Universal Language 
This was last recording I made for an American based company for 10 long years. I had high hopes for this record. I felt we had created a wonderful combination of beautiful music that would be able to cross over into what was happening to Jazz radio. Let me try to briefly explain; there used be 2 kinds of Jazz radio; the traditional, which plays only acoustic Jazz, and the “Smooth Jazz”, which 12 years ago was still open to playing live music without drum machines and with interesting harmonies and solos. As Smooth Jazz kept getting smoother (is that a word?), they stopped playing my music and I fell into this crack between the acoustic and the smooth. Oh well, such is life!
On this record I wrote lyrics to some songs that had been written as instrumentals like Pat Metheny’s “Secretly Begin” and a song by Brazil’s composer Djavan. I love doing that. The melodies are challenging and so much fun to sing!
Jazz pianist, Billy Childs and I wrote two songs. I wrote my first lyric to a melody by Yutaka. I was also very excited to get to record a few more songs from the pen of Michael Ruff on this recording and we were able to have him play with us too!
I have been so lucky to get to play music with some of the best piano players in the world; Mitchell Forman, Russell Ferrente and Billy Childs, all of which are featured on this CD!
Secretly Begin
What will it take for me to secretly begin
The passage I’ll brave to win your heart?
Don’t need a beacon of light
Just one moment in time
With the trace of a smile
Give me a clue, may I secretly begin
Inviting unspoken fantasy
I see your face in a crowd,
Our eyes meeting,
I’ve found you, the man of my life
So baby come along, tea for one is sad
And lonely you’ll see
You fill my eager heart with a love
And every little word unsung Falling into a spell, bound by no rhyme
Just a new reality
With deep devotion, I long for emotion
And closing my eyes
Now that I’ve told you, may I secretly begin
Revealing the ways I’ll make you mine
Another chapter unfolds,
No more stories untold
No more secrets alone
The magic opens your eyes
And you’ll soon realize
No more secrets alone
Universal Language
I’ve seen the sun rising in Rio
I’ve watched the twilight igniting Tokyo
In Spain and France I walk and I dance
To the sound of music born
To another time and place
I’ve witnessed sacred ceremonies
And felt the earth moving every spirit
I’ve traveled far, underneath the stars
To lands where the mother tongue
Was new, too,
And through it all,
I have felt at home
Just to see you smiling
When we’re standing eye to eye
We will capture the feeling
We are one heart, one life, one land
One man we’re the same
No need to speak with words
To hear what I say
Universal language of the people
Universal language of the people
Universal language of the world
I’ve heard the chanting and the laughter
I beat the drum and behold the memories
With every trip, my heart was flipped
Realizing how close we are
To those places we call far away
It’s not a game, it’s not a mystery
There’s only one moon to guide the planets
This world is small, it’s like a ball
Where it begins, it will never end
And so it goes, no one can become
Bigger, better, wiser
When we’re standing eye to eye
We will capture the feeling
We are one heart, one life, one land
One man we’re the same
No need to speak with words
To hear what I say
Universal language of the people
Universal language of the people
Universal language of the world
It’s a universal language of the people
Just a universal language of the people
Underneath the Face of the Moon
Underneath the face of the moon
Far from every care in the world
Lost within the spell of a dream
You came, to me, a vision complete
Will you stay with me for a while
Will you grace the night with your smile
Ancient stories deep in your eyes
Unfold, untold, the mysteries of life
Tell me have we met here like this before
Maybe this is where our true love was born
Never wanna wake up to find you’re gone
If I touch your face will you disappear
Spirit of the night, can I hold you near
Will you come with me into the daylight
The morning is calling,
My lonely heart longing
To make you believe you are mine
I search every flower and pray every hour
The scent of your being surrounds me
The afternoon lingers and nothing else matters
Can’t wait till my eyes greet the night
Seeing for the Very First Time
Is that your smile
Or is that sunlight through the trees
Was that your sigh, or just a gentle breeze
Are those your lips,
Or rolling waves upon the sea
Is this a dream, or can it be
That I’m seeing for the very first time
The rustling leaves,
They bring your laughter all around
The dancing wind,
Feet barely touching down
Is this a song or nature’s perfect melody
