LIFE FORCE has several meanings. The impulse for creating this album is my sincere love of the music of Sergio Mendes. The tune Sambadouro literally means life force. Life Force also reminds me that we have a divine spark from above when we are born and I feel that within me at all times. I remember going to see a doctor in Pittsburgh a long time ago and he wanted to know what I felt about my health. I told him I am extremely strong within and that my divine spark is completely in tact. He liked that answer.
Life Force is all about creation, too. As many of you know, I am enthralled by everything beyond the confines of Earth. We are sadly so consumed with all the terrible stuff going on in our world that we forget that there is endless wonderment beyond the clouds. We must focus on the real challenge facing our civilization... to jettison off this planet and colonize elsewhere. I think that may well be the entire point of us being here other than bringing G-dliness down to the Earth.
This album took us well over a year to complete. I wrote all of the compositions and sent the charts to saxophonist Carl Cox, bassist Eddie Kohen, and guitarist Joe Berger. These superb musicians truly turned in exceptional performances and helped fuel the idea that these tunes will endure for years to come. That's right, I think these songs will stand the test of time beautifully and will remain pleasing to the ears forever. For me, that is the aim of creating original, meaningful music. All my life I've wanted to be a world class musician. I still yearn for such a distinction. Deep in my heart and soul I need it, you know? My sincere hope is that these original compositions will please you. I spent a long my time with these songs & came up with interesting modalities resulting in complex, beautifully crafted compositions. Combined with very simple, yet elegant melodies, I think we succeeded in providing relevant music here.
This is always the goal. The charts for these songs challenged the imaginations of the studio musicians on the album. I am forever grateful to them and am tremendously happy with the results. These brilliant players made this a special album that will endure and hold the interest of listeners for decades to come. We humbly ask you to please support the arts and purchase this digital download. Every dollar earned goes right back into creating future music. Thank you kindly, Richard
1. Crimson Sky 04:24
2. Sambadouro 04:14
3. Loving You 03:20
4. Solar India 03:31
5. Heliocentric Rings of Saturn 05:30
6. Mercurial Spheres 04:22
7. Dreaming in Sound 04:00
8. Gujarati 03:32
9. Far & Away 03:42
Carl Cox - Sax (1,2)
Eddie "Motown" Kohen - Bass (1,2,3,4,5,6,9)
Joe Berger - Guitar (5,6,9)
Richard D. Ruttenberg - Modulus 002, Korg Karma, Elektron 4V Analog Sequencer, ARP Odyssey, E Drums (all songs)
Executive Producer - Sherry Mandel Podobnik
All compositions written, edited, mixed by Richard D. Ruttenberg.
Mastered by Joe Berger
Album Art Design - Drishanah Kambatta
