Had to Make That Move

Song 493: Seven weeks after my previous personal friend song post, this week the playlist puts the spotlight on Leaving California by my buddy Jeff Larson, who also wrote the song, and you can find a YouTube video of it by clicking on the title. I want to start off the new year by adding another JL gem to this collection. According to my memory, it was my personal decision to leave CA in the late summer of 1988 that inspired Jeff to write this tune at the time. When I departed, the stuff I loaded into my van included a banjo that my songwriting colleague had given me which he had actually constructed. When he first handed me the gift, of course I appreciated his generosity, but at the moment, I also felt I didn't have any particular use for it. I had done a banjo section on one of my early recordings in that era, but I had no intentions of adding that sound texture to any of my other studio projects. However, just a few months ago, I had that same instrument in hand when I headed to another session, and the banjo Jeff gave me will adorn a track called New American Century Part 2 on my upcoming CD release Elder Statesman and will also enliven a cut called Curiosity which will appear on the follow-up CD Purrfection: The Cat Single, so I guess that really shows another hand. When Leaving California a little over 3 decades ago, perhaps I was wondering if the die is cast through all the dreams that didn't last and had to be replaced, but if Jeff is right when he sings it's a circle game at best, then perhaps one of these days I'll get to circle back to CA and greet him there again.