Captain Beefheart fans know him as Antennae Jimmy Semens. His guitar work on Strictly Personal, Trout Mask Replica, and Mirror Man is unforgettable. Jeff Cotton has a new album of his own - The Fantasy of Reality. Here he takes us through it track by track...

Track 1: Does It Work For You
JC: Reminiscent of some CPMB and the MU tracks, this one sets the theme and the character of the album. For example: “Is it reality or is it fantasy”. I speak of the connection of every living thing to the true Source. I just like to give credit where credit is due, having lived a few years and spending many years in a quest to answer that very question - What is fantasy and what is reality.

Track 2: Never Ceases To Blow My Mind
JC: Inspired by the beauty of living in Hawaii and falling in love. And about the gratitude I have towards all that happens for our highest good. “As we realize life’s flow from its source it does unfold”.

Track 3: Ivy
JC: Inspired by a mother in law, a beautiful Hawaiian lady who I describe as having the heart of a true Hawaiian and never having heard a harsh word, supportive and full of love…there are really no words to describe her. And because there are no words, I choose to express it simply in musical terms.

Track 4: Green Bamboo
JC: What’s behind Green Bamboo is fun times and pleasant memories nestled on the lush and beautiful North shore of the Island of Kauai. its lush green valleys and verdant ginger bring back memories of a simple life which once was.

Track 5: He Made The Eagle
JC: We can complain, we can criticize however when you get down to it at the core of our being, we are all one and the same. So you will notice the soprano sax solo, immediately blending into Bottleneck guitar.

Track 6: Elvirus
JC: The old delta blues can still have a sense of humor even in covid times, in fact these are the times when we need it the most. This is sung by a happy old man.

Track 7: This Gentle Earth
JC: We all know what is going on on this Earth and this song speaks about the origin of this fantasy. It also brings a solution to it, a dose of reality. In our gentle Earth, Truth bears fruit.

Track 8: Love Makes All Things New
JC: I wrote this song out of a perceived loss of a loving relationship of many years. It was penned amidst the tumbleweeds in the Mojave desert, the birth place of the Exiles, Blues in Bottle and Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band. I feel like I was wearing my heart on my sleeve while composing it.

Track 9: Crusin' Hamakua
JC: There were some years when I would drive the Hamakua coast three times per week. The sight of awesome water falls, and the cane trucks, hauling sugar cane on that winding road, and the tourists amazed at the awe inspiring sites and sounds. It was so much fun for me as I loved to drive this stretch of road. I intend that you catch the breeze.

Track 10: Together We Sail
JC: This journey here on this little planet is much more exciting than any movie could possibly be. The grander the picture and the clearer our focus toward “the one who is Love”, the more gratitude we exude, and the clearer our choices become, May that we choose Only to Love.

Track 11: The Space Between Us All
JC: This song had its inception in early 1970 at the formation of the group MU. Both Randy and I co-authored this piece because we both always had a burning desire that the space between us all would become a bridge. Fifty plus years later, we are still singing this song.

Track 12: On The Thread
JC: Since my days of CBMB, I have continued to appreciate the avant-garde in music and in this regard On The Thread is my offering to you.

Track 13: Aloha
JC: This song is about the spirit of Aloha being alive and well, here in Hawaii and it can be found in numerous other destinations. Seeings others in their highest light is certainly a way to share our Aloha and this song is my humble contribution to the music of this beautiful and sacred land.

Track 14: The Liberation Song
JC: The Liberation Song is about, hope, confidence, instruction and ultimately, Reality. This song was written during challenging times in my life and the outcome pointed at this song: sharing the joy of having a relationship with the One who is Love.

Track 15: Breeze Of Oblivion
JC: Breeze Of Oblivion came from looking at differing points of view. As we all have our own unique perception, we each broadcast our Own interpretation. The Breezes of Love and Gratitude seek to validate our own unique experiences and collectively we all benefit.

Track 16: Heavy
JC: A sense of humor has gotten me through some hair raising situations and so what better way, then to put a little humor into the blues.

Track 17: Season Of The Awakening
JC: The first draft of this operatic track dates back to 1985 and this song did ask to be fingerpicked on acoustic guitar. I’d say, we are living in the most exciting time in human history.

Track 18: Mother Earth Needs Healing
JC: This track popped right out and it speaks of the need to heal our planet. It gives us some basic direction. Of course we can’t heal Our world until we set about healing our own personal worlds. And the chorus shares this signpost, “Love is Truth, Peace is Proof”

Track 19: Together
JC: Together is our snapshot of these times of Awakening as well as of the tensions that we are all facing today. I believe that the fire of love is being fanned and it is Inevitable. An anthem for Our Times.

Track 20: Hear The Word
JC: The Word that created all things, always speaking to us in myriad ways and forms, weaves a spellbinding continuity through our ever changing life experiences, and we are the richer for it. Hear The Word. My life experience in a Tone Poem.

Track 21: It Would Take An Angel
JC: Because we humans are reflective, we eventually become that which we behold. It is within our power to choose either darkness or the Light of Love.

Track 22: Clean In Nature's Stream
JC: So, how about His ever changing painting of a sunset? Or the Music of the spheres? Here’s some fun with the Bass clarinet….I always loved the dark deep woody African tones of this instrument. My first serious musical Instrument was the clarinet in fourth grade. In 1970 I bought my first bass clarinet and it found its wily way into the first album of my group MU. Now, here it is, introduced once more, half a century later. On my solo album, The Fantasy of Reality. Enjoy!