My brilliant musician/composer cousin Tobias Tinker — you know, the masterful maestro behind this and this and this and SO much more — had an incredible idea:

He would create original piano pieces inspired by the celebrated paintings of his grandfather and mother.

And he’d perform them on the piano that has been in his family for generations, in their home in rural Nova Scotia.

The result…is some really beautiful stuff.

I hope you’ll all set aside a few minutes to watch (and listen to) the above video, visit his site to learn more, and consider supporting the work.

I can’t help but be very, very proud of his efforts and, as usual, more than a little in awe.

"Wind and Colour" painting by Charles Richard Wilcox

“Wind and Colour” painting by Charles Richard Wilcox

IN HIS OWN WORDS:

‘This is an album of solo piano sketches recorded on my childhood piano. The music is directly inspired by the paintings of my mother and grandfather, both also pianists. The piano — a wonderful 120-year-old Heintzmann in my family for generations — is still in my parents’ rural home in Nova Scotia.

I like to call the music I make “Thoughtful Music for Troubled Times“. And yes, that’s certainly the intention behind this collection. The pieces are meditative, atmospheric and emotionally charged. They are influenced by the many kinds of music I’ve played over the 40+ years I’ve been playing piano.

I’ve chosen GoFundMe as a platform because it’s flexible, recognized and trusted. It also offers excellent terms so most of the money you donate goes where you hope it will, not to support the platform and its investors. ALL money raised will be used to complete and release the album to supporters and, later on, the public. That includes the final track mixing, sequencing, and mastering. Graphic design, too (including, of course, the beautiful paintings which inspired the music). And don’t forget CD manufacturing and shipping, digital release and associated costs.

There’s a LOT of family history behind the project. The magnificent paintings of my grandfather have been treasured heirlooms as long as I can remember. He died before I was born, but I have felt his influence profoundly throughout my life. My mother’s beautiful work is like a counterpoint to her father’s — visually different but closely related, I think, in spirit. The fact that we are all linked by this wonderful old piano was the impulse to begin this project.

I hope you’ll help me finish it!’