Conversation with Craig Urquhart "... I believe music is the language that can link one's heart and the earth." - Craig Urquhart
In August 2004, Craig Urquhart exchanged thoughts about his music with Jamie Bonk, musician and host of New Age Reporter’s “Artist-to-Artist Conversations.” 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.
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