Synesthesia

My sister Diane, a fine painter, gave me a small book years ago that has since occupied a special place in my life. At it's core, Concerning the Spiritual in Art describes the relationship between artist and viewer/listener - the relationship being a communion of art, or in this case music, and the human senses. It was clear that to achieve this communion, we should break away from typical song titles on this Val Gardena album. Instrumental titles are at best contrived, or at worst meaningless, imposing a mostly fictitious emotion on the listener. The one hold out to convention is the composition 'Bells of York', dedicated to the great film composer, John Barry. Synesthesia is the latest manifestation of a long standing relationship. Connected over time and distance by a shared sensibility, we have created music intended to evoke a response unique to each listener. - Christopher James and Jeff Leonard Special thanks to the wonderfully unique musical contributions of David Torn. Thank you Andy Snitzer for your tasteful additions and to all the musicians who played on this album: Stan Bock, Charlie Doggett, Dan Duval, Paul Mazzio, John Nastos, LeAnne Robinson and Bob Stark. Design by Scott Townsend Album Produced, Performed and Arranged by Val Gardena Additional Production and Arrangements by Bob Stark Recorded by Bob Stark Mixed by Kevin Killen and Bob Stark Masterred by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound.