DDD - Recorded  November 2007 - 41:50

The director of Zah Zah Records has asked me to reflect upon the journey which has led to making this CD, and the inspirations for the songs contained within. I find it easier to write songs than to write about them, but I’ll give it a try…

     I started playing the guitar and singing when I was 5 years old. I remember being mesmerized by a couple of folksingers on stage with their guitars, and telling my parents “that’s what I want to do!” I still feel the same way. At 6 I did my debut at a beer and pizza hall called “Bimbos”, and had to wait until 10pm to play because the headliner refused to go on after a kid. After that I kept playing and singing publicly, and even wrote my own little songs. I dreamed of becoming a singer-songwriter, but life had other things in store…

     As a boy my heroes were people like Pete Seeger and Martin Luther King, who used songs and words to convey their beliefs about war, racism, and injustice. Song became for me a means of  communicating feelings and ideas which were difficult to express in other ways. Singer-songwriters like James Taylor and Joni Mitchell shaped the way I viewed myself and relationships to others, and their means of expression through song expanded my perception of the possible. Then a personal catastrophe occurred – my voice changed! What had been a fairly pure and pleasant boy mezzo-soprano became, realistically speaking, an unattractive honking sound. I decided to become an instrumentalist, and with the generous help of guitarist Leon Atkinson, poured my energies into folk, jazz and classical guitar. I still wrote and sang my own songs, but kept them mostly to myself.

     At college I discovered the delights of the lute and classical music. Fascinated by the polyphony of the Renaissance, and the expressive connections between melody, harmony and text in the Baroque, I devoted myself to the lute. In the ensuing years I found my first song partners in Susanne Rydén and Derek Lee Ragin. Not only did we explore the early music repertoire together, but I also wrote lute and guitar songs for their beautiful and impassioned voices. I discovered the poetry of the great Langston Hughes, who spoke so eloquently for all victims of repression and discrimination, and wrote several songs based on his words for Derek.

     In 2002 I met Theresia Bothe, who sings as if there is no tomorrow. We had much in common: a love of folk music, classical training, and a deep respect for the power that music has to communicate universal and personal feelings. In addition to early music, we began to perform traditional music from various countries, as well as jazz standards. The guitar and jazz were truly back in my life! I dared to sing some of my songs for her…

     This CD only came into existence because of Theresia’s appreciation for my music and her willingness to join me on this journey. Along the way I have encountered countless styles of music, poetry, and the inspiration of fellow musicians – all of which has flowed into my compositions.

     The experience of gazing down upon the sleeping countenance of my own child, feeling at the same time the beauty of the moment as well as its fleetingness, led to “Song to a sleeping child.” “I’ll sing a song for you” celebrates the healing power of song, and respects the intermingling of happiness, anger, isolation, and sadness which characterize the human experience of love. My sense of the universality of human struggle and the distorted ways in which we treat each other came out as “On the death of Langston Hughes.” “When your love is all I know” may seem on the surface to be a simple love song; for me, however, it reflects the intrinsic loneliness which we all feel as human beings, and the richness of sharing this loneliness with a person we love. The early death of a close family member after a long illness, and the almost unbearable mix of sadness and release, led to “You’re free.” The pain of separation from a dear friend was experienced so vividly one night that “Land of dreams” was waiting for me when I woke up. All I had to do was write it down.

     The songs on this CD, and many more, were written during the last 20 years and reflect this journey. I rarely sit down with the intention of writing a song; they usually come to me when I am otherwise occupied. Either I capture the moment or it’s gone forever – like taking a photograph. These songs have felt like a gift to me. I’m grateful to be able to share them with you.          

© Peter Croton, 2008

Theresia Bothe (Mexico) & Peter Croton (USA) are both classically trained musicians who grew up singing and playing folk and popular music from their respective home countries. They maintain a love and appreciation for this music, and find that it greatly enriches their experiences in the world of classical music. The similarities and differences in their backgrounds have helped Theresia and Peter create an approach to performing this music that is at the same time universal and intensely personal. An integral part of their program are songs written by Peter; whose main influences are American folk music, jazz, and European baroque music. In addition, they perform Boleros, traditional folk songs and jazz standards. Whether performing folk music, original songs, or music from the Renaissance, Baroque or Classical periods, Theresia & Peter believe that quality music has no borders, and can touch people of all ages and backgrounds. They have been performing together regularly since 2003, for example at festivals (recently at the Rheingau Music Festival and at the Festival des Cordes Sensible), in concert halls, churches and clubs.

Created Wednesday October 22 2008