The first thing I noticed when I listened to Streamwalker,
Craig Urquhart's
fifth and latest solo piano recording, was his incredible touch -
notes just
seem to effortlessly emerge from Craig's hands. Clearly, Streamwalker
shows Craig to be a top notch player. But as great as Craig's playing
is,
it's only part of the story. As composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein
said,
"Craig Urquhart is a truly gifted composer... his tonal approach is
not merely
'sincere', but genuinely moving, with a private beauty of its own."
Craig draws on a wide range of musical influences when creating his
music.
In addition to classical keyboard composers Bach, Schumann, Mendelssohn,
Chopin, Debussy, Satie and Copland, Craig also considers pop/rock
musicians Joni Mitchell, Laura Nyro and Brian Eno as creative influences.
And from our conversation, you can add the Smiths, Devo and Eminem
into
the mix.
Craig also graciously acknowledges in our conversation, the standout
work
of his co-producers on Streamwalker: Scott Petito and
Alexander Ostrovsky.
You can learn more about Craig, by checking out his website.
Jamie:
You write about your most recent release: "Streamwalker is about
the impact of nature on me as an artist and human being, and the
many
moods it inspires." Has nature, and your surroundings in general,
always
had such an impact on you artistically as on Streamwalker,
or is this a new
exploration for you?
Craig: Nature has always been
a source of inspiration for me. Nature for me
is the core of my spiritual being. In nature I find a mysterious
logical key to
our existence. In nature I see perfection, power, grace, melody,
rhythms,
beauty, peace, and harmony. I record on my own label HEARTEARTHMUSIC,
because I believe music is the language that can link one's heart
and the
earth. Music is as elegant as mathematics, but more so because it
is mysterious. Nature is also mysterious, from the perceived silence
of the
desert, to the color of a cardinal. Nature is what rejuvenates and
opens my
heart to infinite possibilities.
Jamie: Great
point about math and music! I think it's interesting to see
how
many people who are good at math are also good music -- particularly
styles
of music with complex harmonic relationships.
How does the inspiration you receive from nature realize itself
in your music?
Are you thinking programmatically when you are writing and playing
or does
nature affect you in a more nebulous manner?
Craig: I
may be good at music, but I still can't balance my check book!
However, before I answer your questions, let me say that in my opinion
the
most elegant mathematical equations are usually the most simple!
My music
is inspired by nature in that nature gives us rhythms, cycles, harmonies,
melodies and so much more and all of these are a part of my life
and transfer
into my creative being. My compositional process is multifaceted;
sometimes
I just through-compose a piece in a single sitting, sometimes I
use pencil
and paper and work out a work. Always, it is one little fragment
that starts
the generation of a composition. I usually do not think programmatically
when
I write, though "Beach Music" on my first CD, Songs Without
Words was
definitely programmatic, as was the concept of The Dream Of
The Ancient
Ones. Titles are the hardest part of compiling an album,
Most often the titles
are inspired by the music! And most times the music reminds me of
nature.
Jamie: That
sounds a lot like how I write... I usually "collect" a bunch of
little ideas that I'll try to develop into bigger ideas and then
hopefully into
finished pieces. And titles are a real challenge for me too. The
toughest
pieces for me to name are the ones that are the least "about" something.
I'm lucky in that my wife helps me out on a lot of my titles --
otherwise I'd
probably have quite a few tunes named: No.1, No.2 etc.!
Streamwalker has, to me, a very free, almost improvised
feel to it -- I mean
this in the best way. Which leads me to wonder -- how much, if any,
of your
music is improvised?
Craig: Actually,
Streamwalker is the least improvised of all my albums.
I
worked and crafted every composition. It is interesting to look
at the
manuscripts in their sketch form and be able to play the whole work
from
the sketch. That said, some of the ideas came from improvisation,
but really
were just kernels from which the composition developed and grew.
Jamie: For
me, the overall sound quality on a record is a combination of the
player, the instrument, the acoustic space, the recording chain
(from mic to
recorder) and the skill of the engineer to set everything up "properly".
I would
also have to add the mastering engineer into the whole equation.
One of the
challenges for pianists is that they have, at least to some degree,
a more
difficult time in the recording process than some other instrumentalists.
One
studio may have a phenomenal piano and beautiful room but lousy
gear.
Another studio may have a great piano and top notch gear but the
room is
just terrible. On Streamwalker you seem to have found
the right balance
between the various elements. Was it difficult finding the "right"
piano-studio-
engineer combo? Did recording in New York City present any problems
(i.e.
traffic noise, etc.)?
Craig: Actually,
I have the great luxury of recording in my own apartment on
my own beautiful Bosendorfer piano. For some reason the acoustic
in the
apartment is perfect. Of course we have to hang blankets to cover
the
windows to block out street noise, but my apartment is very quiet,
sometimes the fountain outside my window can be a problem! My recording
engineer is also a very fine musician; his name is Scott Petito,
he was and
still is the bass player for the Fugs! He knows exactly how to mic
the piano
and my wonderful piano technician Alexander Ostrovsky is on site
to keep
things in order. After the recording session I work with Scott in
his studio to
get the exact sound we both like. My wonderful piano was reserved
for
Leonard Bernstein to use in his hotel suite in Vienna when he was
working
with the Vienna Philharmonic. He graciously let me buy it so I could
have it.
