If I Could Touch The Sky

Gary Ochs
Jan 7
12 min read

Updated: Feb 26

"Where words fail, music speaks." - Hans Christian Anderson

The 1970’s featured the emergence of the “singer/songwriter” genre in popular music. Recording artists like Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Jackson Browne wrote songs that were deeply personal yet profoundly universal. While I am light years away from the stratosphere where these icons orbit, I am passionate about crafting songs that tell meaningful stories. Reviewing my first album, The Eagle Has Landed, arts/media commentator David Franklin noted that the rhythm and meter of the songwriting, "conveyed a profound poetic quality." Franklin compared the playlist to the kind of music you would enjoy listening to while relaxing with friends over a glass of chardonnay at a local nightclub. "Come for the music," wrote Franklin, "and stay for the message. The 60's era of consciousness meets a new sonic gospel. How cool is that?"

I am a fortunate contemporary of a great era in music. From the Beatles to Beyonce from Coltrane to Corbain, music has been an indelible part of my Iife. Now that I am in my sixties - how in the world did that happen? - I am inspired by the rock and jazz legends I grew up listening to. If I Could Touch The Sky chronicles my journey through this wondrous thing called life. Six of the twelve compositions are jazz instrumentals including the title track which was nominated for "Best Jazz Instrumental" in the 2023 Great American Song Contest. A special thank you to the musicians who helped me bring this music to life. If not for their skillful artistry and the marvel of digital technology, Sky would have remained a nice idea that never went beyond the confines of my imagination. A big hug to my amazing wife Cyndee who loves me in spite of all of my idiosyncrasies, and who graciously affords me the latitude to express this inexpressible gift I have been given. -GO

LINER NOTES

I bought my first long-playing (LP) vinyl record when I was 15. Whenever I heard a new album from one of my favorite bands on the radio, I would save up my weekly allowance to add it to my prized collection. The 12-inch record cover provided a large canvas to display creative artwork and other extras. Sometimes the recording artist included the song lyrics on the record sleeve. On rare occasions, “liner notes” were printed on a separate insert. These notations provided insight into the inspiration and process behind the writing and production of the songs, creating a more personal and engaging listening experience. All of the instrumental tracks for Sky were recorded remotely in the artists own studios. Keyboards, trumpets and flutes were recorded In Buenos Aires and Mendoza Argentina. Violins were recorded in the UK and Kiev, Ukraine. Vocals were recorded in Lagos, Toronto, Florence and Nashville. The recorded tracks were mixed and mastered by digital sound engineer Daniel Toth in Budapest, Hungary. Recorded in 16-bit CD quality audio, the music sounds like we recorded together in the same studio.

TRACK 1 - GALAPAGOS!

Almost an afterthought, this was the last song recorded for the album. Co-written with my good friend, composer/arranger/keyboard player Luciano Ledesma. I wanted to create an upbeat Latin-jazz composition that captured the adventurous spirit of my travels in South America as a 17-year-old high school exchange student. I had the good fortune to tour the Galapagos Islands with my Ecuadorian classmates. Que chevre! The "Enchanted Islands" was the most amazing place I have ever been to. Facu Rodriguez is the tour-de-force trumpet, trombone, flugelhorn player/arranger extraordinaire whose virtuosity takes the composition on a joy ride to incredible heights.

TRACK 2 - IF I COULD TOUCH THE SKY

I came up with most of the melody line and hook for the title track during practice sessions in my bedroom walk-in closet back in 1985. I was learning the saxophone by playing along with songs on cassette tapes and records, Not wanting to cause my neighbors any grief, I figured the closet was the perfect place to practice. With the door closed, it was pretty much soundproof. Or so it seemed. On my way to work one day, I crossed paths with a neighbor in the parking garage, “Is that you I hear playing the saxophone night and day?” Bracing myself for the admonishment about to come, I admitted so. “Well, I have to say,” the old man chuckled. “You’re sounding better!” The song was nominated for Best Jazz Instrumental by a panel of industry professionals at the 2023 Great American Song Contest.

TRACK 3: HOME

Venturing out from home for the first time is an exciting phase in life, but like the prodigal son discovered, there may come a time when you have to ask yourself, "What was I thinking?" The girl in the song represents the impulsive, rebellious, spirit of youth seeking independence and validation from an unkind world. There is one lesson in life that most everyone winds up learning the hard way: You don’t really know what you've got ‘til it’s gone.

TRACK 4: HAVE YOU NOT KNOWN?

The first gospel song I ever wrote was inspired by early morning bike rides through my neighborhood, The song title and lyrics come from Isaiah 40 and Psalm 103 two of my favorite passages in the Bible. The a cappella voices were arranged and recorded by my producer friend Samsam and his amazing trio, "Ablaze" in Lagos, Nigeria.

