If you noticed that I didn't make any blog posts in 2024, let me tell you why:

2024 and 2025 have been very productive!

Four albums for great publishers, a self-published solo piano album, dozens of other collaborative tracks, too many television spots to even list here (but I've gotta say thanks to De Augurkenkoning in the Netherlands for playing my track with Austin Filingo on every single episode to date!). I'm sorry to have missed posting along the way.

As for 2025, this is unexpected: I went from around 500 monthly listeners on Spotify this January to 35,000 right now. What's going on? I don't know, but I have to consider that people are really liking what I've released this year. Something about believing that is difficult for composers, I think.

An extended trip out of my hometown (and home country) with my partner was a major highlight, and offered me some perspective about how I spend my time--and what kinds of motivation are good for me. So I'm on an ‘updating the website’ kick now. 

I've been getting emails requesting sheet music for some of the stuff I've released this year. Check out the new Sheet Music page! I’m planning to add much more to it. Extremely appreciative to the developers of Dorico for finally making the creation of professional sheet music a pleasant experience for me. Finale: I never much liked you, but I wish you a peaceful afterlife.

That's enough for now. Thanks for reading, and to anyone listening--thanks a million!

My solo piano jazz piece, “Won't You Wait For Love?”, was picked up for use in Nida Manzoor's new film, Polite Society!

The movie premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2023, and so far, critics and viewers are raving about its unique blending of genres. It's also a British comedy film, which I'm really excited about. British comedy has always held a special spot in my heart. Very excited to see this one at the Belcourt Theater!

Big thanks to Tanvi Patel at Crucial Music for slingin my jazz music around Hollywood like a boss!!

Here's a video of this recording: Won't You Wait For Love? (Solo piano)

And here's a full trio rendition of it I released as part of my jazz album last year: Won't You Wait For Love? (jazz trio)

Austin Filingo and I wrote an album for Atomica Music in 2021, featuring accordion, guitar, piano, and various other instruments we played ourselves--we had one Italian-styled song that didn't quite fit into the jazzy-styled album, but publisher Bob Mair felt compelled to sign this piece individually with his powerhouse catalog, Black Toast Music.

Two years later, now, the two of us are boggled to learn that this piece, “Il Capo”, was used as source music in the theatrical release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania this opening weekend. Our music has a small part to play in a blockbuster film that is playing in thousands of theaters, large and small, in nearly every country in the world! 

Though it's unlikely to be noticed by most viewers, it is an astoundingly cool placement for music that Austin and I had a blast making in 2021. Who knows what's next from here?

You can listen to “Il Capo” here, on my Soundcloud.
 

Thank you to superstar Bob for landing us an absolute wrecking ball of music synchronization!

Find out where Antman 3 is playing near you! It's probably everywhere!

Kyle Cox and I have been writing songs together for about a year now. Our first released song, “Happy On My Own”, was recently used as the opening cue, and again towards the end of the film as an instrumental cue, in the new Hallmark fall feature, Pumpkin Everything. 

We were thrilled to hear of its use just a couple of days before airing! Kyle's earthy baritone voice turned out to be a solid fit to set the tone of this romantic comedy-drama. Thank you Lexy Brewer for selecting our song for such a rad spot!

Find out where to watch Pumpkin Everything on Hallmark's website.