These are some of the latest recordings I've made. They were all done "at home" in some of the cities where I've lived during my recent travels. They were recorded on a portable BOSS BR-600 digital machine. To listen to any of the songs, please click on the colored title. All songs and lyrics written by Salaroche, except those marked with an asterisk (*)

Wordless (©Salaroche). Recorded in Djibouti City, Djibouti, the Horn of Africa, on December 30, 2011. During my guitar practice over the last days I spent in Beijing, China, there were two or three improvisation patterns that kept coming back, but I didn't have time to record any of them over there. Yesterday I finally managed to connect my recording machine and recorded this one "live". This piece has the usual instrumentation: One guitar, one vocal and the digital drums. No lyrics. The file is a little over 9 MB, so please be patient when trying to listen to it. All instruments and vocals by Salaroche.

*Good Rocking Tonight (©Roy Brown). Recorded in Shishen, China, on September 30, 2011. Coming back home this morning I just felt like recording this seminal, historical piece. Very few things compare to playing some classic Rock & Roll tunes. The recording consists of one rhythm guitar, one lead guitar, two vocals and the customary digital drums. All instruments and vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

Do It (©Salaroche). Written and recorded in Shishen, China, on September 9-25, 2011. My Chinese friend Cherry works 16 hours a day, 7 days a week. She has her own business up there in Beijing and she's making lots of money, but she's not having much fun outside her office. I wrote this song thinking of her and her situation. The recording consists of one single guitar, two vocals and the usual digital trap set. All instruments and vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

Seasons (©Salaroche). Recorded in Shishen, Guangdong Province, China, on September 11, 2011. I initially wrote this song as a guitar piece in San Salvador, El Salvador, back in early 1971. After recording it I thought some background vocals would fit well and this is the result. The recording consists of one single guitar, 4 vocals and the BR-600 rhythm machine. All instruments and vocals by Salaroche.

This Highway (©Salaroche). Written and recorded in Pristina, Kosovo, on August 24-25, 2011. This short song is based on the thought of my growing impossibility to stay put in one particular city or country. The recording was done "live" on one single stereo track. Guitar and vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

A Bit of Joy (©Salaroche). Recorded in St. Etienne, France, on August 4, 2011. This little piece has a bit of history. The first part I wrote in San Salvador, El Salvador, back in 1970; the second part I wrote in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2009; and the lyrics I wrote here in St. Etienne, France, over the past two days. The recording consists of one rhythm guitar, two lead guitars, four vocals, and the digital drums of the BOSS BR-600. All instruments and vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

It Is She (©Salaroche). Recorded in St. Etienne, France, on July 28, 2011. I wrote this song around June 1996, while living in Isla Vista, California. The recording consists of three vocals, one guitar, and the digital drums built into the BOSS BR-600. All instruments and vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

*No Soy de Aquí, ni Soy de Allá (©Facundo Cabral). Recorded in St. Etienne, France, on July 14, 2011. Guatemala is the country where Facundo last saw the light of day. He died there this past July 9th. While reminiscing on the time when I used to play some of his music, I came up with a little arrangement for this song. May this recording serve as a small tribute to the beauty of his music. All instruments and vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

*The Letter (©W.C. Thompson). Rercorded in Istanbul, Turkey, on April 1, 2011. This is a spontaneous live recording of a song I hadn't played in more than 40 years. I wasn't going to include it on Salaroche.com, but some comments I got from some friends I sent it to were incentve enough to do it. A particularly encouraging comment sent by a friend from Talent, Oregon, said this recording had "Captured a Lightning in a Bottle", which I thought was really cool. All instruments and vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

SunGliding (©Salaroche). Written and recorded in Panjin, Liaoning Province, China, on October 3rd, 2010. This is just an improvisational piece. The instrumentation consists of one single guitar and the programmable built-in rhythm machine that comes with the BOSS BR-600 digital recorder. All instruments by Salaroche.

Be My Samba (©Salaroche). Recorded in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China, on September 6, 2010. I wrote this song in 1970 and named it "Be My Love", but after jamming with it over a Samba beat with my rhythm machine a few days ago, I decided to change the name accordingly. The recording consists of one single guitar and a rhythm machine. All instruments by Salaroche.

