In late mid July of 1987 a friend asked me what I’d like to do with my music and I replied that I wanted to travel to sacred places and combine nature, the feelings of each place, and music. I was then asked what sacred site I would like to go to first. Spontaneously, I said Machu Picchu, Peru. Without going into the details of why I chose Machu Picchu, which I have to say are amazing, four weeks later I was on a pilgrimage of place, nature, and music to the “Harmonic Convergence” at Machu Picchu, Peru, August 16 and 17, 1987. I knew nothing about the Mayan calendar or prophecies, and yet here I was.
Not knowing the harmonic convergence was occurring I found that the accommodations at Machu Picchu were booked up. So I took up residence at Aqua Caliente which was about 4 miles from the ruins of Machu Picchu. Every morning at 3:30 A.M., I would pack up my recording gear and hike up to the ruins, hoping to be allowed to enter before the tourists and noise arrived, which was 8:00 A.M. For five days the security guards would not allow me to enter the sacred grounds before 8:00 A.M. On the sixth day, a security guard named Ubaldo allowed me to enter the ruins before the public arrived and he insisted that he carry my gear, which was about 50 pounds. For the next five days I would arrive around 5:30 A.M. and Ubaldo would carry my gear to the areas where I would work: notating the music I heard in my mind’s ear and recording nature sounds. It was truly an inspired event. On the night of the Harmonic Convergence I was informed by a group of Californians that there was a ritual being performed by a Quecha priest at the Pacha Mama rock. I asked if I could attend and was informed that permission would have to be granted. Later in the day I learned that I was welcome to attend. That night as I walked across the misty ruins I could see in the distance a gathering of people illuminated by torch light. As I got closer I saw that the priest that was to be presiding was Ubaldo. Yes, it was the security guard that after five days of getting to know me finally allowed me into Machu Picchu early each morning and even carried my belongings. He acknowledged my presence with a nod as he proceeded with the ceremony. Of all the magical experiences I’ve had in my life, this one surpassed them all. Needless to say, the music rolled out of me when I got back to New Mexico and album took me about six weeks to compose and record. That’s very fast for me. . I commissioned artwork and made some cassette copies and boom, Emerald Green Sound Productions was off and running. The interest and sales were strong and I had a recording career taking off.