Los Angeles based Peter Smith is a pianist, composer, arranger, songwriter, and music director. We cover Peter’s enormous career to date, including his diverse music direction projects, TV work and lots more. To listen / watch: Audio-only: click on the play button in the audio player above, or: Video: watch the embedded video below or...
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(00:00):
how I notate that, it's really important.
And like, I made a mistake once, you know, and it was not good.
It was not good.
Hello and welcome to the Keyboard Chronicles, a podcast for keyboard players.
I'm your host David Holloway and I'm thrilled as always to be here with you and my brotherin arms, Mr.
(00:23):
Paul Bindig is here with me.
How are you, sir?
I'm going really good, David, how are you going?
Yeah, look, I'm a bit of a high after talking to Mr Peter Smith.
Once again, we've had a wonderful guest with a very broad and diverse career.
Yeah, absolutely.
That whole being a real jazz guy, but then that move into being an assistant MD, associateMD on singing competition TV shows, which is a pretty interesting world in itself.
(00:54):
he's obviously played with some great artists and he's almost like a bit of a, I don'tknow if he can sing or not, but he did give us a couple of Sinatra notes in there.
So I wonder if he's a triple threat.
He's an accomplished actor as well, David.
Yeah, so think he can do all three lucky buggers.
So I look forward to seeing him on Glee.
Not the Glee, it doesn't exist anymore.
So yeah, I think you'll enjoy this interview with Peter a lot.
(01:16):
So we'll jump into it and then we'll talk to you after the show.
Peter, thank you so much for joining us on this, well, what for you is a relatively wintryMonday night?
(01:37):
Much appreciated.
Yes, thanks for having me guys.
So I thought we'd kick off just with how your 2024 into 2025 has been.
You're a busy, busy guy, but just tell us about what your last year's been like.
Well, you're kind of looking at it.
I am lucked into this amazing space in Pasadena, California, which is, you know, part ofLos Angeles.
(01:57):
This is a sort of a 1000 square foot room in a church and it's my studio.
I'm originally from New York and, you know, living in LA since 2005.
I guess it was like the summer.
(02:18):
of 2023, I was in New York, I was playing some shows and, you know, kind of, I always getenergized when I go to New York.
And I came back and I thought to myself, oh my goodness, I have this space.
Like, I've been recording and rehearsing and doing all sorts of things in here.
But, you know, the church has endless folding chairs, I should do concerts.
(02:40):
So I started this concert series and we're actually doing like volume 12 next Sunday.
It's pretty much always on Sunday.
And I kind of took a page out of, do you guys, are you familiar with this really greatyoung jazz pianist out in New York named Emmett Cohen?
Yeah.
So Emmett started this thing in the pandemic, know, live at Emmett's place and his tinyHarlem apartment.
(03:07):
So I kind of took a page out of his book, you know, and I thought, well, you know, I canfit about 40 people folding chairs, you know, and why don't I see about like,
mean, it's a studio, so I have all the microphones and I'll just set them all up and I'llget a buddy to help me and then we'll stream it, know?
So that's what we've been doing.
(03:28):
And we've made a lot of mistakes, but now we're kind of dialed in.
Brilliant.
And how's the response been, Peter?
It's been good response?
It's been really good.
mean, what's so interesting, I mean, you guys are music guys, like you'll go to a club,right?
And even if you're hearing acoustic music, whether it's folk or jazz or whatever, you'relike, you're hearing speakers, like even in these small spaces, you know, and, you know,
(03:55):
sometimes if, if there's a really good sound person, if the equipment's good, it can be alovely experience.
But, but I feel like we've lost a little bit.
and I don't know, maybe this isn't true in
you know, where you guys are, but you know, and the States for sure, like lost a littlebit of this sense of like, you know, what acoustic music really sounds like.
And people don't, what I'm giving them here, cause there's no, I mean, there's a tinylittle bass amp.
(04:20):
You can see it right there.
So the upright player, you know, maybe, but some guys don't even plug in.
If there's a vocalist, you know, I give her a microphone and a little help and theirmicrophone streaming, you know, everything, know, taking, capturing it.
but otherwise it's an acoustic, so I think the intimacy of that for people.
And also to get in here, you gotta like, it's fun, because it's like, there's all theseweird staircases and you gotta find, it feels like you need a secret password or
(04:48):
something.
So it kind of contributes to the whole experience.
So people are really digging it, you know?
Do you find, Peter, that the audience responds differently to the immediacy of that kindof setup?
Maybe it's almost visceral to them because you're feeling the actual vibrations of theinstruments in that setting.
Yeah, think you're exactly right about that.
And also the vibrations of actually the acoustic sounds, the fact that we can play soquietly and be really bombastic too.
(05:17):
And it's all, and they're just right there for all of it.
And then also just the intimacy of the environment.
While it is a large room, they're pretty close.
It's like they're right up against us.
And there are small jazz clubs that are like that.
And I feel like the jazz clubs, the way things were set up,
in the 50s and 60s, probably was similar to this.
(05:40):
But gosh, I remember hearing Jackie McLean when he was still alive at the Village Vanguardwhen I was still living in New York.
And the Vanguard, know, just hallowed ground for jazz.
