Computers and Music

New Composition: Soul Ice (for Hockey Night in Canada)

2008-08-20T00:04:00.000-07:00

Right now there's a songwriting competition going on in Canada, to find the next theme for Hockey Night In Canada. I gave this a whirl mostly as an exercise and came up with "Soul Ice". Please click below to listen, and enjoy! :) If I win, I'll get $100,000 and lots of fame. I'll be posting a link to where you can vote for me soon.

> Soul Ice (Proposed Hockey Night in Canada theme) MP3 time 1:49 - Composed, recorded and performed by Geoff Peters

The Jazz Session (Podcast) + some other stuff

2008-08-19T19:00:00.003-07:00

The Jazz Session (click here to view web site) is a podcast of interviews with some great but perhaps lesser known jazz musicians.

Also check out an interview (click here) with New York jazz pianist Misha Piatigorsky.

Another great radio program with musical interviews is the show Piano Jazz by Marian Mcpartland (click here), which currently is featuring an interview from 1987 with Herbie Hancock.

Voyage solo piano improv

2008-08-18T17:30:00.002-07:00

Last week I made a little Youtube video of me performing an improvised arrangement of the tune Voyage by Kenny Barron:

New Composition: We Will Be Together Again

2008-08-06T23:47:00.001-07:00

I was inspired to write a romantic tune, which I call "We Will Be Together Again", not to be confused with the jazz standard of that name. Please click below to listen, and let me know what you think! Any vocalists out there who would like to sing it?

> We Will Be Together Again (Mp3 - time 1:20) (Geoff Peters composition, performed by Geoff Peters on solo piano)

Lyrics:

Refrain:
It was a day
Like any day
Then you appeared,
and time slowed down and then...
resumed
its pace...
but we will be together again.
For we will be together again.

Refrain.

Facebook Redesign

2008-08-06T01:13:00.002-07:00

Facebook has some of the best user-experience designers in the world at the moment. I had a good look at the new design and am really quite impressed. Great work Facebook team!!

New Jazz Jam Recording (free MP3's avail)

2008-08-04T11:36:00.002-07:00

I spent Sunday afternoon having a jam session on piano with my brother Byron (drums) and friend Jason (bass). This was the first time we had played together and it was a lot of fun. I made a recording of our jam and have made the Mp3's freely available to download (please click here).

Of course, being a jam session, these recordings are not studio quality and are not our "best", but they will give you an idea of the kind of energy and musical ideas that we had going during our session. The consensus among the band members was that it was really fun!!

> Click here to listen to our jam session (free MP3's)

Regarding the tracks we played, I think Voyage is the most "polished" sounding, as I know the tune quite well. The other tunes I sort-of knew but I managed to fake it most of the time. We need to work on our endings!! Blue Monk was really fun, I tried playing in a "rough" style maybe influenced a bit by Thelonious Monk. There is also a recording of a new original tune of mine, Warm Day, which I wrote while taking a composition class with New York Jazz pianist Misha Piatigorsky.

This recording was made using a consumer-model Sony Hi-MD Minidisc player/recorder and a Sony stereo condenser microphone. The total cost of the recording equipment is less than $500. Considering the low cost of the equipment, the sound quality is not bad! I have written an article that describes how I made this recording using Minidisc (please click here).

Enlarging Images by rendering detail (idea)

2008-07-30T23:21:00.003-07:00

I came up with an idea which I think would make a good Masters Thesis or startup company research project.

The idea is to find a better way to enlarge small images. You know how in the movies, they always have a small image and then they use the computer to enlarge the detail that wasn't there? My idea is to analyze a small 2D image, identify objects and textures, create a 3D model, and then use 3D rendering and computer graphics techniques to create a larger image in the same perspective and view, and same degree of photo-realism, just with more details filled in.

The most basic existing example of this is how someone using a tool can convert a simple graphic to a vector representation, and then it can be enlarged without the pixellation and ugly artifacts usually found when resampling a bitmap image to a larger size. My idea extends the simple vector graphics modelling to more complex types of images, such as modelling a landscape or a city scene, and using the model to enlarge the small image.