TRACK 5: BEGINNING AGAIN

After thirteen years of marriage and several years of marriage counseling, my parents divorced when I was nine. I never saw them fight or even raise their voices at each other. Whatever happened between them, happened behind closed doors. Lying awake in bed late one night I heard my father crying through my bedroom wall. A few months later our parents sat my brother and me down at the breakfast table to tell us the gut-wrenching news. The devastating heartbreak and loss of a family torn apart was exacerbated by the assassinations of three of our nation's great visionary leaders in less than five years. Two years later, my mom married the therapist who had counseled her and my dad. Recently, the international family of churches that my wife and I had been a part of for over thirty years suffered a painful division. Many longstanding relationships were severed. At the end of the day, no matter what happens in life what matters most is prioritizing eternal things not of this world. "One love, one truth, run the race in front of you - back to the beginning again."

TRACK 6: REQUIEM FOR A DREAM

Last November, my wife and I celebrated our wedding anniversary in a quiet Mediterranean-style villa near Bodega Bay - the sleepy seaside resort town north of San Francisco where Alfred Hitchcock filmed his classic thriller, The Birds. During breakfast, I heard Frank Sinatra’s, “A Very Good Year” playing through the restaurant sound system. The song expresses a wistful longing for the past while offering a resigned acceptance of life's impermanence. Requiem For A Dream expresses that same longing for a time that was and will never be again. The 1960's began brimming with hope and limitless possibilities fueled by an unprecedented sense of optimism and progress. The murders of President John F. Kennedy, his brother Senator Robert Kennedy and civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. marked the death of a collective dream. The eternal flame that still burns today beside JFK's grave site in Arlington National Cemetary is all that remains of the bright beacon of light that emanated from the lives of these extraordinary men - a light that was extinguished far too soon. We will never pass this way again.

TRACK 7: SIMPLE THINGS

A cover version of a song composed by two-time Grammy-award winning artist Jim Brickman. It's the simple things, being present in the moment, enjoying each other’s company that my wife Cyndee and I treasure the most. Whether its Saturday morning breakfast at our favorite local coffee shop, going to the movies or running errands together, we are grateful for all that we have been given especially the gift of marriage. "The secret of life is growing old beside the woman of your dreams."

TRACK 8: FIRST SNOW

One of the most exciting things that could ever happen to a 7-year-old kid growing up in suburban Philadelphia was the first major snowstorm of winter. Once or twice a year, it would snow hard enough for schools to close for the day. If it began snowing on a weeknight, I would wake up before dawn the next morning with excited expectation tuning in to the local news station on my dad’s transistor radio. Every school district in the county was assigned a number. If my school's number was announced, I would run downstairs, put my hat, coat and gloves on and rush outside into the frosty morning air. Like magic, the barren neighborhood landscape had been transformed overnight into a fluffy, white, winter wonderland. What I remember most about those days was the stillness. It was so peaceful and quiet. The falling snow made everything calm and bright. No matter what was going wrong with the world, for that one day at least everything seemed like it was going to be alright.

TRACK 9: SUMMERTIME

I will never forget the first time I heard the music of the iconic rock band Chicago. I played clarinet in my junior high school stage band. One day during pre-class warmups, our teacher Mr. Terry strolled in with a record album under his arm. When he reached the lectern, he looked up with a big smile on his face. "OK everyone put down your instruments please," he announced. "I've got something I want you all to listen to." Carefully removing the record from its jacket, Mr. Terry cued the album up on the turntable connected to the rehearsal room's speaker system. The song began with a driving, syncopated guitar progression that set a tense hypnotic tone. As the riff continued to build, the bass and drums kicked in. Then out of nowhere a horn section burst onto the scene cutting through the mix with a dynamic force that took the song groove to a whole new level. That moment was transformative. Trumpet, sax and trombone fusing their sound together on a rock and roll song? Incredible. Unbelievable. Unheard of. I just sat there in my chair transfixed tapping my hands and feet. A seamless blend of classic rock and jazz, "25 Or 6 To 4" was music unlike anything I had ever heard. Chicago would go on to release twenty-six studio albums over the next fifty years. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016. Chicago's innovative use of horns is the inspiration behind "Summertime." Arranged and performed by Facu Bordega, the composition takes me back to the day in the stage band rehearsal room at Indian Lane Junior High School when I first heard that quintessential sound

TRACK 10: DIAMOND OF DREAMS

My dad loved baseball. He grew up in 1940's Chicago going to Cubs baseball games with his dad, my grandfather, Chester Ochs. We started playing catch in our back yard when I was four. For Father's Day in 1964, dad surprised my brother Dave and me with tickets to see the Philadelphia Phillies play the New York Mets. We camped out in Valley Forge National Park and drove up to New York City early the next morning. I proudly wore my Phillies uniform to the ballpark that day with the number of my hero, all-star right fielder Johnny Callison, on my back. It was a perfect day. Not only did Johnny Callison hit a homerun, the Phillies starting pitcher Jim Bunning made baseball history. He struck out 10 batters, gave up no hits, no runs and didn't walk anyone. He pitched only the seventh "perfect game" in major league baseball in nearly one hundred years. My father framed the scorecard along with a newspaper clipping from the sports page of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The memento would be a fixture on the wall of his study for the next forty years.