I think it was like a quintet or sextet, and there's Jackie and trumpet player, and maybeanother tenor, maybe another, I think there was a tenor player too.
And they're all like playing into microphones and coming through the speakers.
(06:04):
at the Vanguard and their horn players.
It was like, who made that decision?
It doesn't make any sense.
And so if that's happening, well, okay, then you gotta mic the piano and turn that up andyou gotta do it.
It's like, it becomes this game of, and then suddenly I'm listening to a not very wellmixed recording almost.
(06:27):
You know what I mean?
It's weird.
And how Peter, do you apply that?
Obviously you've released a couple of albums as a solo artist in your own, right?
I mean, how do you apply that sort of knowledge to the way you record and release your ownwork?
Well, I mean, the trio record that I did, I guess it came out a couple of years ago now.
We did that all in one room in one of the great studios here in LA, United Studios.
(06:50):
And it was kind of crazy because this engineer buddy of mine, Eric Goble and Karma Auger,we did a Dolby Atmos recording.
So it's like a piano trio record.
But what they did was it was pretty innovative.
There was actually an article written about it in Mix Magazine.
(07:12):
So they set up 40 microphones, four zero for a piano trio.
So what they did is, you know, they, they become sort of experts in the, what is it likethe Dolby Atmos space, you know, cause it's, it's, it's 360, right?
So, um, so they tried to, to put microphones into all of those spots that are available tothem for mixing.
(07:38):
And I think when they got into mixing, like, it didn't necessarily go the way they hadpre-thought when they were recording.
They just made choices that were musical to them.
But a lot of it, I think, was set up that way.
So, yeah, so the idea of we're going to play better as a trio if we're all in one room.
mean, if I'm, you know, I had headphones on when I was recording at United, but I wasfeeling their energy and that was, I think I had, I might've had one year off and, you
(08:08):
know,
There's a lot of value from the mixing standpoint of recording an album with everybodyisolated.
And I'm playing along with you, but the reason I'm able to do that is because I'm wearingheadphones, because I wouldn't be able to hear you in your booth over there.
But I wonder, having done that many times, probably successfully sometimes, it's stilljust, it's so unnatural.
(08:34):
And it's so...
I often come out of sessions like that wondering like, well, I mean, I guess it soundedokay, but what could it have been if we had actually been playing and really with each
other?
You know what I mean?
Yeah, I think that again it may be what you may lose in the ability to isolate every micand might leak and that sort of thing.
(08:54):
You're gaining in the immediacy and the ability to bounce off each other and the snap,crackle and pop and sizzle that you have when you're hot, know, when you're working well
together.
Just a question, Peter, and we'll come back to what equipment you used, but I'm interestedfor that particular recording, what piano were you working with?
it was a nine foot Steinway.
(09:15):
in fact, it was was a Steinway from from the Los Angeles Motown studios that ended up atUnited Point.
Yeah.
And it's funny, because somebody, I almost didn't check out United, because I checked outCapitol and East West, which is the old Ocean Way studio.
And someone had told me, don't bother, their piano's beat up, it's not good.
(09:40):
And I went and checked it out and I was like, whoa, this is great.
Actually, my friend Jordan Siegel, who's also a really great film composer, he hadrecorded his album there and he said, luckily I talked to him before I made the decision.
He's like, no man, check out United, you might like it.
Yeah right.
and then I did.
And the room is just so, you know, it's, could be quite daunting or it could be inspiring.
(10:04):
I was trying to feel it in an inspiring way, but you you go in the hallway and it's likeNat King Cole and Frank Sinatra and like, it's just walls of, you know, everybody's
recorded there and, and, count Basie, you know, it's just like, but yeah, it was, was, andthen the, think it's, oh gosh, I want to say it's a focus, right?
(10:25):
Board there?
I mean, you can look it up on the internet, I'm sure.
But an old one and like, you know, amazing.
And the mic locker was just ridiculous.
All the classic Neumanns, know, the 67s, 47s.
There were old ribbons, were telefunctions, and know, just like, they, Kinkarma used allof
(10:49):
Yeah, see all 40 of them scattered around.
Exactly.
Every cool microphone in that place was up and running and capturing something.
Yeah, it's amazing.
And you must have really given you a sense of being, you know, you're etching your ownlittle piece of history amongst all those great artists who record in that studio.
And speaking of history, we'd love to now rewind a little bit and go back to yourformative years as a musician.
(11:14):
So as a very young person, us about your musical upbringing.
What got you interested in music and how did that look for you as you were growing up?
Yeah, well, I was very fortunate to be born into a musical family.
My mother was a brilliant singer, a guitarist.
She played piano as well.
(11:36):
In fact, she went to Wellesley and I was, my mom died like in 2020 and I was, it was herbirthday in December and I connected with her best friend who went to college with her in
Wellesley.
And she was recounting stories of
you know, my mom used to play in the coffee houses in like 1959, 1960, you know, in thatarea.
(11:58):
And she apparently Joan Baez was also doing this.
And my mom's said, Oh, your mom was much better than her.
Like, seriously, like she said that, you know, as a kid, as the son of someone, you know,it's like, wow, the things you find out about your parents, Joe Baez is pretty great.
