As a surfer, composer, and historian of easy listening, I combined some of my interests and put them into musical practice in making this album.

Bolsa Chica Calm references ambient, environmental, new age, and experimental music, from vaporwave to Wendy Carlos' Sonic Seasonings. It was informed by my research in writing my second book, Easy Listening and Film Scoring 1948-78, with two extended, midcentury-inspired meditations with real strings, winds, piano, analog synthesizers, and field recordings.

I started working on Bolsa Chica Calm in 2017; it became a pandemic project. I worked on it at home, using remote recording sessions to record flute and strings. Composed, arranged, and produced by Jack Curtis Dubowsky. Surf recorded at Bolsa Chica State Beach. Rain recorded through a window air conditioner. Jack Curtis Dubowsky: piano, guitar, Jupiter 6, JX-3P, electronics, programming. Charles Sharp: bass clarinet and contrabass clarinet.