shamelessly0 

1.  Cookies’ Nine Lives: Nine short improvised sections, with a recurring theme, in fond remembrance of Cookies, beloved cat of my son, Derek, and his wife, Amber.
2. Missing Marlene: Deliberately simple and unstructured improvisations dedicated to the memory of Marlene Mrocka.
3. Penta Tonic: Two linked improvisations using the pentatonic scale.
4. Loving Nature: A composition in loving remembrance of my mother-in-law, Barbara Berg, who died on January 7, 2024. The title can be interpreted in two different ways, each one very appropriate for her. 
   
5. A Meaningful Life: A series of brief improvisations to honor the memory of Katherine Root, who died young but accomplished much.
6. Red Wings in Asia: Another flurry of pentatonic improvisations, this one dedicated to my friend, Jerry Daneshvar. Our nicknames for each other are “Brendan” and “Scotty,” after Brendan Shanahan and Scotty Bowman of the great Red Wings hockey teams of the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. 
7. Chapters from  a Lifetime:  A series of improvisations in honor of the upcoming marriage of Matt Minard and Alex Anderson.
8. Eight Thousand Miles:  A composition to celebrate the engagement of my son, Ben, and Jessa Bacani. The y found each other despite being born approximately 8000 miles apart! The piece incorporates two themes from the piece I wrote for Ben when he was a baby. I also shamelessly stole two measures (from 1:52-1:59) of a piece Ben composed himself!
9. A Poet’s Love:  A collection of improvisations inspired by the upcoming marriage of my former medical student (and very talented poet), Natalie Moreno, to Emanuel Hoyos.