Sandy Hoffman - Sereno

Recorded at: Worship Works! Music, Santa Fe, NM Producer/Engineer: Sandy Hoffman Mastered by: David Glasser at Airshow Mastering, Boulder, CO Pre-mastering by: Marc Hoffman at Hickory Hill Studios, Salisbury, NC Jacket design & layout: Danette Chappell, Santa Fe, NM Cover photos: Sandy Hoffman (out the back door) Guitar set up: Keith Vizcarra, Vizcarra Guitars, Santa Fe, NM 1 The Nod (From God) (Sandy Hoffman) 2:52 2004 Kevin Ryan Nightingale acoustic guitar, ball bearing, eastern drum synth, sitar synth Written on a lazy Santa Fe Sunday afternoon, just hangin' out with the kids. Inspired by the realization that God is just fine with me investing my time in honoring Him with instrumental guitar playing - no lyrics necessary! He knows my heart. Birds tweet, frogs croak. Occasionally, so do I. 2 Elvee (Sandy Hoffman) 3:18 2004 Kevin Ryan Nightingale acoustic guitar (capo 2nd fret) This song was "born" in the kitchen of our home in Arcata, CA, when my daughter exclaimed, "Dad, I really like that!" My reply? I'll finish it, and name it after you. (Her initials are "L.V.") 3 Sereno (Sandy Hoffman) 3:35 2005 Taylor T5 acoustic/electric guitar, egg shaker, tambourine, Fender "P" bass, Kurzweil synth #32, sax synth, kick drum synth, guitar taps "Sereno" started out as "Sea," another tune inspired at home in Santa Fe, but much sadder this time. My youngest was out the door to study linguistics in Graz, Austria, his return date unknown. "Empty nest" had set in. Reinforced by the gnawing in my gut, this melancholy hook emerged. 4 Kana Vaka Levu (Sandy Hoffman) 3:15 2005 Taylor T5 acoustic/electric guitar, egg shaker, guitar taps a.k.a. "Eat a lot," Kana Vaka Levu is a Fijian phrase I heard over and over while staying/sometimes starving in the Nangara Village on the island of Vanua Levu. Fiji. Stone fish, dalo root and yaqona was always on the menu - hungry? 5 SoomTuba (Sandy Hoffman) 2:21 2004 Kevin Ryan Nightingale acoustic guitar, cello, Kurzweil strings #31 Toomsuba, Mississippi lies between Meridian and the Alabama state line. The fam' used to travel a lot between Garden Valley, TX, and Salisbury, NC. Every time we'd pass the sign for Toomsuba, I'd playfully switch the letters around for my kids, and call it "Soomtuba." When this song, written in "tuba voicing" came along, it just naturally became "SoomTuba." 6 Low Gap (Sandy Hoffman) 3:13 1992 Collings D2H acoustic guitar (capo 3rd fret), cello, egg shaker, Washburn acoustic bass guitar, Kurzweil synth piano Every valley in the North Carolina mountains seems to have it's own name. Low Gap is a verdant valley near Jefferson. Rolling hills, creeks full of "crawdads," abundant wildlife and cool, comfortable summer days make it a place of inspiration and peace. There the heart cannot help but be moved to song. 7 Trinidad Head (Sandy Hoffman) 3:38 2004 Kevin Ryan Nightingale One of my favorite places on earth. As you listen, you'll hear the never ceasing rise and fall of the ocean waves. 8 Roundabout Rag (Sandy Hoffman) 2:29 2004 Kevin Ryan Nightingale acoustic guitar, guitar slaps Just a few valleys over from Low Gap, this is where my kids played in the red, orange and yellow leaves of the maples, dancing, almost weightless, to the ground. 9 Agua Fria (Sandy Hoffman) 2:49 2004 Kevin Ryan Nightingale acoustic guitar, guitar slaps Written in our living room on Agua Fria Street (1998) while sitting on the back seat of a two-toned blue Ford Club Wagon Van. Figure that one out. 10 A Sense Of Place (Sandy Hoffman) 3:09 2001 Taylor 814CE acoustic guitar, Kurzweil #31 & #32 An instrumental representation of the relationship of our present earthly location to our eventual heavenly surroundings (or something like that). It was raining. 11 K-Kona (Sandy Hoffman) 3:23 2004 Kevin Ryan Nightingale Kona, HI with a hiccup. 12 Plaza 1, 1b (Sandy Hoffman) 2:31 2004 Kevin Ryan Nightingale acoustic guitar, maracas, Kurzweil synth piano This one's a combination of free-style finger picking, and strumming in the "flail, choke and drone" tradition. Conceived one sunny afternoon on a balcony overlooking a plaza in Torrejon de Ardos, Spain, Plaza 1, 1b is an address worthy of it's own song.

1) The Nod
2) Elvee
3) Sereno
4) Kana Vaka Levu
5) Soomtuba
6) Low Gap
7) Trinidad Head
8) Roundabout Rag
9) Agua Fria
10) A Sense of Place
11) K-Kona
12) Plaza 11B