A Place Without Noise
An affecting pianist-composer long deserving of broader recognition, Wayne Gratz continues to specialize in stately, reflective expressions of the soul. His are earnest yet understated works that will speak eloquently to listeners who favor the impressionistic reveries of early Windham Hill and Narada recordings. Not as complex asLiz Story(though he's willing to venture into minor keys) and less pop-conscious thanJim Brickman, Gratz could be fairly described musically as a distant cousin ofGeorge Winston. Both find inspiration in nature, and both can silence a room with the wordless acumen of their searching, emotionally rich compositions. Gratz exhibits a slightly stronger romantic streak, here yielding several standout tracks: "Birds in Flight," "Center," "Willows," "Any Color but Blue," and "Whisper to Me"--all solo piano works with occasional faint accompaniment from synthesizer and cello. As on past recordings, Gratz sometimes tends to let pieces stall or simply peter out rather than reach a resolution ("Clouds," "Dreams"), but this is a tolerable flaw.A Place Without Noiseis, as the title suggests, a solid choice to augment your quiet moments.--Terry Wood