BLUE CRESCENT is largely the result of material that was written in December 2007 during a second residency at the local artist retreat facility, a studio in the woods. That time was my first respite since Hurricane Katrina and was also a chance to do some musical and spiritual soul searching. The say in "the woods" allowed me to continue and expand upon the search for a fresh approach to tradition by blending New Orleans jazz principles with personal experiences and various outside musical influences. The result was the basis of over three dozen original compositions, from which comes most of the material on this recording.