In order to accomplish this, we would need to generate a 3D model from a 2D image. I believe there is already a lot of research and progress in this area, at least for certain kinds of images. Then we would need a way to generate additional detail, perhaps through texture generation and taking advantage of some algorithm such as Perlin noise. Then we would need a seamless way of combining the existing pixels with rendered pixels.

If you know of any research into this area, please drop me a line at geoff@gpeters.com. Maybe someday if the various steps to accomplish this task are available in open source libraries, I will put together a website that takes images and enlarges them, adding detail. That could be a very popular site I imagine!

-Geoff Peters

Stanford Jazz Festival Spotlight

2008-07-25T22:35:00.002-07:00

David Rubien writes in the San Francisco Chronicle (click here to read article) about aspiring jazz artists Ambrose Akinmusire (trumpet), Dayna Stephens (saxophone), Julian Lage (guitar), and Taylor Eigsti (piano). From the article:

Aspiring jazz artists, so the script goes, won't hit the big time unless they move to New York to make it in the jazz capital of the world. [...] Each is certainly bound for jazz stardom, and each is having to figure out his own way of getting there, because so far in the 21st century there are no standard routes, no plethora of apprenticeships, few jazz club circuits, few record labels clamoring for jazz talent.

The article has three full length MP3's of the artists' music (click here) and you can also listen to more music by clicking the artists' names above.

Geoff Peters in Concert (free recording available)

2008-07-12T23:58:00.005-07:00

I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to perform my original composition "Quiet Night" at the Victoria Piano Summer School, during their 20th annual Composers' Day. I feel it was a real milestone in my musical career. The audience was about 150 people and included faculty from the University of Victoria, and piano students and teachers of all ages. The Phillip T. Young Recital Hall in the MacLaurin Building at UVic has wonderful acoustics and I was alone on a huge stage with a Steinway concert grand piano.

I want to share this special musical moment in my life with you! Please click below to listen to a recording of my performance. I played this piece in a typical jazz form, by starting off playing the melody (head), then making an improvised solo over the form, and then ending with the melody again. I had the form including chords and melody in my head.

> Quiet Night (Mp3 recording, time 3:13) - composed and performed by Geoff Peters

Bill Evans on Piano Jazz

2008-07-07T16:35:00.003-07:00

One of my favorite radio programs is NPR's Piano Jazz, hosted by pianist and composer Marian Mcpartland. In 1978 Bill Evans was on the show and took part in a musical interview with Marian McPartland, and their session has been re-released for free listening on the web at NPR's web site (click here to listen).

New Composition: Lament

2008-07-05T14:38:00.002-07:00

I wrote a classical-sounding piano piece, Lament, that is quite moody and reminds me a little bit of Beethoven and Chopin. (Click here to listen.)

Wikipedia says, "A lament is a song or poem expressing grief, regret or mourning." I sat down and thought I would try to write something jazzy, maybe inspired by some of the great jazz I saw in the Vancouver Jazz Festival, but for some reason I was attracted to the sounds of minor and diminished chords. Some classical piano pieces which have had an influence on my music are the Beethoven piano Sonatas (especially the Appassionata) and the Chopin Ballades.

Please click below to listen to my piece, Lament, and let me know what you think! It's recorded in stereo for your listening pleasure. :)

> Lament (MP3 recording, time 3:05) - Geoff Peters Original Composition

VeryRelated.com

2008-06-28T00:12:00.002-07:00

I launched a new website, VeryRelated.com that shows how things are related on the Internet.
It makes cool mind maps like the one below:

New Composition: Lost in Chinatown

2008-06-01T16:42:00.003-07:00

A few weeks ago I was wandering the streets of San Francisco's Chinatown late at night - this ambient/atmospheric piece captures some of the mystery of that evening. It is also inspired by the soundtrack of Lost in Translation, the song called "Alone in Kyoto" by Air. I used piano and synth for this track.

Please click below to listen and let me know what you think!

