And in getting back to your compositions that are included on this recording, you do a fine tribute to Cedar Walton in a tune called Cedar Wood, W-O-U-L-D.

You know, I have a real friendship with Cedar.

Interesting kind of an arc to getting to know him and ultimately becoming befriended by him.

As a teenager, as an adolescent, we had a radio station in Alameda called KJAZ, Great Jazz Radio Station.

And they would have station breaks where great jazz artists would kind of shout out to station and there'd be a...

some of their music playing in the background.

I'm sure you've heard these kind of station IDs over the years, Alan.

And the song is Sophie's Chant.

But along that line, you have been slowly over time developing that solo piano lineage, right? to where you flourished like starting with art blakey he gave you that stage opportunity then he put you on one of his 1988 recordings where you did i'll never be the same yes what an appropriate song title i'll never be the same because that just kicked off where we are today

Art clearly intentionally did not tell me and the other band members that we were about to make a studio recording until the evening before at the end of the show.

We came off stage.

He told us because we were flying to Italy from whatever country we were in prior to that.

on a tour in Europe of one-nighters.

He said, we're going to be recording in Italy.

I think it was Milan the next day.

yes and and you may because he's left an indelible mark on all of us who truly have loved and enjoyed his music