The solo piano is a piece filled with softness, elegance, and refinement. Its three themes, with joyful and optimistic accents, unfold with both majesty and delicacy. At the crossroads of classical, jazz, and pop, this work remains very accessible to the ear while being rich in writing and structure.
The interplay of minor and major tonalities gives it a unique charm, a distinctive character, and a singular grace.
An improvised piano piece recorded in a single take in his Reykjavík studio, it’s the second of three tracks that will form The Chromatic Sessions EP.
“Red” is a partner piece to Gold — released in July — with a final chromatic track called “Blue” set to follow.
The theme of colours emerged organically during the process of writing and recording. “It wasn’t something pre-planned,” says Dustin, who has also been nominated for an Academy Award. “I was improvising on the piano every day, and I realised I was always thinking about colours as I wrote. When you have the mic set up and you’re recording, it puts you into deep focus. There’s something about that red light being on that really pulls you into the moment.”
O’Halloran has long experienced synaesthesia — a mingling of the senses that may sound familiar to many. It can be something as simple as a taste snapping us back to a place we’ve been, a familiar scent triggering a powerful emotional flashback, or — in Dustin’s case — a certain sound evoking the feeling of a colour.
“I believe that people are more synesthetic than they realise,” he says. “It’s something that you can tune into. All sensations are ultimately translated in the brain — and I think you can learn to connect different parts of those sensations together.”
Such connections are a theme that runs through The Chromatic Sessions — including the connection between Dustin and his audience. All of the Chromatic singles come with downloadable sheet music when bought on Bandcamp, allowing listeners to play the music themselves.
It’s a gesture born of O’Halloran’s wish to forge a closer relationship with his listeners.
“Releasing music digitally feels so distant and disconnected,” he says. “And I think we’re all looking for connection. When people get involved in playing the music, it becomes part of them in a different way. It becomes communal. It becomes theirs.”
American artist Jack Horton is back with his second EP in a year: Imperfections, a five-song collection that blends storytelling with polished musicianship.
The pianist’s and songwriter’s release features four original songs and a reimagined version of Jim Croce’s 1972 classic.
“As a songwriter, I never thought I’d cover someone else,” Horton says, “but I wanted to bring something new to this song.”
Horton is releasing one song a month from the EP, starting in April, with the last song being released in August.
The most recent is “Never Know Why” a passionate and duet with singer Vesper Stockwell that starts off bare and ends up with a full symphony.
Leading the EP is “Set Me Free,”a song born from personal transformation and letting go. “I’m grateful for my divorce,” Horton says. “Without it, I’d never have written “Set Me Free,” which is about loving someone enough to let them go.”
Next comes the upbeat, pop-country anthem “String Around My Finger,” the tale of a songwriter choosing love over Nashville. Horton nods to his musical heroes in the lyrics: “I’m playin’ covers at ol’ Joe’s every Wednesday night / Elton John, Johnny Cash, and a little John Prine.”
Listen to “Never Know Why” by Jack Horton and Vesper Stockwell