So I guess my mom was too.
So anyway,
(12:20):
Yeah, so I born into a musical family with parents who always encouraged me in the arts.
you know, now having so many colleagues in the arts and hearing so many stories from theirupbringing of, you know, well, that's fine kid, but you know, you're going to do something
real, right?
(12:40):
You're going to get a real job at some point, you know, not, not encouraging.
And my parents were like, no, this is, you know, this is a noble pursuit.
Yeah.
And they could have taught me little more about finances probably.
That would have been helpful, but they were good along the artistic line.
Yeah, so there was a piano in the house.
(13:01):
I was playing it as a four-year-old.
And so they were like, well, let's get him lessons.
And I started with classical music.
And I was never a good reader.
I would trick my teacher into playing pieces for me.
And then I would repeat it by ear.
So I, you know, it's funny because I've had to play a lot of catch up as an adult with mysight reading.
(13:24):
Because you know, as a professional now I'm in sessions and stuff.
I don't want to be sweating bullets if somebody throws something in front of me.
yeah, so that was that was sort of my upbringing.
And I took a brief pause in my piano lessons, like when I was 12 years old, because I gotinto sports and stuff.
And then I resumed it.
(13:45):
at age 14 as I was entering high school because I wanted to play stuff that was on theradio, like Billy Joel and that's where I was like, let me see if I can.
So there was a teacher at the music school who would do that.
And so I was studying with him and then every now and then he'd slip me like autumn leavesor, know, and then I don't know, something happened.
(14:07):
And I always grew up with jazz because my father plays vibes.
So there was like a lot of modern jazz quartet and
There's a Horace Silver record that we used to listen to a lot, Bill Evans.
jazz was part of my upbringing.
But then suddenly as a 16 year old, I no longer knew what was the most popular thing onTop 40 and I was the complete jazz.
(14:28):
Like I just went all in and I was buying CDs, you know, and kind of blossoming out of thatwhere, you know, I discovered Bill Evans and.
then Bill Evans with Miles Davis.
And then I was like, let me check out all these other bands.
And then, you know, John Coltrane and Rick Garland, and then, and then you go later toHerbie.
(14:48):
And then I want to get Herbie Hancock's records.
And then like it kind of, a lot of it grew out for me with Miles Davis, weirdly.
He's like my kind of forwards and backwards tree of jazz, you know?
And then, yeah.
So, and then by college, I went to college in the city at Columbia, just cause I wanted tostay in New York and I was able to get in.
(15:09):
I could get in now.
It's much harder.
I got in and didn't really know, I would do music in some fashion, but wasn't really sure.
And they didn't have much jazz.
They had Phil Schaap at the Columbia radio station, brilliant jazz historian.
And I joined the radio station, became a DJ, and I learned a lot from him.
But I think they have a good jazz program now, but at the time there weren't really anyinstructors.
(15:33):
So I was, I continued my classical piano and then I discovered if
A student wanted to study a certain kind of music performance and Columbia didn't have ateacher for them, like on faculty.
You could audition for the conductor of the symphony.
And if he deemed you worthy, Columbia would pay for your lessons.
So I did that and he said, okay, yeah, you can play.
(15:56):
And so I began a mentorship with Mike Ladon, who's a, I hope well-known jazz pianist.
with Mill Jackson for like 14 years and some Rollins and Benny Gholson and you know,dozens of records under his own name.
So that's, that's where I really learned how to play was with Mike.
I thought I could play and then I got with him and he was like, said you're gonna playthis one note and you're gonna make it swing and then we'll go from there, you know.
(16:24):
Well.
I that's what a good mentor does, right?
They challenge you and take you to places you never thought you could go yourself or maybedidn't even know existed.
So that would have been amazing experience.
So thinking about your work you've done later in life when it comes to TV work, which Ithink would be its own unique sort of discipline.
(16:46):
How did you get into that and what did you learn from your jazz upbringing and yourmentorship through college that allows you to deal with that environment, if anything?
Right, right.
Well, it's been an interesting road, know, I mean, life is so funny because it goes allthese unexpected places.
So as I think you guys mentioned earlier, I've had these dueling careers, although I'mreally primarily a musician at this point.
(17:11):
But for a long time, I was just as much pursuing my acting career as I was pursuing mymusic career.
And they would, you know, kind of I'd be involved with one and then something would end.
then I, you know, my New York musician
friends were always very confused when I would go do a play.
Be like, what happened to you?
Were you on the road or like, know, because I'd be calling them up like, hey, I need somegigs now I'm done, you know.
(17:37):
They're like, were in a play?
You were playing in the pit?
Like, what were you doing?
So, but that said, like, I think the fact that I was involved in that world made meattractive to some people when I moved to LA.
just with a familiarity around that industry.
(17:59):
there's someone in LA, brilliant musician and music director and just a great human.
He's responsible for so much work here for so many.
Ricky Minor, he was Whitney Houston's bassist and did American Idol and The Tonight Showand all this.
So I think Ricky saw in me, I mean, not only a certain musical competency, but just like,
(18:24):
that I would be cool around celebrities and stuff and not, you know, was used to itbecause I was in that world a bit.
