From the liner notes...

I wrote "Small Steps" 20 years ago. A response to Coltrane's "Giant Steps", it is based on unison and minor second progressions in the melody and harmonies.

Small Steps is also the different directions this project has taken: backward, forward and sideways.

Small Steps is a step backward to that past when the great jazz pianists sometimes recorded in a room, with just the piano, a tape recorder, and a bottle. I wanted this recording to be a similar effort (without the bottle).

Recording these tracks was simple: a recording engineer and his equipment, the instrument, and me. There was no dubbing, editing or re-recording of any pieces. We recorded live in the studio, with all of the spontaneity and imperfection of a live performance.

Small Steps is a step forward in the evolution of my playing. After almost 20 years as a solo pianist in the Twin Cities, my style has begun to move in new directions. Last year I worked as the keyboardist in a three-piece jazz and R&B group in which I covered the bass lines in addition to playing electric piano and organ. When I began experimenting with taking "bass" solos on the keyboard, I noticed that I thought and played differently.

I began to incorporate left- and right-handed bass solos in my solo piano performances. Each piece on this CD features a bass solo. This frees me to construct separate and distinct solos within the same song, sometimes in sequence, sometimes trading solos back and forth between bass and treble, as in "All Blues" and "Small Steps".

Small Steps is a step sideways because of my use of quotes. Jazz musicians often have quoted melodies from other songs in their solos, both as a way of showing appreciation for those tunes and to engage the audience with recognizable melodies within the improvised solos.

My quotes follow two forms. One is to take melodies from jazz, musicals, and pop songs and place them against harmonies quite different from the originals. This can most clearly be heard in the "Coreatown" solos, where several Chick Corea melodies appear, as well as on "Linus and Lucy" (television themes), "Layla" (George Harrison songs), and "Small Steps" (melodies from Corea, Herbie Hancock and others).

The other quotes reflect my work in the jazz fusion big band BOZO allegro, whose first CD, The REVOLVER Suite, reinvented each of the songs from the Beatles' album Revolver in different African-American styles. I actually started with the BOZO arrangement for my version of "Good Day Sunshine". With a renewed appreciation for Beatles' songs, I decided to quote their work within my solos on each of these pieces. I placed a list of Beatles' tunes in front of me while recording and quoted when I felt the urge. Some are obvious, others are buried in bass solos - see what you can find.

Small Steps is a step both forward and backward in my use of harmony. Many of these pieces are based on modal harmonies built on 4ths, which were popular in the 60s and 70s, rather than traditional jazz changes. In "Linus and Lucy", "Layla", and "Good Day Sunshine", this has led to harmonizations far from the original composers' intentions.

Finally, Small Steps represents the pace at which we all evolve, which I see in my three daughters. Kelsey and Shannon mature gradually in their sports, music and studies, while Rosie, the youngest, slowly steps beyond the challenges of her disabilities. Recognizing and appreciating the Small Steps of life make life most enjoyable. I hope that you will enjoy taking these Small Steps with me.