Simple Songs (©Salaroche). Recorded in Nanning, Guangxi Province, China, in June-July, 2010. I wrote this song sometime around 1977, but I hadn't played it in decades. I recorded it as a response to an old friend who sent me a variation of it he recorded on the piano. All instruments and vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

Desire (©Salaroche). Written and recorded at home in Nanning, Guangxi Province, China, in March-April, 2010. This is just a Rock song dedicated to that ideal imaginary woman that always is, has been and will always be the object of desire of a good majority of men. All instruments and vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

*The Boxer (©Paul Simon) Recorded in Nanning, Guangxi Province, China, in June-July, 2010. This is a song I've been playing since the late 1960's. I recorded it just for kicks, but it didn't come out so bad; so here it is. The recording consists of one single guitar, two vocals and a rhythm machine. No bass. All instruments and vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

These are some of the songs I've recorded over the past 30 years, many of which were recorded at home on magnetic tape. Unfortunately, some of those tapes lost their original quality after being stashed away in a garage for a few years, but here they are anyway. "Transitions", "Nietzsche" and "The Ways of Love" were first arranged using a MIDI system and then recorded on a 8-track Tascam. To listen to any of the songs, please click on any of the colored titles.

All songs and lyrics written by Salaroche, except those marked with an asterisk (*) The lyrics for "Je Veux Faire L'Amour Avec Toi" were written by the late Vadim Matte.

For You Girl (©Salaroche). Recorded on a 4-track Fostex in Menlo Park, California, sometime in 1983. This song is part of a group of recordings I thought I had lost, but was surprised to recover during my trip to California in September/October of 2009. All instruments and vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

Lovely World (©Salaroche). Recorded in Menlo Park, California, sometime in 1984-85 (recovered in 2009). It features Dennis Freese on Saxophones, Clarinets and Flutes. All other instruments and vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

I Can Promise You (©Salaroche). Recorded in Menlo Park, California, sometime around 1983-84 (recovered in 2009). This song is a mixture of imagination and real feelings for a real woman. All instruments and vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

Mine, mine, mine (©Salaroche). Recorded in Menlo Park, California, sometime in 1983 (recovered in 2009). This is just a Rock song. It features Lyle Volkland playing the guitar solo in the middle. All other instruments and vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

Transitions (©Salaroche). Written and recorded at home on Kipling Street, Palo Alto, California, sometime around 1993-94 (recovered in 2009). This piece is a glimpse at a state of mind I often experienced when contemplating my daily life from the perspective of my Transcendental Jnana Yoga Realization. All instruments by Salaroche.

Nietzsche (©Salaroche). Written and recorded at home on Kipling Street, Palo Alto, California, sometime around 1993-94 (recovered in 2009). Initially inspired on Friedrich Nietzsche’s final years, in a way this piece represents the inexorable march of the human spirit towards eventual Liberation from the maddening chains of self-deception. All instruments by Salaroche.

Lady Lay Lay (©Salaroche). Recorded in Menlo Park, California, sometime in 1983 (recovered in 2009). I wrote this song thinking of a very dear friend who even after all these years is still seriously devoted to her work. All instruments and vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

Dreamer (©Salaroche). Recorded at home in Menlo Park, California, sometime in 1983 (recovered in 2009). I wrote this song while reminiscing about the times I would take the morning Metro back home after spending the night playing guitar and singing in some parisian bars and nightclubs. All instruments and vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

Fast (©Salaroche). Recorded in Menlo Park, California, sometime in 1983 (recovered in 2009). This is just a midnight summer stream of counsciousness. All instruments and vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

Conversation (©Salaroche).A folk tune written for guitar between July and December of 2007. Recorded at home in Okye Dong, Korea, on February 2nd, 2008, using a Tascam US-144 computer interface.

