Behind Offshore's dedication to a form of music that doesn't offer any of the obvious perks that are associated with more accessible genres lies a true passion for music, for creativity and for the ineffable magic of improvisation. The joy of spontaneous creativity is the same joy that underlies any activity that brings the mind into the present moment in a focussed and sustained way. It emerges through a portal into the obvious but elusive truths of impermanance and egolessness. When music really flows during improvisation there is no taking credit for the beauty that manifests. The work that goes into developing the facility to allow the music passage is like the cleaning of a mirror - the image was always present despite the dust.

Among the great mirror-polishers that inspire the musicians of Offshore we are particularly grateful to:

Miles
Coltrane
Mingus
Keith Jarrett
Bill Evans
Dave Holland
Kurt Rosenwinkel
Brad Mehldau
Avishai Cohen
Bob Marley
Bela Bartok
Hariprasad Chaurasia
Abdullah Ibrahim