> Lost in Chinatown Mp3 time 1:52 (Written and performed by Geoff Peters)

Geoff Peters Trio - New Studio Recordings

2008-05-16T00:26:00.002-07:00

I'm very happy to announce the release of 6 full length original tracks of my jazz band, the Geoff Peters Trio. Mark White, Greg Murray and I recorded these tracks in March 2008. Please click here to visit my band's website where you can download high quality versions of the tracks for free.

> Download the tracks

By all means, please put the tracks on your iPod or burn a CD to enjoy them in your living room. If you enjoy the music, consider giving us a small "donation" through Paypal by clicking the Donation link on the download page (click here). Donations will go directly to support us in creation of further high-quality recordings of original jazz music.

For Sure (New composition and lyrics)

2008-05-11T02:12:00.002-07:00

I wrote a little ditty on the piano (a vocal duet) and came up with some lyrics to go with it.
I'm hoping to sing it with one of my vocalist friends.

It's called "For Sure" (click here to listen to the basic melody and chords music):

Lyrics - lines alternate between Person #1 (girl) and Person #2 (guy)

Intro / Refrain:
One day, you'll find out that you didn't know.
Yeah, right.
But are you sure?
Yes Sure I'm Sure.

Verse:
Are you sure?
I'm sure.
But are you sure?
Yes sure.
But really sure?
Yes Sir.
Can you be sure?
I'm sure.

Refrain.

Verse.

Refrain 2x to end.

(lyrics and music by Geoff Peters, May 11, 2008. Inspired by some discussions with opinionated colleagues at Javaone, a computer programming conference last week in San Francisco.)

New Trio Recording - Delicate

2008-05-04T19:47:00.002-07:00

In March, Mark Greg and I spent three days doing a recording session in our home studio. I'm quite happy with the results. For your listening pleasure here is a sneak preview: an original composition called "Delicate". Please let me know what you think!
(Thanks to Alan for doing a great job of the mixing.)

> Delicate - Mp3 recording of Geoff Peters Trio (jazz)

The piano is a 1960's Steinway B. It still has the original strings (but it's in pretty good shape). Recorded using a MOTU 8-Pre on my Toshiba laptop.

2008-04-26T01:31:00.003-07:00

Clayton Hauck is a talented photographer... from Chicago I believe. He has the most amazing character shots of people in night clubs (at http://www.everyoneisfamous.com/). His portfolio (click here) also has some really cool stuff.

2008-04-18T00:01:00.002-07:00

Tonight I was in a musical mood, so I wrote a slow, contemplative piano piece. I was originally going to call the piece "Art", after just coming home from viewing an interesting artistic exhibition of graduating UBC art students, but I decided to call it "Sara Band" instead. Actually, I am going to call it "Art | Sara Band". It is quite rubato and impressionistic, but it could be played in 3/4 like a Sarabande, I guess. But I wanted to play around with the title and imagine someone named Sara and this would be her Band. Poor Sara, cheer up eh? Don't worry, the next piece I write will be happy.

Please click below to listen, and do let me know what you think!
> Art | Sara Band - MP3 time 2:51 (Geoff Peters composition, performed by Geoff Peters on piano)

Jazz pianist Renee Rosnes on Piano Jazz

2008-04-04T21:09:00.005-07:00

NPR's radio program "Piano Jazz" features musical interviews with great jazz pianists, hosted by Marian Mcpartland. Click here to listen to a freely available recording of a 40 minute interview and concert with the incredible pianist Renee Rosnes.

From the web page:

Rosnes' role as a leader took off in 1990 with her first self-titled release on Blue Note. Eight more albums on the prestigious label followed, earning the pianist and composer seven Juno Awards and several Canadian National Jazz Awards.