TRACK 11: CAPILEIRA

My junior year in college, I had the opportunity to study in Madrid. During the mid-semester break, I travelled south to tour the museums and mosques of Granada. There I spent a couple of days in Capileira, a small mountain town nestled high in the Pyrenees. In the village square stood a small statue honoring Federico Garcia Lorca. The great poet, playwright and political activist was a heralded native son of the Andalucia region. Lorca was shot and killed by Generalisimo Francisco Franco’s forces at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War in 1936. Being a hopeless romantic myself, I wrote a poem about Capileira dedicating it to Lorca. When I returned to the university in Madrid, I gave my Spanish literature professor Jaime Ferran - himself a published poet - a copy of the poem. He must have liked it a lot. A solid "B" student at best, Professor Ferran graciously awarded me an “A” for the semester. I completed the song by adding a verse to the poem I had already written and created space in the composition for the trumpet, flute and guitar to have a dialogue with one another. Digital technology is amazing. Thousands of miles separated the session players from one another and yet the result sounds as though they recorded in the same studio. The guitar was recorded in Istanbul, Turkey. The flute and trumpets were recorded in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The percussion tracks were recorded in Mendoza, Argentina.

TRACK 12: SONG FOR AMERICA

In 1975, the rock group Kansas ("Dust In The Wind" and "Carry On My Wayward Son") released a song about European immigrants coming to the new world seeking a life free from the tyranny of church and crown. Leaving their livelihoods behind, thousands of men, women and children risked the perilous North Atlantic crossing, only to arrive in an unfamiliar land and face unimaginable hardship. Theirs is the American story; the good, the bad and the ugly. The seven-minute, 57-track opus opens with the haunting tones of a Native America flute whose origins trace back to the third century B.C. It then unfolds into a pastoral soundscape of keyboards, percussion and horns narrating 250 years of American history. {Click on the icon at the bottom of the page to view the SONG FOR AMERICA music video.} Citing themes of liberty and equality, the composition draws its lyrical context from audio clips of Amanda Gorman's The Hill We Climb. The youngest poet laureate in American history, Ms. Gorman delivered a masterful oration at President Joe Biden's inauguration, earning international acclaim.

"In this truth in this faith we trust, for while we have our eyes on the future, history has its eyes on us." The future we envision depends upon the legacy we leave behind. Ms. Gorman's recital highlighted the responsibility we all share to make the world a better place for the generations to come. Embracing his moment in history, John F. Kennedy the 35th president of the United States, inspired our country to action. In a speech at Rice University in the fall of 1962, President Kennedy proclaimed his vision for America to explore an unchartered frontier. "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard. Because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills." Kennedy boldly declared that the United States would land a man on the moon and return him safely to earth before the decade was out. His prophetic words challenged our nation to embrace the difficult paths to progress and to forge unity through collaboration and determination. On July 20, 1969 Apollo 11 touched down on the lunar surface and returned safely to earth three days later. President Kennedy did not live to see his vision fulfilled, but his bold proclamation affirmed that greatness demands the courage to overcome immense obstacles in pursuit of extraordinary outcomes.

Sixty years later, standing on the steps of the US Capitol where JFK took the oath of office, Amanda Gorman cited the exemplary courage of ordinary men and women who triumphed over extreme adversity. "The loss we carry, the sea we must wade. We have braved the belly of the beast. We have learned that quiet isn't always peace and the norms and notions of what 'just is' isn't always 'just-ice.'" How unfortunate that after declaring, "we will never again sow division'" four years later America finds itself even more divided shrouded once again in, "this never-ending shade," Turning a deaf ear to the calling of our better angels, we the people endorsed a powerful minority that rejects the altruistic vision of JFK and Dr. King "to compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and conditions of man." Forsaking the greater good, we cast our lot with privileged, unprincipled, men seeking to rewrite our nation's history in their own image.

The greatest book ever written speaks truth to the egregious pursuit of dishonest gain. "Those who sow the wind shall reap the whirlwind." (Hosea 8:7) Our constitution does not guarantee that democracy will forever stand. Uniquely American, government of the people for the people and by the people is still a 250-year-old work in progress. "We are far from polished, far from pristine but that doesn't mean we are striving to form a union that is perfect. We are striving to forge a union with purpose...being American is more than a pride we inherit; it's the past we step into and how we repair it." Democracy can and will perish if not for a vigilant, resolute citizenry committed to the pursuit of a shared vision - one that values dignity, equality and the rule of law. If we are to live up to our own time, we need pay heed to the words of a young American poet who proclaims this truth to be self-evident: "There is always light if only we are brave enough to see it. If only we are brave enough to be it."

PLAY VIDEO: "SONG FOR AMERICA"