My father David, was an incredible musician. He was principle Oboeist for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, but he also played the concert piano, the English horn, and of course the musical saw. I used to love watching him perform, and was blessed to sit behind stage at the taping for a Prairie home companion, KCRW, and of course ojai music festival. He performed for Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show, which I still watch on an old VHS tape. Before he started performing professionally on the saw, he used to sit on the Venice Beach Boardwalk, open the old black violin case, which held his saw and bow, and play for fun and for a few dollars and change. What made my dad so incredible to me, and to so many others, was his musical ear and ability to master whatever he put his mind to. He could listen to a song on the radio, and then sit down with the saw, concert piano, or anything else and reproduce it. The saw was definitely the instrument that he had the most fun with, and he loved to pull it out and share a song and teach the lucky listener how to bend it into an S curve to pull a melody out of the steel. with. He played with gusto, but It wasn’t just his incredible performances that I admired, it was also his love and passion to teach music to as many people as he could, He was a professor at the university of southern California, and also taught, and was on the board of, the young musicians foundation. When he was younger he graduated from the music Academy of the West, and continued on as a board member there, as well as well as an instructor. I used to go up to Santa Barbara and watch him and his students perform. When you listen to his music, you should Google his videos and his pictures. When you look at him performing you can see in his expressions, movements, and blissful joy, how much he loved what he did. Years ago before he started playing for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, as first oboeist, he was in the Army band at West Point, and toured with the Chicago opera company. His devotion to music, especially classical, came from his mother who not only taught and inspired David, but David’s brother and sister as well. They went on to also play professionally, one with the Portland Symphony and the other with the Rochester symphony. David was also a accomplished surfer. The man had guts, and would tackle some of the most challenging surf out there. The legendary Tom Zaun (Santa Monica beach lifeguard captain, who pioneered both lifeguarding techniques and surfing/ paddle boarding in California) taught him, and then myself, and my brother, how to surf. David shared this love of the ocean with his students, and frequently would take them to the beach whenever he had the chance in order to teach them, one on one, how to paddle, stand up, and ride the waves. Several years ago, he was out at sunset beach in Malibu, having fun with one of his students out in the surf, when he suddenly did not feel well and tried to paddle for the shore. He made it close to the sand, but passed out in the water feet from shore. He subsequently died of heart failure, after the lifeguard came down and they rushed him to the hospital. Though I miss him dearly, it’s reassuring to know that he died doing what he loved, and also that he was sharing that love with a student at the time. All in all I want you to know that my dad was an amazing man for not just what he did, but for all the time he dedicated to helping others. He was passionate, dedicated, intelligent, and someone I deeply admire. I hope you enjoy this CD as much as I do, and while you’re playing it listen close to hear his joy and passion expressed with every note.Jonathan Weiss