The incredible music on this album feeds into my lifelong fascination with musical connections, especially the complicated relationship between classical music and jazz. My dear friend Joe Makholm, whose pathfinding music I've been performing and recording for over 25 years now, is a master at exploring this occasionally uneasy marriage. In the groundbreaking set of pieces presented here, all superbly crafted and bubbling with inspiration, Joe is at his creative best in a decidedly jazz-centered collection that is full of straight-ahead swinging, deep expression, pianistic imagination, wit, and sophistication. -Willis Delony