This is actually my sixth interview with pianist/composer Wayne Gratz! The first one was on the phone in August 1993 - almost thirty-three years ago! We finally met in person in 2011 when Wayne and Greg Maroney came to Florence, Oregon to do a house concert and then spent a couple of days here. Wayne released his first several albums on the Narada label starting in 1989 and also did some recordings for Hallmark. In 2002, he and his wife, Kyra, founded Wayne Gratz Music and have been releasing his music independently ever since. He released two EPs in the second half of 2025 - Still Morning Light and Still Morning Light, Vol. 2 - and then Still Morning Light - The Album in February 2026. We focused on his newer music in this interview, but all of our previous interviews are still available on Wayne’s Artist Page here on MainlyPiano.com. Enjoy!

KP: Wayne! It’s so great to be back in touch! Can you believe we did our first interview over the phone in 1993??? We both must have been very precocious children at the time! So how are you?

WG: It’s hard to believe it’s been 33 years! Yes, I absolutely remember that telephone interview. How the years have flown by. I’m doing well, thanks.

KP: You have a brand-new album that was released in mid-February (2026) called Still Morning Light - The Album, following the two EPS, Still Morning Light, Vol. 2 and Still Morning Light (both were released last year). The new album includes both EPs plus five new pieces. What was the inspiration for the music?

WG: I decided to release each volume separately giving the listener the opportunity to listen without being rushed through a whole album.
My inspiration for the music came from the natural beauty of landscapes, wildlife and particular moods I was feeling at the time of composition.

KP: Do you still live very close to the ocean and do you still spend a lot of time at the beach?

WG: My wife Kyra and I live on the mainland side of the Intracoastal Waterway. We do go to her family’s beach house often. I actually composed and recorded most of my album Four Steps to the Ocean at that house.

KP: I know you composed and recorded Still Morning Light over a two-year period. How did you choose which pieces to release on the two EPs?

WG: I had already composed most of the music and wanted the album to begin with an uplifting piece, then continue in a natural flow that would carry the listener to a different place and mood with each composition—a musical journey, so to speak. I also wanted to make one of the EPs entirely solo piano.

KP: Do you plan to release sheet music for any of the pieces and/or the full album? I’ll be first in line if you do!

WG: Yes, I’m still trying to decide which pieces would make the most sense to transcribe. Any suggestions, since you are a great piano teacher?

KP: I think it makes sense to start with the piano solos, but I’d love to be able to play any of them!

Let’s talk about some of the individual pieces. I know that most of your original music is based on improvisations. Do you just sit down and play when you improvise or do you create visual images in your head first? Or is it a combination of the two?

WG: Definitely a combination of visual images, thoughts, and the mood I’m experiencing at the moment. Many times, when I sit down and improvise, that first improvisation will often become the final recording - as it did with the piece “Grand View” on my current album.

KP: If the pieces are mostly improvised, how do you go back and learn them for live performances?

WG: In a live performance situation, I would spend time learning some of the most important passages of the piece, and then improvise the rest. An improvisation of an improvisation so to speak. On stage, I’ve always felt very comfortable performing this way.

KP: In my review of the album, I said that “Sands of April” “feels much like walking barefoot on a sunny beach, mesmerized by the beauty and rhythms of the ocean.” Was I at all close in my interpretation?

WG: Yes, absolutely. There is something about springtime at the beach that gives the sand a more dynamic quality, with the tidal zone forming beautiful ripples and patterns along the shore.

KP: I love seeing that on our own beaches here in Oregon! What inspired “Homestead Wildlife”? I really like that one!

WG: “Homestead Wildlife” was a piece I’d written before I found the title. I was visiting Pennsylvania and one morning I sat outside on picnic table next to the Tulpehocken Creek and was surrounded by a variety of wildlife such as birds, squirrels, gophers and butterflies. I was listening to this song on my computer, and this title easily came to mind.

KP: How fun! What about “Grand View”? Is that about what you can see from your piano?

WG: “Grand View” took its name from the street where my high school was located. The school sat at the top of a hill overlooking a valley filled with homes and cornfields, and I always thought of it as offering a grand view of the life that lay ahead of me. In winter, that same hill became a favorite place for sled riding, so it carries many meanings and memories—serving different purposes and directions, so to speak.

