There is something special about this moment in time. As the world continues to burn and crumble around us, I am in awe of watching people whom I know, old and new, create music and art that speaks of love, loss, giving, and grief. Across Water represents much more than a few compositions split between two of this generation’s greatest thinkers, but four big hugs from members of my own family. Jessica Ackerley (Honolulu, Hawaii) and Patrick Shiroishi (Los Angeles, California) are household names (at least in my expansive circle) at this point. Both are members of the newly announced super-family-group SSWAN (along with trumpeter Chris Williams, drummer Jason Nazary, and bassist Luke Stewart). Both have prolific outputs and work diligently to push the boundaries of their respective instruments and previous musical ideas.