MYSICAL MORNING BY UWE GRONAU

UWE GRONAU COMBINES CLASSIC PROG-ROCK PROGRESSIONS AND NEW-AGE SENSIBILITIES

MYSTICAL MORNING

“There is something special about mornings, the start of a new day,” explains musician Uwe Gronau.  “In the morning the world is fresh and the possibilities stretch before us.  Often it is peaceful before all of the day’s activities start.  Mornings can be a mystical time good for contemplation, meditation and preparation.  So I created a new album that I call Mystical Morning and it is full of positive, celebratory music that is like sunshine pouring onto a new day.”

This German keyboardist also says, “On Mystical Morning I wanted to offer a lot of different styles of music, some rocking and some gentle, some featuring acoustic piano and others using electronic sounds.  There are many pieces with bass and drumming to make an ensemble sound.  I enjoyed playing the organ on some tunes.”

Uwe Gronau (pronounced ooo-vuh grow-now) is a master of many musical styles with numerous eclectic recordings.  His musical enthusiasm and boundless creativity cannot be contained.  Primarily a keyboardist, on some tunes he plays solo piano, on others synthesizer or organ, and often he mixes together several keyboards, at times with guitars, bass, percussion, drums or other sounds.  His music ranges from new age to space, from jazzy to progressive-rock, from ambient or avant-garde to extremely melodic with pop sensibilities.  He only performs and records original music.  Mystical Morning was produced by Gronau with his longtime musical associate Clemens Paskert.

Additionally Gronau has played on recordings by other artists including Luna Blanca and Angelique Damschen (also known as Aileen Rose).  Gronau also is an author who wrote the acclaimed novel Senor Morales, a fantasy journey through Europe in search of a special Spanish musical instrument.  The novel led to an audio-book version with music and speaking by Gronau.  He also has published books of short stories -- Der Schneemann von Wagenitz; Zucker, Zaster und Zement; and Avantgarde, Chopin und frische Blumen.

The music on Mystical Morning was inspired by many different ideas and feelings.  The album begins with the upbeat tune “Turn It On!”  Gronau says, “Listen to this song louder than normal, especially the bass.  Be positive, live your fantasies and enjoy the future.”  The second tune, “A Day in Sri Lanka,” starts with the sounds of the jungle before kicking into high-energy with guest drummer and percussionist Ansgar Ueffink whom Gronau has known for 30 years (“My friend gives the song a free and easy feeling.”).  “The music was inspired by a trip I took to Sri Lanka where I performed a piano concert and all the animals supported me!  It was a full moon and the monkeys came and were sitting next to my piano  -- an incredible experience.”

The title tune was inspired by nature.  “I live near the woods and this tune describes the atmosphere of sitting in a clearing on a foggy morning in October watching the animals waking up.”  On the album there are two versions of “Shy” -- the first is a piano and acoustic guitar piece and the second adds drums by Ansgar Ueffink.  “Some people are so shy that they can’t be together with other people for very long, and sometimes shy people turn to music for happiness.  I tried to make the music fragile and sensitive as a reflection of my personality.”  There are two solo piano pieces -- “Metamorphose” (“Close your eyes and imagine changing into a figure in a fairy tale”), and “Colors of Spring” (“After winter, spring brings so many colors to lift our souls”).  Another soft tune, featuring just piano and synth, is “The Day We Met,” written for a particular person that Gronau met when he went to a garage sale (“I bought nothing, but I got a wonderful smile”).  Another fairly gentle number is “A Step Into Your Heart,” but this one has drums and an improvisational organ jam, and Gronau says it is “a love song without the words ‘I love you’.”

Counter-balancing the softer material are many rocking compositions utilizing bass and drums such as “Letter to Emerson,” a tribute to Emerson, Lake and Palmer, one of Gronau’s favorite acts.  The fast-paced tune features powerful synthesizer and an energetic organ.  “I have always been a great fan of Keith Emerson, and when I was a child I dreamt of playing a Hammond B-3 organ.  I finally bought one in New York City in 1980 and it became my most beloved instrument.”  Another track with organ is “Light Behind the Door” (“There is a light in our cellar and the door is always closed because no one goes in there, but at night we can see the light and it is a bit strange and scary”).

Some of the other rocking tunes are the powerful, full-bodied “Over the Bridge” (featuring acoustic guitar, organ, drums and synth including synth horns), “Mountain So High” (“When you have feelings you can’t describe, sometimes it is best to just enjoy the silence, as if you are standing on top of a mountain”), and the upbeat “Special Romance” (“I was thinking about when I fall in love with a new song and can’t get the melody out of my head”).

Gronau was born and raised in the Rhineland in northwest Germany, and grew up in Dusseldorf and Bocholt (where he currently resides) which is only a couple of miles from the Dutch border.  “In the ‘70s and ‘80s the Netherlands were more involved in the evolution of jazz, pop, rock and soul than Germany, so I profited from this situation and heard much great music.”  Uwe began playing piano at age six and grew up immersed in music as the son of a choir-leader, orchestra-conductor, music-school teacher and piano instructor. 

In his early years Uwe studied classical music, but soon became passionate about jazz and rock artists such as Brian Auger, Keith Emerson, Patrick Moraz and Refugee, and Joe Zawinul and Weather Report.  As Gronau got older, his musical tastes expanded to include Supertramp, Jethro Tull, Gilbert ‘O Sullivan, Keith Jarrett, Sting, Peter Gabriel and Dream Theater.  When Uwe was 14 he began to play in a series of bands and built a reputation in the area for his musicianship and professionalism.  One thing that always set Gronau apart from many other musicians is that from the beginning and continuing to today, Gronau has always played original material and has never covered compositions by others.  In college, Gronau majored in music, German and theater-science.

Gronau’s band Sternberg recorded two albums, performed concerts frequently, won a regional music contest, was broadcast on Germany’s main radio channel (WDR), and also won a film music award (for the soundtrack of “Don’t Destroy the Rainbow Above Us”) at the International Santander Film Festival in Spain.  Gronau’s next group was the synth-pop trio Fabrique.  They performed the music for the German science-fiction TV-series “Orion Space Patrol,” made recordings and videos, appeared on TV shows, and wrote the song “Secret Land” which became a Top 10 global hit for the singer Sandra.  Gronau moved on to the funky rock band Pont Neuf and recorded an album with them before going solo.

“Previously I have made albums about the night such as Nightwalker and Full Moon Forest, and songs like ‘Night Train,’ ‘Night on the Roof’ or ‘Night Visions’,” explains Gronau.  “So for Mystical Morning I thought I would turn my attention and music to what comes after the night.  If you have a mystical adventure in the morning, it can be the start of a very exciting day.”