John McArthur Piano

John McArthur’s musical roots are firmly fixed in the cultural soil of the warm Caribbean islands, where he was born and where singing is a common accompaniment to daily activities.

He grew up singing long before the first time his fingers touched the piano - after which the singing continued through his new love’s unrelenting grip.

John still sings throughout the day (he says he exercises the good judgment to keep it to himself) but focuses most on letting his voice come through the piano.

This is the root of the song-like or “singing” quality he’s pursued in his playing - whether or not words are involved in the music.

Growing up, the Great American Songbook was also a part of his daily musical feast - with melodies shaped and conveyed by famous singers on radio, on Broadway and in Hollywood films.

All the Things You Are was one of the most popular songs of that era and a personal favorite.

It’s a song of contemplation and reflection that concludes with a declaration of assured hope:

“You are the promised kiss of springtime
That makes the lonely winter seem long….

And someday I’ll know that moment divine
When all the things you are are mine.”

LEADING WITH THE LEFT

This distinctive arrangement of All the Things You Are, by Stephen Prutsman, is an utterly captivating setting of an already unforgettable song.

John says:

The arrangement is so carefully and artistically written as to keep unnecessary speed at bay...so the luxurious harmonies achieve their intended effect on both melody and lyrics.
Just as some words linger for emotional effect,
some harmonies coupled to the lyrics intentionally linger...and vibrate in the air until both fade.

- John McArthur

Despite what appears to be a simple melody, “All the Things You Are” is an extremely challenging song to sing and equally so to play on the piano.

The constant key changes make demands on a singer’s vocal ability to intune quickly and those shifting tonal centres make heavy demands on the pianist’s need to carefully balance chords.

Stephen Prutsman, in arranging this piece for the piano to be played using just the left hand alone created, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful arrangements for one of the most beautiful songs - classical or popular - ever composed.

THE PIANO AS COLLABORATOR

Early in 2025, John visited Cunningham Piano in Cherry Hill, NJ and was invited to play a Bösendorfer 280 VC Concert Grand they had recently received. There was an instant connection between artist and piano, and Richard Galassini of Cunningham Piano was gracious in helping to arrange for the piano to be made available for this recording (and two others to follow).

The Bösendorfer provided a resplendent glow the piece seemed to call for...when sounds are meant to hang like clouds in the sky of the concert hall and allowed to fade in their own shimmering time.

John found playing this instrument to be a remarkable experience, saying:

Another truly remarkable characteristic of the Bösendorfer is what seems to be an uncanny ability to somehow know the sound the pianist wants before the touch command is given - making it feel as if there is no separation between intent and sound; as if hands and piano have somehow been fused.

A GROWING PARTNERSHIP

Skylight Arts again commissioned illustrator Xiao Hua Yang (The New Yorker, Buzzfeed, Harper’s Magazine, The New York Times' "40 Best Illustrations of 2025”) to create original cover art for a Valentines Day release - mindful, as with last year’s release of Embraceable You, of the varied ways the day presents itself to people in different stages of life.

Meeting in-person for the first time, surrounded by the warm holiday lights of Grand Central Station, John, Xiao, and producer Peter Field talked over elements of their creative processes, the beauty of ambiguity in art, and some nascent ideas around nurturing slow time with music, visuals and silence.

Xiao, known for his subtly surreal and dream-like images, listened to John’s performance of All the Things You Are and infused its lingering sense of space into a scene of silent interaction in stillness.
“It’s a story I feel deeply familiar with—one I’ve heard a hundred times, maybe one I once lived in myself.”

- Xiao Hua Yang
Xiao continues:

John tells a fascinating story with his music. Yet, however clearly each note is pronounced, I don’t quite grasp what he is saying. At the same time, I understand it completely.

That’s when I realize that John isn’t really telling a story at all. I simply sit for a while and listen.”


We invite you to share in All the Things You Are

...on Spotify

... on Apple Music

... on Deezer

... on YouTube Music

... on Pandora