R Grunwald – Determination of the Crossing
Renowned pianist R Grunwald has 100s of stage credits under his belt, including as the loyal accompanist for jazz singer Jill Barber and singer-songwriter Donovan Woods. But the Toronto musician has been working on a solo album, featuring a collection of solo piano pieces dedicated to his 96-year old grandmother, titled OMA.
From the album comes “Determination of the Crossing”, a beautiful and driven piece inspired by the likes of Phillip Glass, and Steve Reich. Grunwald’s ability to craft songs that evoke melancholy and excitement simultaneously comes through on the new single. Building off a repetitive, scattered motif, “Determination” eventually slips into a gentle verse similar to the delicate sound of Debussy, before returning to the song’s staccato’d foundation.
After a two year process of recording and mastering, OMA will be available March 6th, and you can experience the expressive, and emotional album live as Grunwald will be performing a handful of Canadian sets (dates below). Visit his website for more music and information.
Tour dates:
March 11 – The Bassment, Saskatoon, SK
March 13 – King Eddy, Calgary, AB
March 17 – Central Library, Halifax, NS
March 28 – NAC 4th stage, Ottawa, ON (International Piano Day)
March 31 – Café Resonance, Montreal, QC
April 2 – Heliconian Hall, Toronto, ON
