Solo Piano
Influences ranging from Keith Jarrett and Erroll Garner all the way to Chopin, Thelonius Monk and even the likes of Floyd Cramer: these piano names and more come to mind when listening to Solo Piano, the 19th release by Northwest pianist/composer Tom Grant.
It’s pure piano, the whole piano and nothing but the piano for this Portland, OR native whose 35-year career has produced 19 CDs, with several chart toppers among them.
For the first time in his career, Tom recorded on a Steinway D, the impressive full 9-foot concert piano. This fine instrument lends it’s beautiful sound to the 11 original songs on Solo Piano, that range in feeling from straight jazz to country and pop-blend compositions, with much improvisation in between. There are also three spontaneously composed pieces Tom calls, “Meditations”.
Sound on Solo Piano was captured beautifully by engineer Dean Baskerville at Dead Aunt Thelma’s Studio in Portland, OR, with final polishing and buffing by Tom’s long time recording associate, Doug Durbrow.
The mood of this offering is one of growth and development of Grant, both as a musician and as a person. The tracks on Solo Piano have a soaring beauty that will linger on with the listener for hours, days and weeks after hearing.
Solo Piano features cover artwork by Oregon’s award winning nature photographer, Steve Terrill.
2. Home Town Boy
3. Sighs and Whispers
4. Fixed Not Broken
5. Old Fashioned Girl
6. Celia
7. One Good Turn
9. Safe Harbor
10. In My Body Out Of My Mind
11. Meditation #2
12. 2:30 a.m.
13. Outer Planets
14. Meditation #3