Preceding the Third Idea, this first one of the Duncan's Cove pieces remains static on one key signature for its entire length. An underlying motif of three pregnant chords recurs, later becoming two chords, and finally just one.

The First Idea of March 1999

With this 4th idea, in the minor key, a music folio fell off the top of the piano while was playing.

4th Idea March 1999

My former CMC colleagues will hear this and assert that "John is well past saying anything new as an artist". But This is for my buddy Afraaz in East Africa; he asked specifically how a Bechstein EN280 sounds with a pair of M150's in close proximity. So this is devoid of any artificial reverb, compression or any other gimcrackery.

Improv 8 Aug 2021

Short improvisation on an old three-quarter plate Gourlay upright, Spring 2002. There was a period in my life when I did nothing but repair pianos, and I I forgot how to make music. This old upright had so many problems, so it took a long time to fix. But four musicians named Dave, Sidra, Fenn and Flair came with the piano, and thanks to them, I learned to be a musician all over again. I believe that I forgot to charge the family for repairing the piano, which, ironically, was lost in the house fire a year after this recording.

Spring Interlude

Another of the pieces i was working on when visiting Dave Martin and his family in the spring of 2002. The old Gourlay three quarter plate upright making sounds.

L&R No. 3

A recent (December 2021)  manipulation of tracks recorded on Dave Martin's old Gourlay upright piano, the last time I sat with it, in the spring of 2002 .

L&R 3.75

In the 1980's an old upright Bell piano was given to me, that had gone to pieces on a loading dock. If i could fix it, it was mine to keep. The actual fixing took several years. But my July 1990 the job was done. In a working fishing village, i was lucky to find seven minutes of silence, with all the youth of the area roaring around on small single seat motorized vehicles. Only recently did I have access to an open reel recorder to retrieve this music. A time before arthritis.

15 July 90

For flute, violoncello and piano. Performers: Jamie Thompson, flute, Lucas Tensen; violoncello, Dan Norman. piano  World premiere, May 2013 in St. Anne's Gladstone, Toronto.

Trio No.2 The Disquiet

ll sounds were recorded in Hans Moeller's store in the 1980's, Two pianos were used: a W. Hoffmann (Langlau) model 190, and a C. Bechstein (Berlin) model C-221. No synthesizers. Sounds manipulated and re-assembled in Mississauga in November 2022

In memoriam Hans Moeller; construction in F

The final and most dense treatment of sounds which I recorded on the late David Martin's old 1904 Gourlay upright in Cape Breton, during May of 2002. David's house burned to the ground a short time after I made the recording. Re-imagined and re-assembled using digital tools in January 2022.

L&R 3.95AA better known as GHOST PIANO MUSIC II

Improvisation for David No.2

Recorded in Hans Moeller's piano shop on Yonge St. Toronto, 13 Feb. 1984, on the Feurich F190 piano #69731. Recorded with TCD5M.

Improv for David No2 compressed

Recorded at Hans Moeller's piano store at 672 Yonge St, Toronto, just before I came down with pneumonia.

John S. Gray

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