Thanks Wade: I found it worth listening to, and indeed just started to play for the second time. Yes, this music is welcomed, and yes this music is appreciated. I suspect that the majority of folks here have musical tastes that are far wider than their postings here might reveal. I think it's wonderful that you are working on new material, and sharing it with us here. I don't always feel equipped to comment - I guess I don't yet completely understand your musical language, but I can appreciate the skill and get some sense of what you are about, and I like a lot, the fact that you do this. In fact even if I really hated what you were producing (which I don't) I would still say that your contributions here were welcomed. I like to be challenged: without that where does growth come from?
For me personally, I also appreciate the posts and the musical content of the other folk. For me, the "standards" also represent a challenge and an opportunity for growth. A tree when growing does not just seek new heights: it also broadens and strengthens the trunks and branches that are already in place, and indeed, its roots seek new sources.
This forum of Pete's is a big tent (a cafe in a tent? nm) and it has been to me a very welcoming place. I have learned an awful lot here and as a late-blooming musician have received much encouragement, both directly and from seeing the interactions between others. I see no point in limiting or constraining what I listen to, what I play or where my musical interest takes me. If I am open enough, I can learn from it all, from "Ballad of the Month", through to your tunes.
To repeat: yes it is welcomed, yes it is appreciated. Keep putting your tunes out there.
btw "Does This Fit in Your Ear" would be a great title for a piece!