What is it exactly that I am trying to share with everyone here today? Do I want to express to you all that I sometimes feel like as if I am completely invisible, floating through space, occupying space, but fundamentally unseen by all those who pass by? Do I tell you how strange it feels to have young people immediately, and all too respectfully, address me as "Sir"? What's up with that?     Recently, I was almost mugged while walking up Broadway in my own neighborhood. What happened caused me to think very seriously about what this meant, and how those two teenagers perceived me, before attempting to kick my feet out from under me, knock me down, and then, rob me. I was lucky that, some semblance of my past athletic abilities remained enough to keep me upright, and, after a brief staredown, we kept walking in different directions. But, after some thought, I realized that they just saw me as "an old guy, with gray hair" - nothing more!!! Just a target to be attacked, and taken advantage of! That was a lot to digest that day, and it is now never far out of my thoughts as I continue to walk around the streets of New York.     To continue, in viewing myself, I had my troubles with my self-image as age 40 neared. I would look back at photos of myself from that period, and wonder to myself "WHAT the hell was I complaining about?" At that time, I had felt pretty terrible about myself at age 47, and didn't appreciate those moments, not nearly enough! And, though some moments were so very difficult, I now see photos from those years, and wonder again, "WHAT the hell was I complaining about?" Not so long ago, at 55, I again felt terrible about myself, about life, simply everything. Now, I see photos from that period (like the one used at the BIOGRAPHY page, cradling the '335' and taken in July of '02), and I wonder again: "WHAT the hell have I been complaining about?"     So, perhaps I am arriving at the point now? I guess that I am just trying to say to each of you: Savor the moment, enjoy it; treasure the times; embrace those around you; tell someone that you love them; tell someone that you miss them; do something about it; reach out to the diversity all around us, seize the day, and work hard, work very hard; while always trying to give your best. And, as Michael Caine's character, Dr. Larch, in "THE CIDER HOUSE RULES"(1999) advises his young intern/apprentice: "Be of use!" Yes, whatever it might be that you have chosen to do, make it something that makes this a better world....in the smallest way, in a bigger way. It is all the same. Do something, do something important!!!

    And then, of course, with the aging process, how can one not talk about the various HEALTH issues that do come with the relentless march of time. And, in the 10 years between 60 and 70, as I have shared here on several pages, in early 2013, I was diagnosed with Dupuytren's Contracture in my left hand, which completely changed my outlook on everything where playing the guitar was related. Fortunately for me, in my case, the actual manifestations of this affliction have not worsened to the point where I can't play. So, I have been able to to carry on as best as I can. Then there's the ongoing battle with high blood pressure, and trying to keep that stabilized. The ever-present men's prostate issues. Failing eyesight, the onset of cataracts and even laser retina surgery. And perhaps most pressing of all for me, the recurrence of the disc problems in my lower back, which finally acted-up again during the mixing sessions for "BACKLOG"! Since then, it has been a constant fight to avoid surgery including, all the diagnostic tools, a series of injections in my back, and physical therapy, coupled with great discipline concerning everything that I do physically, and the emotional/stress-related components of my life. When I look back at 2016, between June-December, it felt as though my life was just one doctor's appointment after another. It had a profound effect on my spirits. Civility necessitates that I leave out a few other medical details!!! Don't worry, it's O.K. to laugh!

    Finally, but hardly the least important component to this collection of thoughts was the presence of love during these past 10 years. In 2010, through the good graces of the cosmos, and the infinite wisdom of a dear friend, a great love arrived in my life for a brief time, but the joy that was experienced and shared then has ended-up lasting, in various forms, almost up to this moment. Though it was not without its difficulties, we remained in contact, but we did not see one another again for some 5+ years. Through two significant relationships for her, the feelings never seemed to vanish.
    Then, a moment appeared, and we sought to reconnect, and rekindle what had been there. How I wanted to be so much better at it, if possible. And, in early 2016, we were together again for a time. But, in those moments, I received the gift of her love, sweetness, boundless energy, friendship, kindness, intelligence, sense of humor and culture, and the warmth that made me feel that I had been given the glorious opportunity to try, yet again, to understand something about what it means to feel happy, or to experience happiness. I was so grateful to her for this, and for so much more. Her unique spirit, energy and ebullient presence during the "BACKLOG" recording sessions helped to make a most difficult process that much more special and meaningful.
    I guess if one is not looking, not trying so hard, it is possible that someone can come along. I don't expect that anything remotely like that will ever happen again for me. It would seem that this particular piece of spiritual wisdom might apply: "If it comes; let it. If it goes; let it."

    In 2004, I was inspired to begin to create a special TRIBUTES page. Initially it began as a way to honor the memory of very special musicians and artists who had recently left us. Over time, those wonderful people that I chose to write about could have come from almost any walk of life, and sadly began to include close personal friends.
    And so, as we are here, looking back over my past 10 years, those tributes began in 2007 with the deep loss of Michael Brecker and continued on to the present by saluting lives such as: Joe Zawinul, Tim Russert, Gary King, Joe Beck, Isaac Hayes, Freddie Hubbard, my close childhood friend Kim Weiskopf, the beloved Venezuelan Jazz DJ, Jacques Braunstein, Alan Rubin, one of my harmonic heroes, pianist-composer-arranger, Clare Fischer, guitarist Hugh McCracken, Phil Ramone, the wonderful CBS newsman, Bob Simon, one of the two guitarists with The Chantays, Brian Carman, Lew Soloff, Yogi Berra, Salsa keyboard/arranger giant, José M. Lugo, and more recently, Bobby Hutcherson, Toots Thielemans, the pioneering Jazz recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder, bassist Bob Cranshaw, legendary photographer, Chuck Stewart, the pioneering guitarist, the "Father of Fusion," Larry Coryell, flautist and Latin legend, Dave Valentín, and now, another visionary guitarist, Allan Holdsworth. If you decide to visit that page, I hope that you will enjoy reading about these very special people who left us.

    Finally, it was exactly 10 years ago that I wrote about the concept of a "green field" as metaphor for one's life, and what that meant to me. Somehow, on this day, sitting here now at 70 years old, it feels all the more relevant to again share this with everyone who chooses to take the time to read it, think about what was said, and then, perhaps, apply those thoughts to the state of one's own life. So, here it is again......