Jazz Festivals » Oscar Peterson

The Boundless Vistas of Jazz Pianist Hiromi

admin2 — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 10:52:26 +0000

She goes by Hiromi, the only identification needed for the Japanese wizard of the keyboard who is ranked as the number one instrumentalist in her native land. Her award-winning gold albums showcase eclectic arrangements and compositions influenced by every musical genre that strikes her fancy. In “Beyond Standard” released in 2008, she even fuses jazz, classical, rock and avant-garde in such familiar compositions as “Clair De Lune,” “Caravan,” “My Favorite Things” and “I’ve Got Rhythm.” In this and all six of her CDs and two Live in Concert DVDs, her over-the-top energy propels each number to the outer limits.

“I always give everything I’ve got and I look for that in the musicians I work with,” she says. “I play each concert as if this is the very last I’ll ever give. Fate gave me the opportunity and I must not waste it, so I play my very best to thank the audience for being there.”

Hiromi refuses to put a name on her style. A child prodigy, she began studying classical piano at age five, but her world expanded at eight when her piano teacher introduced her to jazz. She credits that “very special” teacher, Noriko Hakita, with pointing her in a wide open direction. By twelve, she knew that she wanted to be a professional musician and within two years she performed with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.

It’s no coincidence that the influence of jazz pianist Chick Corea, along with those of Oscar Peterson, Art Tatum, and Ahmad Jamal, bursts forth in her music. Upon meeting and hearing the then-seventeen-year-old in Tokyo during a tour, Corea invited her to play with him the next day. Their friendship and musical attunement pulsates on “Duet/Chick Corea and Hiromi” recorded live at Tokyo Blue Note.

After spending several years writing jingles for Nissan and other Japanese companies, Hiromi began studies in earnest under Jamal at Berklee College of Music in Boston. There she perfected her capacity for extracting energy wherever it exits. She proclaims that the energy inherent in classical works by Bach and Liszt is every bit as influential to her keyboard virtuosity as is that projected by powerful athletes like Michael Jordan.

Following “Another Mind,” her debut album of 2003, she released “Brain,” “Spiral,” and “Time Control.” Each is unique for intellectual pairing of swing, jazz, be-bop and rock influences and song titles that invite visual challenges. “Old castle, by the river, in the middle of the forest” appears in both “Spiral” and “Duet.” Like many of her original compositions, the piece was suggested by the places she visits throughout the world.

While she is off on her current international tour with the explosive Stanley Clarke Band, fans can luxuriate at home with “Places to Be,” a collection of songs she wrote while traveling. The locations she incorporates within range from Sicily, Bern, and the Azores to Cape Cod and the Las Vegas she captured from the daytime, gambling and show girl perspectives. It’s a given that the vistas of Russia, Spain and points in between will inspire new keyboard creations.

By: Emily Cary

Freddie Hubbard Face To Face Jazz Music CD Review

admin — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 04:45:37 +0000

The exceptionally talented Jazz artist Freddie Hubbard has released him CD entitled Face To Face. I am very confident and happy to announce that I believe Freddie Hubbard fans, and Jazz fans alike will be pleased with this one. With the release of Face To Face Freddie Hubbard’s artistic excellence is on full display as Hubbard has once again delivered a brilliant collection of tracks that could very well be him best work to date.

The CD kicks off with a great track, All Blues, that I suspect will be heard on radio stations everywhere, and deservedly so. It really is a very nice track.

Face To Face is a pleasantly varied, mix of 5 tracks that are very well written songs by this clearly talented artist. With many of the songs displaying a lot of the kind emotion that makes for a really great listen. Clearly drawing from what I can only imagine are him own personal experiences. At different points touching on the most real emotions like love, and the pain of failed relationships can certainly be heard.

I give Face To Face my highest recommendation. It just plain belongs in any serious music collectors collection regardless of genre preference.

While the entire album is really very good the truly standout tunes are track 2 – Thermo, track 3 – Weaver Of Dreams, and track 5 – Tippin.

My Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 1 – All Blues. This is a great track!

Face To Face Release Notes:

Freddie Hubbard originally released Face To Face on June 24, 1997 on the Original Jazz Classics label.

CD Track List Follows:

1. All Blues

2. Thermo

3. Weaver Of Dreams

4. Portrait Of Jenny

5. Tippin’

Personnel: Freddie Hubbard (trumpet); Oscar Peterson (piano); Joe Pass (guitar); Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen (bass); Martin Drew (drums). Recorded at Group IV Studios, Hollywood, California on May 24, 1982. Includes liner notes by Norman Granz.

