The interior credit page for the CD

How the Album Came to Be

I started working on this CD project over 15 years ago. My intention was for every song to be absolutely beautiful. Some are uplifting, some a bit melancholy, but all of them should touch you in some way.

I finished a demo of the album in 1999. I researched the cost of studio time and found someone who would produce it for me - hiring the musicians, arranging, etc. But the cost was way out of the ballpark, considering I wasn't expecting to make any money off of it.

Then in 2010, two things happened. First, I was inspired by a girl who lives on our street and plays the cello. I've always wanted to hear one of my songs with a real cello, so I wrote an arrangement for the two of us to play at a neighborhood house concert. What a thrill! I decided to bring her into a recording studio and do a simple recording of that one song. With a little research, I found the perfect small project studio for the job.

The second bit of serendipity was winning the services of the great blues/rock guitarist James Howard in a benefit auction. He was expecting to give a performance at a party or wedding, but instead I asked him to record one of my songs in the studio. We ended up tracking Morning Aire at that same recording studio. That experience made me realize that I could eventually arrange and produce the album myself, one song at a time, paying for studio time and musicians as I go.

For over a year, that's exactly what I did. By August, 2011 I had recorded 7 songs. But there were two more that I wanted on the album, and both required a 5-piece band (including myself), an expensive proposition. So I submitted my project to a great website called kickstarter.com, and emailed everyone I could think of to pitch in. Happily, the project met its goal and was funded!

With the money to finish the project, I scheduled that remaining recording sessions and the mastering session, and found the best deal on manufacturing copies. The final recording session was held on November 4, 2011. The finished CDs are expected around December 3, 2011!

I'm so proud of this work, from writing the songs, through arranging, to bringing the best musicians together. Here are just a few of my favorite moments:

• Jon Hamar's inventive upright bass solo bringing jazzy sophistication to "Alamitos Bay"
• James Howard's lilting acoustic solo in "Picture You And Me" adding bluesy soul to an arrangement that is otherwise all heart
• Garey Williams' drums powering "Morning Aire" with a rhythm he calls the "Bernard Perdie Shuffle" -- exactly what the song needed!
• Kevin Krentz's cello accompanying a quiet passage in "Monica's Song" so delicately and tenderly it sounds like whispering
• Eddie Watkins Jr.'s bass line in "Yellow Autumn Sun", establishing a powerful groove that carried through to every other part
• Jay Thomas on sax tackling a complex melody in "The Best Is Yet To Come" where the chord changes every three eighth notes, then following that with an improvized riff over that same pattern -- and making it sound easy!

The artwork that shows through the clear plastic CD tray, featuring a mandala of the nine musicians who accompany me on the album.

Learn more about the project on my music blog

About Leo

Leo Brodie loves the piano, and loves to write music. He wrote his first tune when he was in high school, and over the years has penned the music for three musicals and recorded nearly a hundred songs in his home studio. He released his first CD, "Across The Years," featuring original piano compositions in November 2011. His day job is Director of Technical Services for NetSpeed Learning Solutions. He lives in Seattle with his wife, Cynthia Clay and two daughters.