And a lot of that is that that's so important.
But just generally speaking for musicians, you know, just how are you gonna be aroundpeople?
Like, okay, can you play great?
Yeah, can you bring certain things?
(18:45):
But like, what if I have to be on a tour bus with you for three weeks?
Am I gonna lose my mind?
Or what if I, you know, what if we've got this serious, like famous artist like
Are you gonna be weird around her?
like, you know, that's a lot of, that's a big part of whether you get the work or not, youknow?
So I think that helped me get in these situations where I was associate music director forsome of these television singing competition shows like Duets and The Four, and doing
(19:15):
other things where I'm, you know, just on set doing musical coaching or.
Yeah, and then separate from that, I've been very lucky to, and again, it's justconnections and luck, to have, gosh, like over two dozen of my songs placed in television
shows.
That's kind of one of few avenues remaining where musicians can make sort of real money.
(19:41):
I mean, with Spotify and all that, you know, it's hard to make any money on albumsanymore.
Satellite radio is still a thing.
I don't know how it is in Australia.
Yeah, not so much, sadly, yeah.
Yeah, I think the main source of income is hitting the road or as you say, having yourwork be licensed by a film or a TV show or something like that.
(20:01):
Absolutely.
I'm still holding out for that TV show theme.
That would be great.
But yeah, mean, I've been very lucky along those lines.
But even so, I had a long run of that and I'm still seeing some of the benefits of thoseTV placements.
But in the last handful of years, it's been less so.
(20:23):
it's like, the career of a musician is always like, okay, this is slowing down.
So you wanna have like four things going at once.
So if one goes.
one lessons, you've got another thing you can kind of put the gas pedal on the otherthing, you know, and let it let it take off.
Yeah, I just wanted to ask you one more question about the TV work.
(20:44):
Yeah.
I imagine the pace you're working at is hectic.
I can imagine it's intense.
So I'm really interested in your experience of that and how you dealt with that, if myassumption is correct.
Yeah.
Yes, well, the, yeah, a couple of things, a couple of stories, I think, on that.
(21:05):
So first, working on some of these singing competition shows.
So the role that I've had in that world, and I've done a couple of them, associate these,you know, when you're an associate music director, you're basically working with the
contestants, and sometimes a vocal coach as well.
And so it's like, okay, we're going to do, you know, the song has been
(21:26):
chosen it's, it's, you know, goodbye yellow brick road by Elton John, you know, like,okay, how are we going to do it?
Are we going to, we have to cut the, cut the bridge and maybe only half of a verse.
And then, you know, cause it's, can only be 90 seconds or two minutes tops.
And so you come up with this arrangement and, then that contestant is with my MD, like I'mthe associate MD.
(21:50):
like whether for duets, it was John Beasley for, um,
the four it was Ricky Minor and then Adam Blackstone.
So these contestants are going to be rehearsing with the full band sometimes that same dayor maybe like maybe they're with me like first thing in the morning the bands and there's
some there's an arranger like writing the chart overnight, you know.
(22:15):
So how I notate that our work, you know, it's really important.
And like I made a mistake once.
You know, and it was not good.
It was not good.
So, but you learn from mistakes, right?
So yeah, to just be clear and like you want to in a situation like that, you want toalways be making the MD like look good and, and, and helping, helping his job easy.
(22:42):
So you learn quickly, like a lot of lessons along those lines about how to do that.
imagine too in those singing competition shows you're occasionally working withcontestants who might be quite inexperienced in dealing with these sort of situations, not
being professional musicians themselves, which would be at its own level of challenge, Ithink.
Yes, that's correct.
so trying to steer somebody to do, that reminds me of a story from my acting world.
(23:07):
So one of my acting teachers always quoted Mike Nichols, the famous director.
And Mike Nichols said, a good director enables an actor to want to do what he must do.
So often in this situation you're describing, that's what I was like, how do I get thiscontestant to want to do the...
(23:28):
the better choice here.
Like, I don't think you want to do that, you know.
So that's, you know, a lot of it.
And someone like Ricky Miner is brilliant at that.
I've learned so much just watching him.
I mean, Ricky will be in the center of a room with, you know, the musicians and theproducers and everything.
(23:51):
And he's somehow keeping track of like what everybody needs and how to get the job donethrough it all.
You know what I mean?
And it's a very specific and rare skill and so use.
Absolutely.
and and going from one extreme to the other, Peter from working with people that may beless experienced through to someone that was incredibly experienced when you worked with
(24:15):
her which was Natalie Cole.
us about how that came about and again what you learned from from that relationshipplaying with her.
Well, I was, it was very, very short-lived.
I really just had one gig with her.
wow.
I was the last pianist she hired.
And I mean, it was almost like a tryout thing where I was flown to the Bay Area to playsort of part of a gig with her.
(24:41):
There was actually a colleague of mine, John, who had been a long time sub as a pianist inthe band.
He was playing.
I had been sort of hired.
given that I didn't fall flat on my face in this experience.
And so I did okay, and I remember going to her dressing room and she's like, Peter, yousounded great.
(25:08):
I've heard so many good things.
I'm really excited to be working with you.
