After my visit with visit at the University of Wisconsin with Javier Calderon, I knew that it was necessary to record the collection of pieces for “Reluctant Farewell to a Dear Heart”. This collection was written and transcribed in memory of my dear friend, James Smith, long time professor and head of the guitar department at the Thornton School of Music at USC. He died last year, but has left a seed of passion in me for writing and documenting that passion.
So, it was off to Raven Recording on the front range to record with Jim Ratts. It took three long recording days to be sure that everything was just right. I was well practiced, so the recording itself went pretty quickly and I hope that James will be proud of it and that the recordings will make it easier for other players to learn the pieces. I DO hope that they will be played in years to come.
Here’s a pic of Jim and me in the studo and also an audio of one of the songs we recorded…
