The Wordless Music of Patrick Grant Paints A Sweeping Picture

By SHARON JENNINGS

The prolific Patrick Grant has created a unique and sweeping sound that can make anyone a fan of wordless music. But the music is more than that. With his work, Grant wants to convey the “ceremony” of life; the every day celebration that we are actually a part of something great. The talented musician sat down to talk with Groundsounds.com

 

Tell us about A Sequence of Waves and how did you come to create it? It’s so amazing.

Thank you. It is the follow up to Tilted Axes: Music for Mobile Electric Guitars and its subtitle is “Twelve Stories and a Dream” which is also the title of an H. G. Wells anthology.

 

What is the special meaning behind the music?

Every track on the album is meant to be visually evocative in a way that each listener can make up their own story to the music.

 

Do you believe that not all music needs to have words?

Judging by the long history of instrumental music, I would say that most people would say yes.

 

What is the secret to a good collaboration? You seem to have great relationships with the other musicians on A Sequence of Waves.

Like in improvisational theater, the secret is to always say “Yes” and see how far that can go.

 

What is your favorite kind of music and why is that genre so inspirational to you?  

I like music that embraces different forms of ceremony or ritual like Bach cantatas, Balinese gamelan, music created for avant-garde theater and for cinema.

 

Who are the musicians you most admire and why?

I like the Funk Brothers from Motown, the Wrecking Crew from LA, and George Martin from the Beatles because they changed the face of recorded music forever.

 

What advice would you give young musicians today?

Study orchestration and any kind of science related to your craft.

 

Where can we follow you and where can our readers catch you live next?

They can follow me at www.patrickgrant.com and can look forward to new performance projects beginning this autumn.