This was like in September of whatever year, the year she died.
Yeah, and then.
And that week I had all these dates in my calendar, including playing with the SanFrancisco Symphony, like a big holiday show over Christmas time.
(25:31):
And then she just got sick and I never got to do any of it.
But that was special.
And I mean, it's just nice to be thought of in that world.
My friend Josh Nelson, who's a wonderful pianist in LA, spent a lot of time working withher.
And I think it was Josh.
think it was Josh who recommended me actually.
It's really lovely how that works.
(25:54):
And it's a little bit different, you know, because I've lived in the acting world as well.
You know, the music world, like, we're really looking out for each other in a weird way.
mean, there's, yeah, there's competition and, you know, sometimes you get a hint of like,with somebody plays something really great and you see it, you're like, I wish I could,
you know, but mainly it's like, we're out here kind of helping each other and support andlike, you know.
(26:19):
I go hear Josh play and I love it.
I want to support him and I think he feels the same way.
Yeah, that's the way it should be.
Peter, thankfully a much longer relationship musically has been with Molly Ringwald.
tell us how that came about.
And I mean, that's been going for 10 plus years, just how that's developed over time.
(26:39):
And again, what you get out of that.
Well, I got two trips to Australia.
Great.
Which was amazing.
Now, Bollie's really a close friend and she's been very busy acting the last, what, fouror five years and hasn't been as active musically.
(27:00):
But yeah, we met actually as actors.
You know, I was in a play with her.
She had no idea I was a jazz pianist.
Her father was...
this amazing sort of traditional jazz pianist.
was blind, really a remarkable guy.
So she grew up, in fact, she thought she was gonna be a jazz singer.
Like as a little girl, she was working with her dad.
(27:20):
She thought she was headed towards that as a career as a little girl.
Got involved with some acting as a teenager and like kind of got lucky with the facts oflife and then all the movies and then suddenly she's Molly Ringwald, know, and she's,
okay, this is what you're doing, I guess.
But yeah, so there was a cast party.
at this, for this play that we were both in.
And there was a piano, and Molly didn't even know I played.
(27:45):
But like some other people in the cast did, and they were like, Peter, go play, you know?
And I started playing, and then Molly, and we'd been friendly, you know, the way you are,but like, we weren't close or anything, and I was, I was sort of respectful of her space,
because, you know, she's a celebrity and all that.
But when I played the piano, she was like, she's like, where have you been?
(28:06):
You know, like.
How did I not know this about you?
And we sort of quickly started developing plans of working together.
And then I moved to Los Angeles and she was actually sort of upset about that because shewas still in New York and she's like, you're supposed to be my piano player, you can't
(28:26):
move.
But then she followed a couple of years later, she got a TV show and...
It was perfect because she was working maybe like one day a week on this show.
She was sort of the mom of the main character.
So she had a fair amount of time.
So she was over my house.
We were working out arrangements.
Like we got it all going.
(28:48):
And then finally in 2013, the album released and we toured heavily for like five years,five or six years and played all kinds of places.
And in fact, there's a live album that's pretty much all finished.
live at Birdland from our, we did a week at Birdland and she sounds great on it.
(29:09):
And I don't know, hopefully people get to hear it one
Yes, I knew that was going to ask you about when that was coming out.
So yeah, I look forward to seeing that whenever it does.
I mean, think you saying you toured heavily is an understatement.
I think it was something like what 250 shows in seven countries.
That's a big, that's a big amount of touring.
That's good.
I should remember that.
I should write that down somewhere.
(29:30):
I had no idea that's what it was.
Yes, I know that that is amazing.
so I mean, just describe for us Molly's voice.
So obviously, like most people, I'm aware of Molly's an actress.
When I've obviously listened to her album now a couple of times and she has a beautifulvoice.
It's a it's a different voice like most people if you're used to hearing the speakingvoice when you the singing voice, go, wow, that's different.
(29:52):
What do you think it is that's special about her voice?
There's an intimacy to her voice that I love.
And it's interesting because she has, I feel like she doesn't have just one voice, youknow, because she's done Broadway and stuff.
And that voice, I mean, it's the same tone, you know, she's the same woman, you know, butit's like, but that's a different voice, you know, it fits that style better.
(30:14):
It has a different kind of power.
And I think, I think what she, what she knew as a young girl, as a jazz singer and whatshe.
really honed in the studio and then live was just how intimate it could be.
I mean, there's something wonderful about being a jazz singer and having some gorgeousmicrophone like right here.
(30:36):
And you can just, you you hardly have to do anything and it captures every little bit, youknow?
And I think she, because she's very clever and talented and gets things quickly.
She got that very quickly.
Yeah, I think it's intimacy.
Of course the tone, she's a beautiful tone.
And, but also, and the storytelling, you know, what she brings as an actor, like the storyof a song is very important to her.
(31:01):
The title track of the album, except sometimes, you I get along without you very well,except sometimes the story of that song is very meaningful to her.
We did, it would be on the Birdland record if it comes out.
We have an arrangement of Don't Explain, the Billie Holiday classic that's like verypersonal to her.
So yeah, I mean, that's what I, I guess that's what I like about it.