Article on Brad Mehldau and the state of Jazz

2008-04-03T23:42:00.005-07:00

In an article in the Michigan Daily newspaper, Katie Carey claims:

Jazz straddles a dangerous line these days, teetering on the edge of resembling hotel lounge music or a regurgitation of the past. In an art form stressing the improvisation of the individual, there seems to be a general rubric for expressing that individuality. Artists rely on the structures and forms of the "greats" before them, adhering to a confined code of what "jazz" should sound like.
[...] Concerning the trap that jazz musicians fall into when they improvise according to a predetermined structure, [pianist Brad] Mehldau suggests, "The listener is treated like a tourist, while curator-musicians guide them through specific corridors of jazz history."

I'd somewhat jokingly argue that there is nothing wrong with playing beautiful, relaxing, and stimulating music in hotel lounges. Jazz, with all its history and sophistication, provides a rich framework for personal creativity and expression. It is a mature language that supplies a context and baseline for understanding and communicating musical ideas. I don't think calling something "jazz" limits the possibilities of what can be musically expressed.

To me there is something seductive about a style of music that can instantly transform an ordinary place into a luxurious haven for the mind and soul. People who are privileged enough to enjoy traveling and who can afford to spend time in classy hotel lounges deserve to listen to jazz music. Would you rather that they listen to Indie Rock? (Maybe they should try it... in some funky boutique hotels! I enjoy some indie rock too...)

One of my favorite imagined settings of all time is the Park Hyatt Tokyo rooftop lounge which was featured in the movie Lost in Translation. I hope to visit there, or maybe even get a gig there someday.

Nellie Furtado's I'm Like a Bird

2008-03-27T00:02:00.000-07:00

I was re-listening to Nellie Furtado's track "I'm Like a Bird" (a big hit single from 2000/2001) and I noticed something really cool: in parts there are two drum sets going simultaneously! The main drums are throughout the song (they are prominent in both channels but a little bit more on the right channel), and in parts there is a second simultaneous drum set going that plays complimentary rhythms. It has a band-pass filter (high and low frequencies are removed), and it is panned almost completely to the left.
I dare you to listen to this track too and see if you can hear it! :)

There are so many other great things about this track, such as the unabashed use of the high end of the range in the percussion, the meandering Rhodes-like keyboard lines which mesh with the guitars, the tight bass lines and bass drum that anticipates the beat... and of course Nellie's casual, lyrical, but varied and stylistic vocals. It's also a great example of immaculate mastering. (Another track which I equally enjoy for the mastering is Alicia Keys' studio version of If I Ain't Got You).

If you haven't heard the "I'm Like a Bird" track for a while, I recommend re-listening to it. It's only 99 cents on iTunes - feel free to use the link below to access the song.

New Composition - For B.

2008-03-09T03:12:00.002-07:00

Tonight I wrote a new tune, that I'm hoping to record in the studio next weekend. It's kind of a modern version of Caravan, and has kind of some similar chords to Stablemates (Benny Golson). It's written for someone whose name starts with "B"... I'll keep you guessing on who that is. :)

> For B. - Mp3 recording 1:59 (Solo piano by Geoff Peters, composed by Geoff Peters)

New Live Recording - Geoff Peters Trio at Cactus Club

2008-03-08T13:09:00.002-08:00

Last Tuesday I played a gig on piano with Mark White (bass) and Colin Defreitas (drums) at Cactus Club in West Vancouver. (We are also playing there again this coming Tuesday March 11th at 8:30pm).

We recorded the show and I've made the live jazz recording available for free download online. Please click below to listen to the recording.

http://www.gpeters.com/tracks/live-jazz-cactus-club-mar-4-08/

I like pretty much all of the tracks from the gig... I was feeling really good and we had a lot of creative energy going on.

New Composition - "American Video Game"

2008-02-23T01:19:00.003-08:00

I felt like writing a tune so I wrote a song called "American Video Game". There are definite influences of American pop music in this song, as well as a bit of jazz, and my favorite chord, C+7(#9). (If anything, this song is too short. But I'd rather err on the side of brevity.) Please click below to listen, and let me know what you think!

> American Video Game (MP3 audio - time 1:23) - composed and performed by Geoff Peters

(video) "All the Things You Are" jazz standard played on piano

2008-02-21T00:01:00.000-08:00