A few years ago, in my former life as a Piano Bar entertainer, I scored a dream job…  A gig at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Osaka, Japan. For a few months not only did I get to live, work and eat in a very expensive five-star hotel,  I got to live in and explore a fascinating culture. And I knew from early in my stay that I would end up writing music there.

I was immediately drawn to “old Japan” - the Buddhist Temples and Shrines, the Japanese gardens and the surprisingly beautiful nature that surrounded them all. When I would walk into these places, often directly from a busy city or neighborhood, it felt like a wave of peace would wash over me.  Obviously for Buddhists, these are sacred places, but apart from any spiritual aspect my creative mind was also questioning,  “What's happening here? What is it that’s making me feel this way?” 

So I dug a little deeper into the principles behind the Zen philosophy. What resonated with me is that it's very much about Space, Simplicity of form, and  a particular philosophical saying that they have, 

“What's not there is just as important as what is.”

Somehow that phrase gave me the key to the way I wanted to write music, so after my hotel gig finished I rented a room in a Ryokan (traditional Japanese Inn) in the hills on the edge of Kyoto.  10 minutes down the road were the temples, paved streets and historic buildings of Japan ancient capital, and then 10 minutes up the road were forests, rivers, waterfalls, and hikes to sacred shrines on top of mountains. So into this world I immersed myself, and began to write music... 

Listen to Silk on Spotify Here:

Or on Apple Music Here:

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