Is this a dream, or can it be
That I’m seeing for the very first time
Time, time is on our side
And a seed planted in love will grow
We are each a part of everything and everyone
Was that my heart,
Or is there thunder with this rain
Was that a spark
Or have you touched me once again
Are those my eyes
Or are you looking back at me
Is this a miracle, can it be true
That is possible to make one heart of two
It’s not a dream
I do believe,
That I’m seeing for the very first time
Our Lasting Love
I lie awake, I’m watching you
I remember our first rendezvous
The beat of my heart
The sound of your voice
I knew at once, you were the one
I still recall, when love was new
Every moment desire for you
The way that your eyes followed my smile
Learning to trust, body and mind
The wonders of our lasting love
Sent to me from up above
Renew the vows of the love we’ve made
Precious one I am here to stay
Inside my heart, I’ve always known
You are with me, though you may be gone
In silence I hear, you whispering clearly
My reverie, you are beside me
The years of life, upon your face
Filled with memories I often retrace
The touch of your hand
The way we combinev Learning to trust body and mind
The wonders of our lasting love
Sent to me from up above
Renew the vows of the love we’ve made
Precious one I am here to stay
Why do flowers wait
Till springtime to blossom and
Why do stars appear
Whenever you’re near
Leading you here
Gentle Flower
She woke up early with a dream
Inside her head
Trying to shake it off
Putting memories back to bed
But every time she’d close her eyes
The vision came
The smell, the taste of unripe lust
From deep within
Gentle flower
Not ready for demand
He robbed her of her youth
He stole her every plan
She never had a chance to run
No time to hide
He always caught her in her sleep
Deep in the night
She often could not tell reality
From her dreams
She only knew she hated him
For all he did
Who was this man
Who took without a price
The laughter of her song
The future of her life
The future of her life
There are so many ones like her
Who live and breath
Bound silent by the grief
Unable to believe
They are the children of the night
They’re not alone
Behind the faces in the crowd
They live and grow
Each one a gentle flower
Searching for a home
Three Little Words
In between the light of day
You changed my point of view
From high on a mountain top
you made my hopes come true
And all at once I felt
my heart would overflow
trembling passionately
moving soul to soul
Three little words
A simple song
Bring music to my world
Show me where it belong
To speak of love
We must be sure what we reveal
Comes from that place
Deep in our hearts honestly
I see the future come alive
Inside your eyes
So much to live for
When we’re standing side by side
Three little words
A simple song
Bring music to my world
Show me where it belong
Three little words
A simple melody
Now we are not alone
We’re never far from,
We have found one,
We’re never far from home
Your image blended with
My thoughts and memories
You are the love of my life
Through eternity
Love Is Unconditional
After every story
I’ve been told over the years
I realize how lucky I’ve become
I was taught
With every outpour of affection
Was a price too steep for me to pay
Without regret
Everybody’s searching for the perfect mate
To call their own
To answer every childhood prayer
So I learn to justify my loneliness
By loving men who share the same reality
Till you showed me gently
I could let my heart agree
With the feeling you inspire
Love is unconditional
I decided long ago I wouldn’t settle anymore
For less than my whole heart can hold
There is strength in letting go
And power in forgiving those
Who live and grow inside your soul
Now that you have showed me gently
I can let my heart agree
With the feeling you inspire
Love is unconditional
Love is fragile when
There is no more room to grow and bend
That’s the only way to be a friend
Until the end
Unconditional
I’m loving you no matter what you do
Trusting what you say to be the truth
Straight from your heart
Unconditional love we have found
From the heart, honest and true
We know love is fragile
When it’s real, from the heart
Dein 1st Mein Ganzes Herz
Dein ist mein ganzes herz
Wo du nicht bist, kann ich nicht sein
So wie die blume welkt
Wenn sie nicht kusst der sonnenschein
Dein ist mein schonstes lied
Weil es allein aus der liebe erbluht
Sag mir noch einmal mein einzig lieb
O, sag noch einmal mir ich hab dich lieb
Wohin ich immer gehe
Ich fuhle deine nahe
Ich mochte deinen atem trinken
Und betend dir zu fussen sinken
Dir, dir allein
Wie wunderbar ist dein leuchtendes haar
Traum schon und sehnsuchtsbang
Ist dein strahlender blick
Hor ich dein stimmenklang ist es so wie musik