By: Clyde Lee Dennis

Jazz Pianist And Composer Oscar Peterson

admin — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 21:53:32 +0000

Originally from Montreal, Quebec, Oscar Emmanuel Peterson was born August 15 in the year 1925 and would begin his musical career in the year of 1945. He would grow up to have a long and very successful musical career and would also come to be regarded as one of the greatest pianists of the time. Unlike many other well-known musicians he lived a very long life, passing away at the age of 82 on December 23, 2007 in Ontario. Throughout his life, he played live concerts around the world, recorded many albums, won numerous Grammy awards and many other awards for his music.

At the early age of five years, Oscar Peterson began playing the trumpet and the piano, which his father and sister taught him how to play; however, his interests soon turned toward the piano as a result of suffering from tuberculosis that made playing the trumpet difficult. Besides his father and sister, Oscar also learned from Paul de Marky, who was also a classical pianist. Even thought most of the music he was taught was classical, he was extremely interested by jazz. Before the age of ten, the talent started to show through his amazing control of his piano playing. This could be attributed to his intense practice, which was between four and six hours a day. His amazing control could very well be attributed to his extreme self-discipline in music, though the time he spent practicing shortened to about two hours a day after a few years.

The first award he won was at the age of fourteen, when he participated in a national music competition. It was this moment that really changed his life. He left school and immediately began his career by playing professionally in hotels, music halls and on a radio show. He later went on to play in duets, trios, and quartets. It was then during the 1950s when his reputation as one of the worlds leading jazz pianists was made that he began to play in small bands, quartets, trios, duets and even solos, though solos were not something he did very often. He did, however, create a few albums that were solos. Besides his playing, Oscar was also known for some of the music he composed. He wrote some songs, but also composed numerous pieces for the piano that were for trios and quartets and big band.

Though it may not seem it when watching him play, Oscar had suffered arthritis since he was very young and one would think that this could make playing the piano quite difficult. Later in his life, he also suffered a stroke that made playing even more difficult, but he did not allow any of his health problems to get in the way of his playing. He continued to play in the 90s, even if it was more with one hand, and continued to make both live and studio recordings. He was a man that was dedicated to his music and would not let anything get in the way of his playing if he could help it. During his 65 year career, he won no less than seven Grammy awards for his talent and his many recordings continue to be listened to and enjoyed today.

By: Victor Epand

Practice Jazz Bass Lines by Making a Play List

admin — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 19:23:01 +0000

Jazz falls in the spontaneous forms of music. Nobody is a Jazz expert from birth; rather it is rigorous practice and love for Jazz music that extracts an expert from a common Jazz lover. Take the example of any Jazz expert, you will find that continuous improvisation and repeated practice have made them the master of the art. First they learn all genres of Jazz and then they tried to specialize and have expertise in one form.

On the path of specialization, your interest plays a significant role. Once you know the basics, step forward to have mastery in one. The logic behind it is very simple. One lifetime is perhaps not the enough tenure to excel in all forms of jazz and having expertise in left hand Jazz piano playing like Art Tatum, thundering blues lines like Oscar Peterson and the harmonic complexity of Bill Evans. Hence, specialization leads to excellence. This article comprises of beneficial tips that make your Jazz piano practice easier.

1- Expose yourself to a variety of Tempos

When you practice jazz piano, Practice at a variety of tempos like slow, medium and fast. From quarter note = 40 to 360- never be scared of any tempo.

2- Be creative

While using the metronome, let the creative part of your Jazz-love perform its best. Click on the upbeats (beat two and four) instead of downbeats (one and three). Set the metronome in your comfort zone and practice Jazz piano for all patterns in both hands. It helps you to be more creative and develop a greater level of dexterity.

3- Apply the golden “Five Time” rule.

While practicing Jazz piano or baselines, play the scale, chord, lick, pattern, phrase or song five times in a row without committing any errors. If you commit any mistake (whatever negligible it might be), you are lacking in concentration. Practice this rule until you have not attained mastery.

By: Akhila Choudhary

Great Jazz Pianists and Their Contributions to Music

admin — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 23:05:49 +0000

Some of the greatest piano players in history became known for their proficiency in jazz. Technicality and a heavy reliance upon the ability of the musician to improvise makes jazz piano one of the hardest styles to learn. That does NOT mean, however, that it can’t be learned, but to get to the highest rungs a pianist must have lots of talent, a great ear, and the ability to improvise.