(31:22):
feel like as you just said Peter, I if you're a really good actor, acting as aperformative discipline as is playing music, I think you can really imbue songs with
meaning and emotion because I guess that's something that's required in both disciplinesand as we mentioned before and you've alluded to a couple of times, you've got some pretty
serious acting credits behind you yourselves.
(31:44):
acting on on broadway but also in shows that are genuine household names listeners andviewers so shows like CSI and Law and Order and this sort of thing so I'm really
interested in your perspective on so I gave that example but how else do you think there'ssome sort of cross-pollination between the skills that someone who can do acting can bring
(32:04):
to a music performance as well?
Yeah.
Well, two things come to mind.
First of all, what you're describing with acting and the connection with music, I thinkwas really what was so great about Sinatra.
And people who emulate him sometimes miss that.
What they emulate is the, hey, you know, that kind of like the crooner-y kind of guy, youknow, and like, be a lady tonight, you know, that a certain attitude.
(32:31):
But what was great about Sinatra was he was
He sang every line the way you would say it if you were an actor and it was a line givento you.
That's where his greatness was.
And his tone, of course, you know, but doing that on pitch and with his voice.
So when he does that, what naturally happens, because you're emphasizing certain thingsand, you know, if you had a line, I really don't feel well today, you know, you wouldn't
(32:59):
say, I really don't feel well.
today, you know, there would be you would emphasize certain words, right?
And when you do that, when you sing, you get this natural, it becomes a little irregularand swinging because you're hitting sometimes on the beat and sometimes off the beat.
But Sinatra is not thinking that he's just saying that like you would say it, you know, sothat's so that's great.
(33:27):
Because if you embrace that part of Sinatra the way he did, then you're
you're acting the song, you're telling the story of the song and you're swinging withouthaving to think about like, did I just hit a downbeat?
Okay, let me hit an offbeat now or like, you know, whatever.
And then the other thing I think that comes even for instrumentalists, know, the best,best solos tell a story, right?
(33:48):
So they, you know, if you, you come out blazing from the top, like, you know, you'vestated the melody and then you come out blazing, like that better be part of a story,
right?
Cause
Because the thing we're most used to understanding in any kind of like artistic contextis, you know, I guess like Aristotle, right?
(34:10):
You know, there's a beginning, a middle, an end.
It's the beginning, there's the end of the beginning, beginning in the middle, the end ofthe middle, beginning in the end.
And so a solo kind of takes you through that.
So if you can understand the...
And dynamics do that too.
(34:31):
Dynamics can really tell a story.
Where if you could bring something down and, know, dynamics are almost like the way anactor might use stillness.
Like if an actor has been moving and then they're suddenly still, you and the audience golike, what is it?
You know what mean?
And so if we can, as music, if we can suddenly, you know, pull it in and come, and theycome to us and then, you know, and then take them somewhere else, you know?
(34:58):
So yeah, think it's to think narratively in music is a real, is really beneficial if youcan do that.
Yeah.
links well, Peter, one of the masters of light and shade in music was Bill Evans.
Now, you've mentioned that you've got a little screenplay sitting there that you're hopingthat sees the light of day on his time with Miles Davis.
(35:20):
Just tell us a little bit about the inspiration for that.
And yeah, what made you get into that?
Yeah, so this was a marriage between my acting life and music life as a young man.
So in the 90s, I attended, I got a master's degree in acting actually in a program down inSan Diego connected with the Old Globe Theater.
(35:41):
And that program had a thesis requirement and it was 20 minutes by yourself on stage.
And, you know, technically I think we could have compiled monologues or something, buteverybody writes something for themselves to do.
And it's a great thing.
because you learn all these lessons doing that.
So I knew I wanted to do something with music and I also knew I didn't want to offendpeople with makeup.
(36:02):
So I started looking at white pianists and seeing what might, you know, what might bethere, you know, what's, you know, it's not just the music, it has to be dramatic and
like, what could I do that would be, that would make a good little 20 minute one man show.
And so what I came across, and of course I was so familiar with music, but what I cameacross was,
(36:22):
know, Bill Evans during his time with Miles Davis is so interesting and dramatic and sosort of the story of him coming of age as an artist under Miles's wing.
So the one man show imagined him the night before the Kind of Blue recording session.
He's sort of pulling his hair out, trying to figure out what Miles expects of him.
(36:43):
Miles has given him this assignment.
Okay, G minor six, A augmented seven.
What would you do with those two chords?
You know, and of course we know Bill.
comes back and he writes blue and green and it ends up on Kind of Blue, which is thegreatest Aeroling jazz record of all time.
So my one man show, it's like, he's going through those demons that we all have, not justartists, know, of like, what's my authentic expression versus what do I think people
(37:09):
expect me to do and like, and how do I get through my own inner obstacles and demons tokind of triumph and create this thing that's ultimately, you know.
the most beautiful thing on that record, arguably, you know?
So I did that, and then my sister, who knows about these things, she was like, yeah,that's like the climax of a third act of a screenplay.
(37:32):
And I kind of filed that away.
And then a few years later, it was 9-11, and like, everything shut down, I had no work.
I'm living in New York, and I thought, okay, maybe I'll give it a go, you know?