Je Veux Faire L'amour Avec Toi (©Salaroche/Matté).Recorded at home in College Ave., Palo Alto, California, circa 1987. My friend Vadim Matté had written a poem for the girl of his dreams and asked me to put some music to it. I came up with a little melody, hooked up my guitar and a mike to my amp and fed the line output directly into a tape deck. The result was this song. Vadim eventually got the girl. Lyrics

Tamales con Arroz (©Salaroche). Recorded at Phil's studio in Palo Alto, California, sometime around 1982. It features Dennis Freese on flute, Mickey Jo on bongos and Salaroche on guitar and vocals. To visit Dennis' Webpage please click here. Lyrics

Harry Woarmie (©Salaroche/Romano/Romano/Laroche). Recorded at Salaroche's studio on Sandyland Rd., Carpinteria, California, on December, 2003. This song features Dominic & Hélène on vocals and Salaroche on guitar, congas and Black Peppercorn flask. Lyrics

Christine (©Salaroche). Recorded at Salaroche's studio on Kipling St., Palo Alto, California, around September 1990. All instruments and vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

Ramblings (©Salaroche). Recorded live during rehearsals at Gaucho's Club in Redwood City, California, circa 1985. It features Ken Dobro on Sax, Sylvia Cuenca on drums and Salaroche on guitar. I was lucky to catch Sylvia right out of San Jose City college. She is a great Jazz drummer who is now very well known in the New York Jazz scene.

The Ways of Love (©Salaroche). Recorded at Salaroche's studio in Summerland, California, sometime around July 1996. All instruments and vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

I'll Say It Quiet (©Salaroche). Recorded at Salaroche's studio on College Ave., Palo Alto, California, some time around 1989. This song already has traces of my encounter with Jnana Yoga. All instruments and vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

Window (©Salaroche).Recorded at Salaroche's studio on College Ave., Palo Alto, California, in 1990. The lyrics to this song show how immersed I was at the time in the practice of Jnana Yoga. All instruments and vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

*Wave & When Sunny Gets Blue.Recorded live during rehearsals at Gaucho's Club in Redwood City, California, circa 1985. It features Ken Dobro on Sax, Sylvia Cuenca on Drums and Salaroche on guitar and vocals. Wave was written by A.C. Jobim and Sunny by Segal/Fisher. Lyrics

Quepos (©Salaroche). Recorded at Salaroche's studio on Kipling St., Palo Alto, California, around 1993. I got the inspiration to write this song while driving on the road to the port of Quepos in Costa Rica. Quepos is located rather close to the famous Manuel Antonio beach. All instruments by Salaroche.

Megallusion (©Salaroche). Recorded at Salaroche's studio on College Ave., Palo Alto, California, circa 1990. I wrote the lyrics to this song with nothing but my Yoga practice in mind. All instruments and vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

Rainy Day (©Salaroche). Recorded at Salaroche's studio on College Ave., Palo Alto, California, around 1988. I wrote this song one night that my ex-wife was away and it was raining outside. It features John Lisius on Trumpet and Dennis Freese on Clarinet. All other instruments and vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

Samba del Sol (©Salaroche). Recorded at Salaroche's studio on College Ave., Palo Alto, California, around 1989. This is just a little Samba. All instruments and vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

Viña de Amor (©Salaroche).Recorded at Roberto Chiofalo's studio in San Francisco, California, circa 1990. This song is the same Samba del Sol, except that Roberto made an arrangement to it and I changed the lyrics and part of the melody. All band and string instruments by Roberto Chiofalo, including the Piano solo. Salaroche sings. Lyrics

These are some recordings that I have catalogued as "Sketches" or "Essays". Some of them are not supposed to be finished products and some others have glitches in the recording. Yet, looking at them from a basic perspective, there's a certain value to them. So, here they are.

No Walls (©Salaroche) Recorded "live" at home in St. Etienne, France, on July 31, 2011. This is just an improvisational piece based on some harmonic forms that sprang up during my guitar practice a while back. The recording consists of one single guitar and the digital drums built into my recording machine. The vocals are just sounds that came out while recording. Guitar & vocals by Salaroche.

