Steve Cohn plays the shakuhachi with the skill and technique of a master and his creativity is both fused with the instrument and catapulted by it. By that I mean that the overtones, sonority and range of the bamboo flute both challenges as well as inspires his imagination. It is safe to say that, while there are certainly other shakuhachi masters in the world, nobody plays it like Steve does. My approach to accompanying Steve primarily consisted of getting on his wavelength and then riding that wave along with him. One uses intuition as well as skill to effectively improvise but I have seldom been as inspired musically as when I collaborated with Steve on “Heliotropism.” A word about the title: In the plant world, it refers to plants that seek sunlight and a similar meaning is often applied to animals who seek a light source. As it applies to this music, it can be interpreted a number of ways and it strikes me that many of them are obvious. So I’ll leave that up to each individual listener. This extended track is a microcosm—a journey—and a story in sound. I think it’s beautiful. Carl Baugher May 2017