East Coast to West Coast: Vaya Con Dios

Yesterday, I learned that the gentle soul that inspired and co wrote this song with me in 2002, passed away on 12/30/21. His was one of the first friendships I established through the internet. We met on a now defunct independent music site called Garageband, and began corresponding regularly. We ended up collaborating on a number of songs. He was such a warm hearted individual. This particular song that I am posting was inspired by an email he sent me. In the beginning of the song, I recite a paragraph from that email. The end of the song fuses a section of one of his musical compositions to the track I created with loops and samples. The song is an expression of hope. It came to me at a time in my life where my family was still mourning the loss of Carla. It became the title track from my second CD, “Baluja II: a beautiful dream.” It is one of my favorite works from that time period, and it still resonates with me. It’s a song that deserves be listened to, and listened to often, throughout one’s life. I don’t say this with arrogance or pride, but with the humility of one who realizes all that is done in this life is through the grace of God. He was with me when I met Vince. He was with me when the song was written and recorded. And He is with me now, as I formally say goodbye to one of the kindest human beings I’ve ever known. East Coast to West Coast, Vaya con Dios.

https://youtu.be/EZLcsS6rkMk