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Trying to get to the heart of Graham Flett’s musical style is a slippery task.
“I have a variable aesthetic,” muses the tall, lean, shaggy-haired composer sitting across from me in a modern Amsterdam café. “I have leanings towards certain things I like to do.” The remark is vague, but not intentionally so. Flett is a little out of his element; perhaps the bustle of staff and patrons and the trendy tunes coming over the PA are distracting him from forming a clearer statement. We had originally intended to talk at a Belgian-beer bar in a more bohemian part of town, but when the guy next to us lit up another joint, we decided the scene was too smoky for us. A couple of sips of tea clear Flett’s head. “I’m not super-dogmatic about style,” he continues. “I like to use style as a composition parameter. I make a conscious decision about style at the onset of a piece and I’ll compose around that, aware of the associations and expectations that might exist.” Now we’re getting somewhere.
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Image by: Adam Coish
Jason van Eyk is a Toronto-based cultural manager, musician and professional writer with a passion for connecting the public to enriching creative experiences. He is always looking to create new opportunities that give artists and audiences robust, resonant and inspiring channels through which to connect and collaborate, and thus to build stronger communities.