It is a beautiful, full and balanced instrument. It responds to
my imagination
like no other piano I have played. I guess with this combination
-- you could
say I am extremely fortunate!
Jamie: Wow
-- Bernstein's Bosendorfer! I bet you do feel fortunate! You also
have a connection to Bernstein that goes beyond the Bosendorfer
-- you
were his assistant from 1985 until his death in 1990. That must
have been
an incredible experience! Bernstein was obviously a genius and just
being
around him must have made an impact on you on a personal level,
but did
your time with him affect your own music in anyway?
Craig: Yes,
indeed I was very lucky to know Bernstein for many years, and
yes he was a very special person and a great musician and mind.
His effect
on my music was to tell me to trust my own voice. This seems like
a simple
lesson, but it is an important one. When I first met Bernstein in
1976, I sent
him some of my academic atonal music and a few tonal songs. He asked
me which of the pieces really reflected my soul? Well, it was my
tonal music
that rang true. So what I learned from him is to have confidence
in my
creative process and to listen to my voice and to honor it. And
I hope I have
honored that lesson from the Maestro.
Jamie: That's
probably the greatest lesson (and challenge) of all: to be
sincere in whatever you do. It can be tough to find a balance between
your
head and your heart. And if you add in the realities of life (food,
shelter,
clothing etc.), making music that reflects your soul is often risky
business.
But for many artists, there simply isn't a choice -- they have to
play what
they believe and feel to be true.
Just to change directions for a bit... you were the musical coach
to actor
Tom Hulce for the Academy Award winning film "Amadeus". It must
have
been a lot of fun working on such a successful project! Was it difficult
preparing Hulce for the role? Any intention in doing more musical
coaching
work in the future?
Craig: Oh
my, that was so long ago, it seems like a lifetime ago. But it was
great to work with Tom, he is an extremely gifted and talented artist
and was
totally into doing what needed to be done to master his role. Concerning
coaching, I love to teach and really enjoyed the years when I was
a full time
teacher, and at some point I'd like to get back to it, but living
in NYC is
expensive and I had to make a choice between teaching and NYC so
I
choose NYC. But with that said, I have a few friends that are and
were vocal
students attending Juilliard, and as you know, I also write art
songs, and it
is always great fun to work with them on my new material.
Jamie: Which
segues perfectly into my next question... Is there much
crossover between your work in the Classical field and your own
records?
Craig: I
really am not sure what the question is, but I will try and answer
it.
First of all I am not one for labels, especially when it comes to
music. Am I
Classical, New Age, Adult Contemporary? These to me are labels imposed
on musical artists by record companies and marketers to help define
someone. As far as I am concerned I write music. I was classically
trained. I
still read through the piano masters, Bach, Chopin, Schumann, Debussy,
Brahms etc. But as I was learning the repertoire, I was listening
to the music
of my time, The Doors, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Jefferson
Airplane,
Cream, Joni Mitchell, Laura Nyro, and many others, then later I
was really
into the Smiths and Devo. I also like Broadway songs, and actually
I like
some Eminem.
But I see no difference from my classical music and the music I
write on my
albums. All my music is grounded in my classical training and I
feel that my
music on my CDs is closest to Chopin than to anything that is referred
to as
"New Age". I believe that my music is reflective of my own voice
and like I
am, it is varied, rich and fluid.
Jamie: I
hear you... But still... labels do exist. And
whether or not they are
driven from a marketing/business point of view or from the need
of listeners
to differentiate the incredible amount of music in the world, we,
as artists
and labels owners, have to deal with this reality. And yes,
it's less than
ideal that music can't be seen simply as music, but, for me, how
something
is categorized doesn't have to (and doesn't) solely define it. Style
is
transitory, but it can, and does, reflect both the here and now
and where
we've have been.
So what's up next for you? Any new recordings or gigs you'd
like to talk
about?
Craig: Jamie,
yes you make a very good point about labels helping people
wade through the incredible wealth of talent and music out there,
and I am
glad that we both feel a label does not have to necessarily have
to define a
person or one's music, in most cases it is more rich than a simple
label,
just look at you!
What's next for me? Well, I am finishing up a song cycle for a very
talented
singer, I have a violin and piano piece I'd like to finish and as
always I am
working on the next album. I just got through playing a few concerts,
one in
Indiana, another in New York and one on Cape Cod. This fall I will
be
performing in Paris and Berlin which is very exciting for me. And
I am
looking forward to a few weeks out of New York City on the Cape
to whale
watch, beach walk, sunsets and quiet to recharge and reconnect.
Jamie: Performing
in Paris and Berlin... now that would really would be a lot
of fun -- best of luck on the gigs!
Thanks for taking the time to do this artist-to-artist conversation!
Craig: Jamie,
thanks so much for this fun and provocative time together. It
has been great talking with you, and having the opportunity to share
some
thoughts and insights with you. I hope we will keep in touch and
good luck
on your new CD My World, I have been really enjoying
it.
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