After a career spent writing words and teaching verbal skills at the college level and with an avocation of writing music, I began going into the recording studio ten years ago with my son and vocalist Zach to lay down tracks as a way of memorializing the songs I composed on the piano for myself, family, and friends. However, last summer in a new studio, I was urged by Billy Sullivan, my producer and engineer, to add more instruments to my arrangements, thus producing the songs on this page. The vast majority of the tunes were recorded on a 1920’s Steinway baby grand formerly owned by Alfred Newman and situated in Billy’s studio.
Most of my tunes are romantic songs or story songs, written about unbreakable love, lost love, impossible love, or characters of my imagination. I have employed words in my lyrics that I believe you will not have heard in anyone else’s songs, but words are just tools in my multi-layered toolbox.
When people ask me what type of music I write, I’m never sure what to tell them. Is it a show tune, a jazz song, a sonnet put to melody, a story told with musical notes? Yes, to all of them. It is eclectic music, never meant for the Top 40 crowd, but an expression of many of my musical tastes and lyrical bents. Most importantly, I hope it’s music you will enjoy.
To me “Wishful Thinking” is a dream come true. I hope all of you will find a similar joy in your lives with the fulfillment of whatever dreams you may have.
I want to thank my cohorts in this adventure, who worked so admirably in making this dream come true. First and foremost is my son Zach, without whom none of this would have been possible. Second is Billy Sullivan, who not only engineered, produced, mixed, and mastered this project but also lent his immense talents as the drummer (and occasionally added flavor on keys). Dom Genovese is the bassist, both on upright and electric, who showed me the value of having his elegant deep tone underlying my melody and harmony. Mike Nelson contributed more punch with his tasty sax, flute, and clarinet fill-ins. Kipp Lennon imparted his gorgeous tenor to the additional voice and harmonies on “Sometime Later.”
And last, but certainly not least, was my incomparable wife Mardi, without whose encouragement this project would be stillborn. She is my best critic and advocate, and I owe her a debt of gratitude that can never be properly repaid.
David Gale on the keys
Zach and David in creative mode