McMinnville musician James LaRocca has just released a new CD featuring his compositions performed by other local players.

"James LaRocca Project: The Never Ending" features 15 tracks LaRocca, who can no longer perform himself because of multiple sclerosis, wrote during a period of personal turmoil. Composing helped him work through his pain, he said. And despite the troubled origins of the compositions, he described the resulting music as "beautiful."

"I was composing at a very difficult time, when I was watching my relationship of 26 years dwindle, when I was almost totally disabled and alone," said LaRocca, who has limited mobility and is legally blind.

"There's a lot of sadness in it, but also tons of beauty, he said. "Writing music helps me deal with things and get those feelings out."

This is his second CD of compositions played by others. Many of the musicians who helped out 2 1/2 years with the first, "Awakenings," are featured again.

Performers include Amelia Bierly and Sherill Roberts on cello, Joan Paddock on trumpet, Mike Strickland and Susan McDaniel on piano, Diane Cravitz on flute, Tim Gilson on bass, Karen Strand on oboe, Eddie Parente on viola and Tatiana Kolchanova-Parente on violin.

"The Never Ending" also features vocals by Chelsea Janzen, who is studying opera at Linfield. LaRocca wrote three songs for Janzen to sing. He was so inspired by her performance of those songs, he said, that he wrote another during the recording sessions, "If I Could Fly."

He also wrote a choir piece, which is performed by the Linfield Concert Choir under the direction of Anna Song.

While LaRocca has been a composer for many years, these are his first forays into writing lyrics. The difficulties in his life made the words flow easily, he said. One song, for instance, begins "I'm still here, can't you see me," which he said represents his feelings of abandonment and isolation.

"The CD is like a movie of my life," he said.

Still, LaRocca said he sees a positive side to the CD and its forerunner. "If not for my disability, I wouldn't have created this music. It would have just been me playing my guitar," he said. "It's pretty neat to get to use other instruments and hear what I've written on a page brought to life by other musicians."

"The Never Ending" was recorded in McMinnville at the studio of recording engineer Keith Sommers.

The CD will be available at Incahoots, Harvest Fresh, Ranch Records and other local stores, as well as Music Millennium in Portland. LaRocca said he hopes to host a release party later this winter.