When Sunny Gets Blue (©Fisher/Segal) Recorded "live" at home in St. Etienne, France, on July 20, 2011. Just a little arrangement to a classic Jazz tune I've been playing for a few decades. Guitar & vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

Moon Shadow (©Cat Stevens) Recorded at home in Beijing, China, on December 30, 2010. This is a song I've been playing since the early 1970's. The recording was done spontaneously while practicing my guitar and vocals, so it is a largely improvised interpretation. Guitar & vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

In My Life (©Lennon-McCartney) Recorded at home in Nanning, Guangxi Province, China, on April 27, 2010. In my view, this is one of John Lennon's most beautiful compositions. Guitar & vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

Blackbird (©Lennon-McCartney) Recorded at home in Nanning, Guangxi Province, China, sometime in April, 2010. This is one of Paul McCartney's classic forays into guitar-playing. Guitar & vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

Los Amigos (©Salaroche) Recorded at home in Hanoi, Vietnam, in January, 2010. I wrote the guitar part and the melody for this song in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in July of 2009. I wrote the lyrics to it in January of 2010 while standing on a sidewalk in Hanoi, Vietnam, waiting for some take-home Vietnamese spaghetti. The song is dedicated to some Central American friends who used to like to philosophize back in the 60's & 70's, but now seem to have their minds pretty much set on the material aspects of their lives. Guitars & vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

Barcelona Blues (©Salaroche) Recorded at home in Okje Dong, Gyongsangbukdo Province, South Korea, sometime in spring 2007. I wrote this song while living in Barcelona, Spain, in 2005. It is a tongue-in-cheek critique of certain aspects of life in Barcelona. Guitar & vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

La Violetera (©J.P. Sanchez) Recorded at home in Okje Dong, Gyongsangbukdo Province, South Korea, sometime in spring 2007. While improvising in the key of D one day, I came up with the melody for this 1960's spanish song. This is just a short improvisation. Guitar by Salaroche.

Love Has No Pride (©Eric Kaz/Libby Titus) Recorded live somewhere in San Francisco, California, sometime in 1994. This is a duet rendition of the same song made famous by Linda Rondstadt around 1973. Vocals by Lisa Rosen & Salaroche; guitar by Salaroche. Lyrics

Inundando (©Unknown) Recorded live somewhere in San Francisco, California, sometime in 1994. I'm not sure that "Inundando" is the real title of this song. I never knew who the authors are. Vocals by Lisa Rosen & Salaroche; guitar by Salaroche. Lyrics

La Justa Canción (©Salaroche) Recorded in Palo Alto, California, sometime around 1982-83. I wrote this song as a means to explain to some friends the socio-political situation in Central America during that time. Flutes, Tambourine & background vocals by Dennis Freese, Congas by Mickey Jo, Guitar and lead vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

Soy Yo Soy (©Salaroche) Recorded live at the Lucy Stern Community Center in Palo Alto, California, sometime around 1982-83. This was only the second time we performed together with Dennis Freese and the first time we played together with Mickey Jo. Soprano Sax, Maracas & background vocals by Dennis Freese, Congas by Mickey Jo, Guitar and lead vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

These 6 recordings were part of a collection I recorded at home in Carpinteria, California, in 2003, using an analog 8-track Tascam. The collection consisted of over a dozen short song drafts I sent as demo to some musician friends who played with me at a special celebration I organized for a Franco-Russian friend in Palo Alto, California, in December of that year.

Most of these songs I sort of arranged only for that specific occasion and they're not part of my regular practice. The instrumentation for all of them consists of one single guitar, a pair of congas and a peppercorn flask. No bass. The vocals include two lead vocals and two background vocals.

Girl (©Lennon-McCartney) All instruments and vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

Quiero Saber (©Gypsy Kings) All instruments and vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

Tristeza (©Vinicius de Moraes) All instruments and vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

Sway/Quién Será (©Pablo Beltrán Ruiz-N. Gimbel) All instruments and vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

That's What Friends Are For (©Bacharach-Bayer) All instruments and vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics

Les Chemins de Traverse (©Francis Cabrel) All instruments and vocals by Salaroche. Lyrics