Most of us have been living with unremitting tension in the past several years, and most of my music has reflected that in one way or another. The daily news is rarely soothing. In the interest of survival, and in response to the age-old musical model of tension and release, “Release” repeatedly builds up and releases tension derived from chromatic and harmonic dissonance, rhythmic density, reverberant saturation, and eventually the tyranny of a metric, steady beat.

Release was written for The Smudges, Jeff Gauthier and Maggie Parkins, whose musicality and warm humanity have been a balm to all who meet and hear them.