In The Arms of the Wind

DANCING IN THE QUIET RAIN
Someone once told me that if birds are hopping about in the rain, that it means the rain will continue for a long time. A bird 'dancing' in the quiet rain inspired this piece.
JUST FLOAT AWAY
An autumn leaf floats on the river carried by the breeze.
PAGES, PRINCESSES AND DAUGHTERS
In theTarot deck, "Pages" refer to messengers who signal the need to look into a matter, to study it, and to be open to new ideas. This song is about attaining inner peace, and being open to the many messengers around us in their various forms.
THAT'S HOW THE STORY GOES
As a child I would beg my grandfather to tell me a story. His story would always start the same way: a big gray elephant would nonchalantly walk into a supermarket much to the surprise of the people in the store."Then what happened?" I would ask. "Oh, he ate cereal and everything he could find". "And then what happened?"
"Nothing....that's how the story goes. Now go to sleep" . This piece was inspired by my favorite story character, the brave gray elephant, and tells of his amazing supermarket adventures in song.
BUTTERFLY
A butterfly dances on a beautiful summer day. This piece is for my friend Jill, in memory of the caterpillar (Alfred) we raised in childhood and watched emerge as a butterfly on a beautiful spring day.
IN THE ARMS OF THE WIND
This song chronicles the journey of the stream that wishes to cross the desert, but finds itself getting absorbed in the sand. In order to fulfill its destiny and cross the desert, the stream must choose a method unfamiliar to it---it must allow itself to be carried over the desert in the arms of the wind. This piece is about trusting one's inner voice, having faith, and when faced with what seems like a dead end, allowing oneself to be carried over in the arms of the wind.
TAKE THE TIME (Learning to Knit)
My mother is one of the world's greatest knitters. When my sister and I were little, she would knit up a storm--hats, sweaters, mittens, scarves, blankets. Her knitting needles would click, click, click as she counted under her breath, and I hoped that one day I would be able to create magic out of yarn just like that. I suppose my hands were meant for another practice, for I never did learn how to knit. This piece is about, well...knitting. Taking the time, and having the patience to create something beautiful.
THE SOFTBALL GAME/A SWIM IN THE QUARRY
In the mid eighties I was a college student spending summers in Vermont with the newly formed Atlantic Theater Company. Sunday, our 'inviolate day of rest' was usually spent playing a game of softball. I pitched many of these games on fair-weather days, in the rain and on scorching August afternoons. There was nothing better than finishing up at the field and heading over to the abandoned granite quarry for a swim in the clear cold water. The quarry is hard to find; it's a good walk from the road through the woods, and our pace quickened with anticipation of that first dive. This piece starts with the drive from the softball game and moves into a soundtrack for a swim amongst the giant ancient rocks.
DAWN AT WALDEN PLACE
For many years I played piano in the lobby of the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City (which is right above Grand Central Station). One of the shifts was the 'power breakfast' shift which started at 7:30am and when I was scheduled to play this shift, I would have to catch the 6:15am bus to New York City. In the colder months, this was dawn, and to get my mind off the cold, I would sing to myself on the corner, compose music, write poems. This piece was written on the corner of Walden Place over the course of a winter season.
DROMBEG CIRCLE DANCE
I visited Ireland last summer and paid a visit to the ancient Drombeg Stone Circle which is at least 2000 years old. The stone circle overlooks the Irish Sea and the sun lines up perfectly between the two head stones on Winter Solstice. Various rituals and celebrations were held at the Circle in these ancient times, and this piece is a dance commemorating those ancient rituals.
KITTEN'S FIRST SNOW
Our neighbor, Mrs. Lear, gave my sister and I one of her kittens on the day we moved to our new house. I was five years old. The kitten's name was Pummy, and he lived for almost 20 years. I'll never forget the first time he saw snow and how he was able to walk on top of it without sinking into it.
DREAM ON
This song is about putting the past gently in its place and looking toward the future.

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Liner Notes:
Thanks to my family at North Star Music, Gerry Putnam, Steven Miller, Honey & Shel Spielberg, Randall Davis, Mia Diaz, my fans on the internet, new-age radio programmers around the world, Steinway & Sons, Prudence Petty, Johnny Cunningham, Howard Shaw, Brett Lowell, Lisa Indovino. A very special thanks to Richard Waterman and Bob Martins for their encouragement and enthusiasm.

This album is for Larry.

All pieces composed, arranged and performed by Robin Spielberg
"Pages, Princesses and Daughters" composed by Robin Spielberg and ChrisTheriault

Produced by Robin Spielberg and Gerry Putnam

New York Sessions recorded by Steven Miller at Sear Sound, New York City
Assistant engineer: Fred Kevorkian
Piano technician: Ed Wedberg
New Hampshire Sessions recorded by Gerry Putnam at Cedarhouse Sound & Mastering, N.H.
Mixed by Robin Spielberg & Gerry Putnam at CedarHouse
piano technician: Mark Dierauf

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