Imaginary Eyes is an exploration into composer/pianist Maxx McGathey’s dark, suspenseful, cinematic sound-world with soaring strings, heavy rhythm section grooves, mysterious flute melodies, triumphant brass and McGathey’s expressive touch at the piano. From the frenetic thump of “The Staircase” to the melancholy noir of “Midnight”, to the wild twists and turns of “Nothing will be as it once was…”, these compositions feature dramatic dynamic shifts as solo piano moments evolve into lush orchestral arrangements.

Several years in the making, McGathey started composing this music in 2020 during long periods of isolation, turning to his childhood upright piano for solace. “These all started as solo piano works,” says McGathey, “but during that lonely time, I could feel a subliminal yearning in them to be played with as many musicians as possible.” Leaning into that idea, he drew on the talents of nearly a dozen up-and-coming musicians in Chicago’s jazz and classical scenes to create an epic studio-orchestra sound for this record. “Creating this album and getting the people together to make this music was a big part of my recovery from those tough times. There’s a lot of darkness in this music, but also a persistent sense of hope for light at the end of the tunnel.”


This is Maxx McGathey’s first record as a solo artist, marking a stylistic shift from his previous composing work with the doom funk band Gramps The Vamp, the spaghetti western project Dark Canyon, and his original live silent-film scores for presenters like WBEZ, the Music Box Theatre, and the Chicago Park District. With Imaginary Eyes, McGathey moves away from the electric sound of those projects and toward a more organic, jazz-influenced, orchestral sound while staying true to his edge-of-your-seat, adventurous composing style.