A mysterious letter is found in the basement of an old house.

The Letter

Saxman playing on the Chicago River, late at night 10/24/2011.

Sax Under the Bridge

The yellow living room

“The Flying Boy of San Pedro” is a love letter to Central America.  This piece of magical realism was inspired by, and recorded entirely in San Pedro la Laguna, Guatemala, from January through March 2012.  The two actors in the piece, Pedro Elias Mendez Gonzalez (young Pedro) and Lucas Cotuc Gonzalez (older Pedro) are not professional actors, nor English speakers, but wonderfully patient people who willingly mimicked the sounds of English for this piece.  All music was performed by various musicians encountered on the tourist trail throughout Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua; the closing piece, “Sam’s Song,” was performed by Patrick Streicher and Frank Lougheed.

The Flying Boy of San Pedro

carilon chime at Campanile (Sather Tower)

From an untitled band in an early 1960s era LP of French music called "Holiday In Paris."

Dennis Conrow

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