This collection of studio recordings celebrates my collaborations with Nick Bariluk and Tom Rucktenwald over a period of 30 years. Both musicians have been integral in bringing my music to life while sharing their considerable musical skills and friendship.
Tom Rucktenwald was the driving force behind my 1998 album “Violin Electric,” recording, engineering, mixing, and creating the accompaniment realizations to my original compositions on the project. His wizardry with the digital recorder and his keen understanding of digital sounds made it a very creative and satisfying project.
Nick Bariluk has been a frequent collaborator over the years, going back to my 1991 album “Alone Amongst Friends” (he played on the “amongst friends” tunes!). More recent forays with Nick have been my arrangement of Bach’s “Air on a G-String” and a cover just this year (2021) of Ralph Towner’s classic tune “Icarus,” Paul Winter’s signature song. Nick’s home studio is called “New Song Productions” and he does the recording, engineering, and mixing as well as playing keyboard and contributing to the arrangement. Nick was also a guest artist on my “Violin Electric” album, improvising two keyboard solos on my tune “1-2, 1-2, 1-2-3.”
One piece on the album, the closing track “Fond Memory,” is my solo tribute to both musicians. I recorded the keyboard and violin tracks for this piece in Jonas Friedman’s home studio years ago, and it’s the only realization here that is 100% my own.
I’ve always loved fruitful collaboration and hearing my music grow and evolve with the input and ideas of other like-minded musicians. That was certainly the case with my formative band “Solstice”, and it remains my inspiration here in the post-pandemic world.
Besides Tom and Nick, I am indebted to Bob Leonard for his beautiful and poetic percussion tracks on “Icarus,” and to Dan Asher for the incredible bass tracks he contributed from his apartment in Brooklyn on the same tune. George Skidd and Alan Pugielli played bass and drums (and percussion) on the “Alone Amongst Friends” selections.
And so, here is my offering of 30 years of music-making with two very special musicians. Thanks, Tom and Nick!
-Richard Brooks