And I was interviewing.
I had interviewed all these people for the one main show and then I interviewed othersincluding his African American living girlfriend at the time, Perry Cousins, who died not
(37:56):
long after I interviewed her.
I was really, it's not good that she died, but I was very fortunate to catch her while Icould, you know?
And Paul Motion, the drummer.
So anyway, fast forward, I be,
managed to get the script in the hands of an agent at William Morris.
I became a William Morris client.
He is now, his name is Alan Gassmer and he's just produced the Bob Dylan biopic, TheChalamet and is producing my script.
(38:22):
There's a French director involved named Francois Velle.
There's, we're finally, what, 25 years later, maybe on the brink of actually making thisthing.
That's amazing.
And I have to ask, Peter, I assume there's going to be, I know it's too early to say, butthere be some sort of live shoot of the Village Vanguard, that's all I'll say.
(38:42):
yeah, yeah, there's there's stuff in the Vanguard.
Don't worry.
19.
It's basically like 1955 to 1960.
So, you know, it's taking a page.
There's a there's a wonderful movie called Capote that Philip Seymour Hoffman star andit's it focuses on the time that Capote wrote one of his greatest novels in cold blood.
(39:06):
And by focusing on that time, you get the sense of the whole life.
And so similarly, I mean, there's a lot of stuff in Bill's life that's just not in mymovie.
But, you know, it's like Bill's life is like four five, six movies.
I don't know.
You know, so it's by focusing on this time, I think where you get, okay.
(39:26):
Now at the end of the mile, now he's the Bill that we're all going to know.
And, you know, he's come into himself.
So it really ends with this formation of the great hero with the Scala for our own polemotion.
I often feel like as an audience member, I love it when a biopic just focuses on thatcertain time, a certain place, because it allows you to go so deep.
(39:51):
And as you said, I think the understanding that you can draw out of that real person ismuch, much greatly enriched rather than having like a cradle to grave thing, which is
limited by time and that sort of thing.
that sounds very, very cool.
I'm eating.
Yeah, well, we're excited.
I'm sure you're more excited, but we're very excited to see if that comes out and sees thelight of day.
(40:11):
But it sounds like you're making great progress there, Peter.
Well, thank you.
It's funny, because this thing has had so many fits and starts over the years.
And Alan, back when he was my agent, mean, still my manager, I guess, technically, buthe's a producer now.
He can be a producer on film and all of this.
But when we first started working together, said, because he worked on Ray, he said,Peter, Ray took 20 years to make.
(40:37):
He's like, when your movie gets made, I might be an old man.
You might be an old man, too.
So it takes a while.
But yeah, know, fingers crossed it's actually, and I think what I'm really excited aboutis I just feel like it would be really good for the music.
Because the characters in this screenplay, you know, the next to Bill, the next biggestcharacters, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Kennebal Adderley, George Russell, Paul Motions,
(41:06):
it's all these people are gonna learn about our heroes, right?
You know?
the soundtrack will be amazing and as you say it'll bring that music to so many.
It's such a new audience who would appreciate it which would be cool.
And look and there's something to be said for the delayed gratification too so when ithappens you'll be a happy man.
I was talking before about going deep and now I'm going to go a bit tangential.
(41:29):
Can I go deep to the of your studio there and can you please tell me what is that pianothat's sitting in the back?
yes, that's a seven foot Baldwin.
It's a Baldwin F.
I that one.
It's from 1970 and I love it.
Yeah, sorry, there's a sheet on it.
That's like my dust cover.
Tell us about the character of the piano, Peter.
What do you think about it?
(41:49):
It's really, well, first of all, my favorite piano, if I can get a good one, you know, toplay at venues and halls and such, is a Steinway B, the seven foot Steinway.
A really good seven foot Steinway, I almost prefer to the nine foot for jazz, just becausea nine foot can be so reverberant.
And when you're articulating a bebop line, sometimes it's, the note is still hanging inthe air.
(42:14):
And you're like, wait, I'm on to the next, you know, and it's not.
list, you know, it's different.
So this Baldwin has that dryness and crispness, I feel like of a Steinway B and it's, Imean, it is, you know, it's Baldwin's, it's Baldwin Steinway B, it's a seven foot and the
action is the Renner action.
(42:34):
So it's the same action that's in Steinway.
And the bass is really robust.
It's like, you know, you hit some of those notes in the lower octave and they're just, youknow,
just go for days, it's great.
And that's been a revelation too of, you know, as a piano player, you play, you know, likewhen I was on the road with Molly, for example, your, you know, whatever instrument is
(43:00):
there, that's what you're playing.
And you know, we, we would send a rider asking for certain instruments and usually thevenues had them, but sometimes they didn't.
And sometimes even if they did, they, maybe they weren't in good shape or, know, andtrying to spend that time in soundcheck like,
figuring out what this instrument does and can I do what I need to do and now that I'mdoing concerts and recording on my piano, it's like, my gosh, you know, if I can't sound
(43:29):
good here, I'm in trouble, you know, because like, I know what this piano does, you know.
Exactly, you know, hey, the song was in my eyes, you know.
