Here's the Cigar album that almost was. As it stands, it's a "best of" collection that includes the four songs I completed in the studio with Pete Moss along with the four track demos of the other songs that were to be included (as well as a ironically prophetic fragment from the Cigar sessions originally written in tribute to the late Michael Kennedy). That¹s right, in the period between moving back to Florida and then back again to New York, I lost two of my best friends. Let's just say it sucked. A lot.

There¹s not really much to say that hasn't been covered on the previous volumes. The Cigar tracks feature Pete and myself playing all the instruments and singing all the vocals. Sunday Times is missing the guitar solo and Mind's Eye is just guitar, drums and vocals because we ran out of time at (what turn out to be) the last session . I didn't really want to do anymore work on the tracks, so I just mixed them as they were. The demo tracks span several years and were all recorded in New York with me doing, well, everything.

Sincere praise, honor and gratitude to all who are represented on this collection. It's a unique experience to collect and listen to over twenty years of work compressed into around 18 hours of music. Especially knowing that for various time and technical reasons more than a few worthy items were left off. Once, during my last period living in Florida, Mr. Charlie Pickett, standing outside Churchill's Hideaway in Miami asked me, of all people THE QUESTION: "Mike," he asked," do you think it was worth it?" I told him then like I tell you now: "Definitely Charlie, most definitely."

Michael Chatham 9.19.2001