorms are a scary phenomenon and the music reflects that feeling.