The Rhythm of Elsewhere

A Journey Through Mexico City, Madrid, and Morocco—In Search of Silence, Sound, and Something Real

Three weeks away from the madness.

Tomorrow we begin our journey to Mexico City, Madrid, and Morocco. We’ll spend Saturday night in CDMX, then jet off to Madrid on Sunday. After four days exploring the Spanish capital, we’ll take a short flight to Marrakech—our first visit to the Arab world.

Friends from Tucson have a second home in Marrakech and will host us as we arrive in the land of mint tea and bustling markets. After a week of soaking up the rhythm of the city, we’ll venture out on our own to Fez and Essaouira for the next chapter of the journey.

Joel Rubiner, our host, has produced recordings with Gnawa musicians. Gnawa is spiritual, trance-inducing music rooted in African ritual and Sufi mysticism, played on the Guembri, a three-stringed lute and with qraqeb, metal castanets and other percussion instruments, and vocals.

With his assistance, we will experience this music first hand during our trip and perhaps interact with musicians.

It’s a wired world—and with eSIM cards in place, we stay connected no matter where we go. My friend Joel, whose been bouncing between Tucson and Marrakech for nearly fifty years, says the 24/7 news cycle is still there, but it feels distant, a storm on the horizon that hasn’t quite touched the ground.

Living in Mexico, we’re one step removed from the madness unfolding back home—a slow, steady march toward fascism in the land of our birth. It’s sad. It’s unsettling. And it demands adjustment, practically on a daily basis.

This shift in global energy, in the face of mounting obstacles, is disorienting in ways both subtle and profound. Disconnection isn’t possible. Total removal from the world around us is a fantasy.

So we adapt. We stay grounded. And we keep listening—for what’s coming, and for what matters.

Sometimes, a change of scenery is more than a luxury—it’s a lifeline. Stepping into a new culture, far from the familiar chaos, can be a powerful reset. It clears the static, sharpens perspective, and reminds us there’s more than one way to live. Escaping the grind and the constant noise isn’t just refreshing—it’s necessary. Because the storms will come. And when they do, it helps to have taken a breath.

Six weeks ago, after juggling multiple projects over the past year, I came to a simple but powerful realization: I needed to focus. One project at a time. Something I could actually finish in a relatively short window—and finish well.

I’ve been blogging regularly and over the past year, I’ve become a better writer. Sharper. More aware of my voice. But the question always lingers—what do I really want to say? And how do I say it in a way that matters?

For me, writing is easier when the subject is meaningful—something I know deeply and care about. Enter John Coltrane.

As a daily user of ChatGPT for more than two years, I’ve kept up with its evolving capabilities. So, I tried the Deep Research feature—just to see what it could pull together on Coltrane’s spirituality and how it influenced his music and life. That topic hits close to home. Coltrane has been a guiding light for me for more than fifty years. His journey—musical, spiritual, human—has inspired me in ways few others ever have.

In ten minutes, ChatGPT generated a report sourced from over thirty online references. It was extensive, surprisingly fresh, and gave me new angles I hadn’t considered. That was the spark.

I decided to write a book.

Using the AI-generated research paper as a foundation, I began writing immediately. I’ve written two books before, but this experience was entirely different. I collaborated with AI at every step. ChatGPT didn’t just assist—it accelerated the process. In four weeks, I had a complete manuscript. Twenty-five thousand words. A finished e-book.

What sets my book apart from other Coltrane biographies is its focus on his spiritual evolution—and the way it shaped his sound. And this book isn’t just text; it’s multimedia. Readers can listen to Coltrane’s music while they read. There are embedded video links throughout, as well, placed right where they belong, amplifying the emotional and intellectual impact of each section.

I believe most sales will come from the Amazon Kindle Store. That’s where the readers are—more than thirty-five million of them every single day. In addition to the e-book, I’ll also offer a print-on-demand paperback for those who prefer hard copies, and an audiobook edition for listeners. But the real innovation here is the multimedia experience: read, listen, feel Coltrane in real time.

If this project succeeds, I may launch a series of musician bios in the same format. Short, focused, immersive, affordable, and rich with multimedia.

I’m currently prepping the English and Spanish editions for Kindle, finalizing the audiobook, and laying the groundwork for Amazon Print-on-Demand. Then comes the marketing push—social media videos for TikTok and my Jazz Video Guy YouTube channel.

Twenty years ago, I tried self-publishing. It was tough—hard to find an audience, hard to get visibility. But today, the landscape has changed. With smart setup, SEO-savvy product listings, and alignment with Amazon’s algorithm, it’s possible to reach a massive audience. My goal is to land this book in front of at least 350,000 potential readers. No certainty here, but if the stars are aligned, I could sell 10,000 books in the first two or three months.

Traditional publishers rely heavily on reviews, media buzz—interviews, features, blurbs, and ad campaigns. That approach still has value, but I’ve taken a different path. In today’s landscape, real visibility—and real sales—come from mastering the algorithm. It’s the difference between obscurity and momentum.

The fact that Coltrane is a well-known and respected figure in jazz certainly helps. But the multimedia angle is what makes this project unique. It’s not just a book—it’s an experience. And at a price point of $5.95 for the e-book and a few dollars more for the audiobook, it’s accessible.

On Amazon, user reviews matter more than anything. If readers connect with the book, they’ll leave reviews. And those reviews will feed the algorithm, helping surface the book to even more readers. On the flip side, negative reviews—especially a flood of one-stars—can kill a book before it ever has a chance. So quality matters. Experience matters. Presentation matters.

This project, born out of focus, clarity, and fifty years of Coltrane’s influence on my soul, is my offering to those who still believe music can be a spiritual path. Let’s see where the algorithm takes us.

Right now, I’m deep in the final stages—creating the graphics and compiling the multimedia links for the book. The goal is to let readers see and hear the music as they read. Most of the audio and video content will be linked through YouTube, including a curated library of Coltrane’s live performances and rare recordings. These links will be embedded directly in the e-book, offering an immersive experience.

ChatGPT’s new image generator faciliates producing high-quality illustrations. For the artwork in the book, the prompt I used was: “Image creation (artist name), 16x9 format, pencil and ink illustration.” The result? Striking original images that enhance the storytelling—each one tailored to the spirit of Coltrane’s music. And, rights free.

Once the graphics and links are finalized, I’ll load the proofread manuscript—along with all multimedia elements—into ChatGPT. It will then generate the table of contents, build an index, place the images where I’ve designated, and embed the links seamlessly. The final step is formatting the entire file according to Kindle’s specifications, producing a ready-to-upload e-book.

For the print edition, we’ll go a slightly different route: ChatGPT will insert QR codes throughout the text, linking to the same music and video content. It’s not quite as smooth as clicking a link, but it still allows readers to engage with the music as they move through the book—something no other jazz biography offers.

No way I could have written and produced a book this quickly, without ChatGPT.

We’re entering a new era of creative possibility—where human imagination and machine intelligence can work together, not in conflict, but in harmony. If that makes some readers uncomfortable, so be it. Creativity has always been about breaking boundaries.

Just ask John Coltrane.

I’ve lined up several posts to go live over the next three weeks while I’m traveling through Spain and Morocco. And if inspiration strikes—or something worth sharing comes up—you’ll hear from me, even from the other side of the world.

Until we meet again, let your conscience be your guide.