Aether (aka Æther)

In keeping with my two previous solo albums' first tracks, I show my true roots (contrary to having once been a member of a shoe-gazer band, American Music Club) as the opposite to a shoe-gazer, whatever that might be (sky-gazer?). Track #1 on Slider - Ambient Excursions for Pedal Steel Guitar looks to the sky for Clouds. Track #1 of Hybrid is Pohaka La (roughly "sun rays" in Hawaiian). On this album, it's Aether (aka Æther).

One of the five tunes originally written in my unsuccessful attempt to audition for a spot to appear at the TED Conference, I decided to make Aether the first track on the Bruce Kaphan Quartet album because I think more so than any other track on this album, it starts off in a place not too dissimilar to what listeners of my two previous solo CD's might have expected. This album isn't so much like the others; I wanted to ease my listeners into this new space. Also of historical significance, since this is one of three tunes remaining from the beginning of production of this album, it starts the album off from the jumping off point for the evolution of the quartet's sound. At the time we recorded Aether, I was just beginning to get a solid feeling for what this group of players could do together.

This track features Jason Lewis on drums, John R. Burr on piano and Jeffrey Wash on fretless electric bass.