IS IT

Aaron Castillo: piano, cymbals, marimba Adam Hilton: piano, bass, guitar, electronics, field recordings

In Dec 2022 Aaron began sending a series of 30-40 second piano snippets recorded to voice memos, written on a piano from generations past in his wife's family, while his young kids were falling asleep.

These short ideas were both articulate and open-ended, the captivating first sentence of a short story. Each an unintentional basis for the core of a song itself, but that also blossomed with the right trimmings.

I was inspired to add complementary pieces to accompany them on their journey. A night to day to night, a Fall to Winter to Summer to Fall again. A full rotation.

From Aaron: When I started recording the piano parts, I felt content with them as simple and incomplete ideas. They were exercises on an instrument that I’m only getting confidence in after several decades. Hearing those parts realized as anchors in these larger arrangements reminds me that collaboration with dear friends really “is it”.