Here are some original songs, in a number of different musical genres.
You can find my jazz music on the albums page and theater music and choir/orchestra/chamber music on their respective pages.
pop/rock
jazz vocals
The song "Blue Horse Opus" won first place in the jazz category in the 2007 International Composer's
Guild Composition Contest. It features San Francisco Bay area vocalist Joyce Pricco.
country and western
World
Irish/Celtic
This song “So soft this morning ours” is from the last page of James Joyce’s Finnegan’s Wake. This is the final song in a musical-theatre work I composed based on ‘Finnegan’s Wake’, the most difficult book ever written. (imo)
art songs
These two pieces are taken from a song-cyle commission I received
some time ago, asking me to put music to some of Tagore's poetry--a wonderful undertaking.
latin
This is a song written about an elderly Italian gentleman I encountered on a gig not too long ago. It's a true story, based on what I observed that afternoon.
Children's
This song, "Reny the rat", won the first place prize at the 2008 International Composer's Guild Composition Contest
in the "children's song" category.
electronica
Here are a few pieces (of many) I have composed in the electronic music genre.
Symphony #1, 2nd mvmt.
Novelty / Humor
This is my arrangement of the old Gershwin classic "It ain't necessarily so" from Porgy and Bess.
This is a live recording of Bach Musica with the John Mackay trio at Trinity Church in Auckland.
This is a jazzy, amusing xmas song about ‘St. Nick’ in a somewhat Tom Waits style
This is a rough recording of a gospel song I wrote called ‘That Can’t Stop the Light’.