Working with von Stade and Chris Brubeck in an atmosphere of collegial informality, he spen two years developing an album in which most of the music was notably allusive and personal.

[2] "Polly", conceived as an instrumental piece, acquired its lyrics from a visiting poet, Alastair Reid, as well as from Crofut, Chris Brubeck and von Stade.

"Blue rondo à la Turk", written in honour of Dave Brubeck's seventy-fifth birthday, commemorated the visit to Turkey during which he had chanced upon its 9/8 rhythm.

And Chris Brubeck's lyrics for "In the grace of your room" and "It's lonely at both ends of the road" echoed his own experiences as a father, a husband and a musician on tour.

)[6] The cover of the second version of the album was designed by Susan Cybulski under the art direction of Anilda Carrasquillo, and features a photograph of von Stade taken by E. J.

Each of its items was at least in part the work of either Chris Brubeck or his father, Dave, but its star, Frederica von Stade, was no jazz or folk singer but rather a guest from the world of opera.

Chris Brubeck was a "formidable songwriter", a first class exponent of the trombone and the bass and a pianist whose skill at the keyboard was widely underestimated.

[8] It was also reviewed in Classic CD,[9] Clyde T. McCants's American opera singers and their recordings (2004)[10] and Donald Clarke's The Penguin encyclopedia of popular music (1998).

[1] The second version of album was released by Telarc on CD in 1996 (catalogue number CD-80467), accompanied by a 16-page booklet containing the lyrics of all the songs, a black and white photograph of von Stade, Bill Crofut and Chris Brubeck and two pages of essays by von Stade, Bill Crofut and Chris Brubeck about how the recording was made.