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Wayne Gratz has been one of my favourite pianists over
the years, so it was with great excitement that I
inserted his latest offering, the curiously titled
"Light, Lands and Shorelines" into my CD player. What
followed was an hour of bliss, and I quickly remembered
why I admired this musician so much. It's the composer's
fourth outing on his own label, Wayne Gratz Music,
having been a stalwart of the now defunct Narada label
for many years, where he released eleven albums.
Wayne's new work was specially commissioned to provide the
accompanying soundtrack for
the paintings of Thomas Kinkade, "Painter of Light”. Kinkade is
apparently America's most collected living artist, and a visit
to his site shows that he is indeed a very talented painter. It
is little wonder then, that these two masters of their trade
should end up working together, and the end result is a match
made in heaven.
For
months, Wayne's web-site has been teasing me with the
tantalising "The Windows Glow" which has played upon entry to
the site. I kept wondering when it would become available, and
now finally the wait is over. It has an instantly appealing
melody. On every Wayne Gratz CD, there is always one stand-out
track- an absolute belter- and this is it. It has a fairly slow
tempo, is utterly gorgeous and is a winner through and through.
It reminds me a little of Traveller from the album
Soul to
Soul, which I also loved. I think the slow-tempo tracks are what Wayne does best.
They're the hardest to do, but Wayne manages it effortlessly.
The CD
continues with "Native American Winter". To me, this is Wayne's
trademark sound. Highly melodic, easy to listen to, and very
satisfying in equal measure. It should be noted that each of the
pieces presumably relates to a particular work of Art by Kinkade.
A visit to the site where the accompanying
art-work is displayed (here) provides lots of gorgeous paintings
but no clues as to their titles or which piece of music relates
to which painting- other than the subject matter of the pictures. Nevertheless, this music works at every
level, and the pieces stand perfectly well on their own.
(Wayne Gratz is pictured, right.)
When I
first heard the opening of Track 3, I thought of water, so it
was little surprise to learn its title was "Waters Flowing
Softly". Most of Kinkade's paintings feature water in one form
or another, and this could be any one of the many stunning
paintings at the site. Another appealing melody, another classic
track.
"Cottage by the Sea" is such a specific title, that it is quite
possible to make a reasoned guess as to the identity of the
accompanying artwork. This must be an idyllic place to live- the
mood is one of relaxed beauty. With some rather delicate piano
playing, the waters are clearly calm in this heavenly retreat.
One of
my favourite tracks is the album's fifth song, "At the Water's
Edge". Its style reminds me a little of Michael Gettel on
his San Juan Suite CD. This is a rolling piece, I imagine capturing the gentle
waves lapping against the shoreline, with the occasional (but
never threatening) bigger wave. This is a shoreline to visit for
a perfect evening stroll.
"Gardens" is Track 6, and the use of gentle synths give this an
ethereal feel. This could be the Garden of Eden. I am sure water
is present in this garden as well. The piano playing is every
bit as lovely as in previous pieces, and the composition ends
with some Michael Jones style delicate brushing of the keys.
Track
7 maintains the impeccably high standard of this CD with "Houses
by the Water". Again, with a fairly specific title like that, it
is rather good fun trying to identify which might be the
accompanying piece of art-work. The waters are always gentle
here, and this is another soporific piece from this prolific
composer.
The
reader is probably spotting a recurring theme here- this CD
could easily have been called "Quiet Waters", and the title
of
Track 8, "Quiet Harbour" adds weight to this idea. Yes, the
subject matter is similar throughout much of the CD, but each track is
unique. We pay only the briefest of visits to this harbour- all
is well, everyone is safe; this is a harbour where shelter is
always at hand.
"Colours of Autumn" has the faintest hint of
Blue Ridge Part II, from Wayne's classic Narada album
Blue Ridge. Gentle guitar
playing supplements the lovely sound resonating from Wayne's
piano. This album is remarkably consistent in providing hit
after hit, and this track is a fine example of this.
Track
10 is more upbeat. Its title is "A Busy Street" and its style
reminded me a little of that of George Winston. With a busy left
hand, this street may well be full of life, but it is never
overly cluttered or noisy. It features a melody that is very
catchy and pleasing to the ear. "A Busy Street" is another
comparatively short track (2:30), but every second is worth
savouring.
"Market Place" might suggest another up-tempo track, but the
listener is returned to a place of quiet. This is away from the
busy street, and the market is warm and friendly. It features a
slightly playful melody, which suggests to this listener that
this is also a very happy place to be.
A
plethora of notes played as a Glissando at the beginning of the
twelfth track and intermittently throughout, immediately gave me
the impression of swirling water. "Sails and Sea" is its title
and, once again, this is a joy to listen to from beginning to
end.
Another quite upbeat track forms Track 13- "American Dream". The
music is positive, happy and optimistic. It continues the trend
of "easy-to-listen-to" music.
Onto the album's penultimate track, "Lonely Ships,
Welcome Light". This piece starts off very simply and in
minimalist form. As the piece progresses towards its
middle section, the tempo changes. One can only
speculate as to what this piece is about- lost crew
saved by a lighthouse, perhaps? Certainly light is a
recurring theme in the artist's work, and the light
shines stronger as this piece of music reaches its
mid-point. Curiously, we come full circle towards the
end of the piece- Wayne returns to the minimum of notes.
Perhaps the light is no longer needed. To me, there is a
sad feel to this piece- almost mournful in parts.
"Home" is the title of the final track. It
begins as a
"feel-good" track. A delightful little melody makes this the
perfect way to end, and Wayne bows out in style. As the
track closes, the tempo slows right down and the music
becomes very quiet, suggesting that the journey is
complete.
"Light, Lines and Shorelines" is available from
CD Baby (samples of every track
are available here) and
directly from Wayne himself
www.waynegratz.com.
Recorded in Wayne's home studio in January 2007, this is a great
CD- one I shall treasure- and a most deserving recipient of
"Piano-Heaven" status. Congratulations, Wayne, on a job well
done.
S.C.
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