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.  ¶ 1:31 AM

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)  ¶ 12:01 AM

Jazz pianist Renee Rosnes on Piano Jazz 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.

  ¶ 9:09 PM

Article on Brad Mehldau and the state of Jazz 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.  ¶ 11:42 PM