This large-scale production over two compact discs was conceptualised, written and arranged by Mike Holober, regarded as one of the finest composers and arrangers for the contemporary big band in the U.S. today. It is a meditation on nature and the fate of the planet by Holober, who is a great outdoorsman, an Adirondack 46’er (the term for hikers who have climbed all 46 of the region's highest peaks), and glutton for punishment; he has also climbed peaks in the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountain range and climbed volcanoes in Mexico and peaks in the Austrian, Swiss and Italian Alps.

The concept takes the form of an imaginary letters to naturalists to raise awareness of climate change, followed by an instrumental piece that reflects on the text of the letter. In truth, one hearing of each ‘Imaginary Letter’ is enough as the interest lies in the strength of instrumental selections, and the workman-like attention to detail of the arrangements.

No secret that Holober takes inspiration from Jim McNeely (he is the session producer), but Holober is his own man, and This Rock We’re On stands as a reflection of the state of the arrangers' art today in the United States.