KP: I definitely guessed wrong on that one!!! “Disappearing Island” begins and ends with the sounds of ocean waves and sea birds. Did you record those sounds yourself? (I know some of the sounds are made with a rainstick played by Rick Sky.)

WG: The sea birds are the only sampled sound in the piece. The ocean itself was beautifully performed by Rick Sky using an ocean drum, while a rainstick gently suggested the movement of the incoming waves. Rick gave an extraordinary performance, capturing the feel and rhythm of the sea with remarkable sensitivity. He recorded those sounds in his studio in Pennsylvania.

KP: Interesting! What is the story behind this one? It’s favorite!

WG: There is a beautiful place on the Intracoastal Waterway in New Smyrna Beach were the tides come and go. As the tide slowly changes to low tide there is a sand bar that rises and comes alive with wildlife as well as people who come to enjoy such beauty. The tide eventually comes back in, and the island disappears.

KP: I’d love to see that! What or where does “My Go To Place” refer to?

WG: This a pretty much any place with a beautiful view. It could be anywhere.

KP: What does “Hymn 10 9 10” mean or refer to?

WG: This song I actually wrote for my father. He passed away on October 9, 2010. Had he stayed with us one more day, that day would have been 10/10/10.

KP: Fascinating! Some of the background sounds are really mysterious and otherworldly.

WG: At first, I considered calling the piece “Spirit 10 9 10,” as I was thinking about the journey of passing into Heaven and wanted the background textures to help express that sense of transition.

KP: “Heron on the Mooring” was my favorite track on Vol. 2. Herons are such amazing birds to watch whether they are wading in the water on those long legs or swooping down to catch a fish. What inspired this piece?

WG: Living in Florida, I often see blue herons, and the dock with its nearby moorings featured on the album cover is one of the places where I encounter them quite often. There is something remarkable about the way they stand so still and focused.

KP: I agree! Tell us about “Walking Off a Dream.” It’s so dark and mysterious - AND I really like it!

WG: Coming to the realization that we all have to accept our limitations and also accept that we may not accomplish all the dreams we have imagined and expected, and that it’s ok.

KP: “One Star Until Sunrise” is sooooooooo peaceful! Was it composed late at night or in the early-morning hours?

WG: One morning, while it was still dark, I felt drawn to go and watch the sunrise. As the first light slowly appeared, I noticed the morning star lingering in the sky—the last to fade before giving way to a truly beautiful sunrise.

KP: Hmmmm. I’m fascinated by the title “Red on Right Returning.” What is that one about?

WG: This piece is meant to serve as the closing chapter of the musical journey through the album. “Red on Right Returning” takes its title from a nautical expression meaning to keep the red markers on your right when returning to port—a phrase that felt especially fitting as a sense of arrival and quiet return at the end of this journey.

KP: Still Morning Light - The Album is a great album and everyone should have at least one copy!

Have you gone back to playing live concerts?

WG: Thank you! As far as concerts, I haven’t played one in quite a while. However, I am still playing in the band Paradise from time to time and I also perform with my brother-in-law’s band. It’s a nice variety of musical styles that I enjoy playing.

KP: When did you start playing with Paradise? I think you’ve been with them since we first started talking!

WG:

KP: Do you have any ideas for your next project?

WG: Instead of focusing on a “next project,” I think I will just take things, musically speaking, day by day. Also, my brother Kevin and I are going to be perfecting a series of MIDI files from some of my previous albums for Disklavier and Piano Disc players.

KP: That’s exciting!

If you could have any three wishes, what would they be?

WG: No hurricanes or tornadoes
No wildfires
Global Peace

KP: Amen! Is there anything else you’d like to “talk” about?

WG: Yes, I’ve recently recorded a single titled "A Promise of Spring" for an upcoming compilation album with the label AD21, located in Spain. It is set for release on April 23, 2026, and will be available on most music platforms. It’s an exciting new adventure, and I’m truly looking forward to being part of it.

KP: I can’t wait to hear it!