TORONTO—It was a childhood visit to an art gallery, chaperoned by his father, that first ignited Chilly Gonzales’s passion for rendering esoteric pieces more accessible.
It wasn’t really the art that inspired the Canadian-reared pianist (born Jason Beck), but how his dad struggled to appreciate it.
“He couldn’t decide if he liked the painting until he read the title and the paragraph that tells you something about it,” said Beck during a phone interview from Germany.
“I was touched by the fact that my dad needed that story to guide him through. I think those people also deserve to enjoy creative things. That’s why I’ve always done a lot of context-building.”
The bigger risk and the bigger gamble is always to take the harder road.