The birth of jazz music in the early 1900s was a significant period in musical history. Many of those who are considered among the greatest jazz pianists of all times were pioneers of the genre during this period. Jazz evolved from musical styles that African slaves brought to America. Therefore, its inception can largely be attributed to the early African-American community. African-American pianists, such as Scott Joplin and Ernest Hogan, are considered to be among the fathers of ragtime music. Although the ragtime era only lasted a few years, it was a precursor to, and contemporary of, the jazz era.

Many of the earliest and greatest jazz pianists were African American. For this reason, jazz music had something of a hurdle to overcome. While many embraced jazz as a new and exciting genre, others didn’t. The emancipation of African slaves was still a fresh memory, and many people still carried strong attitudes of racism.

Jazz’s public image changed slowly over the first two or three decades of the 20th century. Great African-American jazz pianists of the early to mid 1900s were instrumental in helping transform the perception of jazz. African-American artists like Erroll Garner, Theoloius Monk, Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Oscar Peterson brought a level of class to the genre that was undeniable. In fact, the Count Basie orchestra was pivotal to the jazz culture of New York for half a century. Noteworthy musicians in and of themselves, they also provided back-up for critically acclaimed singers like Billie Holliday and Big Joe Turner.

Count Basie’s association with Ella Fitzgerald is both historically and musically significant. The 1963 album the two made together is remembered by critics as possibly the greatest recording of her career. Count Basie also made recordings with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Tony Bennett. These match-ups lent even more credibility to jazz as a distinct genre.

The evolution of jazz saw many changes over the ensuing decades. More branches and sub-genres developed. In fact, jazz music fell out of favor with the public for several years in the 1980s. There was controversy within the musical community over the fusing of so many different types of music with jazz. Some purists viewed it as “watering down” the art form. Other musicians and fans see jazz music as a culmination of many types of music and view blending it with rock as simply another variation generally known as “fusion”.

Contemporary jazz artists have brought jazz back around into public favor in the 21st century. Today’s great jazz pianists, like Diana Krall, Harry Connick Jr. and Norah Jones bear living proof of this by number of albums sold. While some write off their work as “pop” jazz, many believe they are instrumental in keeping jazz alive in the new millennium.

By: Duane Shinn

Practice Jazz Using Space Age Online Tools

admin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:09:27 +0000

It is not unusual for young men and women who are full of God given talent and music enthusiasm to want to dive right in and begin sitting in with musicians who have been around for many years and know how to capture an audience with their playing. To the young “want-to-bees” they just can’t wait for their chance to show what they can do. But for many of these young musicians, their first sit-in with experienced musicians did not yield a happy ending.

One of the problems young musicians have with trying to break into the jazz scene, accord to many seasoned jazz musicians, is they don’t know the tunes. It just stands to reason, “How can young musicians play with seasoned jazz musicians if they don’t know the tunes?” The only way for up and coming musicians to learn and memorize a large number of jazz tunes are through hard work and many hours of practice. Practice, practice, and more practice is the key to becoming an exceptional jazz musician who will eventually be able to play with the best, anywhere at anytime. Getting to that point is not an impossible feat, but it takes a level head and strong determination to achieve. But first, above all you must learn the correct changes for every song you play. This is key!!

In the old days, there was no internet, nor sophisticate music software applications, nor notation software that could bring the music to you in a laid out form. Musicians of old had to spend the time necessary to figure out chord changes, melodic patterns and solo arrangements. Many musicians put an album on the turntable and turned the speed back in order to “cop” the runs and solo changes played by Oscar Peterson and many other great jazz pioneers.

Today it’s a different story. If you want to learn the tunes- which basically mean the jazz Standards- and play them well, there are a number of internet based sites available to get you there. An internet site that is very visual and jazz education based is the site sponsored by Doug McKenzie at http://www.bushgrafts.com/jazz/home.htm. Doug McKenzie also has great educational videos on YouTube for jazz pianists. It’s a great online tool for all jazz instrumentalists.

A great new online jazz practice tool is provided at www.studiobypass.com. StudioBypass allows you to select from over 400 jazz and Latin tunes, listen to and manipulate the song of your choice, edit the final output, then download it onto your computer for future practice sessions. It is a fantastic practice tool for new up-and-coming jazz musicians, and also for seasoned jazz professionals. It’s a new day for jazz musicians, and space age tools are available to help you to become better-than-average jazz musicians.

By: Akhila Choudhary

Great Jazz Pianists and Their Contributions to Music

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:31:41 +0000