Yeah, so that's been really great to do these concerts and
Well, and actually my last record that's coming out in two months, we recorded here.
(43:49):
It's a quintet record.
We just did it all in one room.
like you might even become less tolerant of pianos you get to use on tour now that you'vehad so much enjoyable time with your own one and the pleasure it's bringing you.
We asked a question of all our guests, Peter, and it relates to live performance.
We'd love it if you could share a train wreck story for us.
(44:13):
man.
So speaking of television, I was doing a gig.
My good friend, Ryan Cross, a bass player who's very dialed into the TV world.
said, Peter, I need you to do this thing.
It's for one of the networks.
I forget which one they had done.
there was a television production of rent, the musical.
And it was like 2019 and it was very well regarded and it was up for awards.
(44:37):
And this is one of those things.
You see these around award.
season in LA, it's FYC, For Your Consideration, you know.
So there was like a For Your Consideration concert of this really amazing singer, hugeBroadway talent and television actor, Brandon Victor Dixon is his name.
(44:58):
And it was just me and him playing a song from Ren.
And like, I can do the Broadway thing, you know, and my reading is now pretty good.
But it's not like playing all the things you are.
So I have the music on an iPad and we're playing and I've played through it, but likedon't have it memorized.
And I'm not, there might've been chords.
(45:19):
I don't think there were chords.
I think it was all just notation.
I think it was just reading music.
And I go to turn the page on the iPad and nothing happens.
And it was one of those things where it was like, like in the movie where it's like, whoa.
You know, it's like, it just goes in like slow motion.
know what I mean?
So there's this program, you guys probably know it, it's called Four Score, it's forreading music on the iPad.
(45:42):
So if you tap it too much, it thinks you're trying to edit it.
Like that my finger is trying to write something on the music or something.
So I guess that's what I had done.
And so I started frantically tapping it, and somehow I got out of that.
my left hand, because I wasn't telling it what to do, but my left hand was kind of justdoing something that kept rhythm.
(46:06):
And eventually the page turned and Ryan was in the audience and he knew something wasgoing on.
You know what mean?
But I don't think anybody else did, thank goodness.
But that was just, know, yeah.
That's an original one, Peter.
I haven't heard that one before.
thank you for that.
That's something different.
Another traditional question we ask Peter is for our guests to tag another keyboardplayer.
(46:29):
So is there someone out there that you would mile or who I've worked with that you'd loveto hear more about their story?
Well, there's a jazz pianist named Sullivan Fortner.
Well, I don't know.
I believe he's, I mean, I'm not sure if they're married or whatever.
They're certainly together.
The vocalist, Cecile McLaren Savant.
(46:50):
Sullivan is, I'm pretty sure he's a genius.
Everything I hear from him, and it's funny, because, you know, it's not like I almostexperience him.
I really like to go to dance performances or art museums.
because I really don't know anything about it.
You know I mean?
And I can just kind of like, look at the pretty colors.
I couldn't have an erudite conversation about art or dance.
(47:16):
And it's funny because the way Sullivan plays, I almost have a little bit of that becauseit's so profound and so like, it's not really how I play.
mean, I suppose I wish I could play because he's so good, you know?
But, but.
But it's just, he's like on another level.
And I think a lot of people feel that way about him.
(47:38):
I think people feel that way, the way they do about him, the way that a lot of people feltabout Mulgrew Miller when he kind of came on in the 90s.
Mulgrew had this nickname, they called him the state of the art.
I don't know if you, do you know that idiom in Australia?
Do you have that?
Yeah, yeah.
So yeah.
(47:58):
and Sullivan's kind of that way too.
Great pick noted well and truly.
Thank you, Peter
There's, if you can check it out, let me just shout out the, there's a video.
He gets a request because he also sings.
It's like a great singer.
He's playing a gig in Paris and it's around Christmas time.
And he has a microphone just to announce songs.
So no boom stand or anything.
(48:19):
It's just there.
And someone's like, sing, sing, sing.
We love the way you sing, you know?
And he does have yourself a merry little Christmas holding the microphone in his righthand and just with his left hand.
And it's like, and it goes through like five or six keys.
And it's just, it's like it's mind blowing.
know?
(48:39):
So check that out if you can.
I love it.
Thank you for that suggestion Peter.
That's amazing.
And then we have the dreaded Desert Island Discs question.
So if you can, Peter, five albums, if you have to choose them, what would they be?
Okay, Wynton Kelly, Kelly at Midnight.
Stevie Wonder, Fulfilling this First Finale.
(49:01):
Bill Evans, Trio Explorations.
Miles Davis, Live at Carnegie Hall, The My Funny Valentine with George Coleman and B.
How many am I at?
Yeah, I think it would have to be the Cannonball Adderley, Nancy Wilson record.
yes.
Great picks and for someone that hadn't had a chance to think about them that's incrediblyimpressive so well done.
(49:24):
Very well there, Peter.
It's always hard to pick only five, of course, when you have such a great love.
Yeah, of course.
People usually feel bad for the ones they leave out.
That's normally what happens when we do that.
So, Peter, we'd love to include our podcast with a series of questions we call the QuickFire 10.
(49:45):
And what this is, David and I will rapid fire 10.
questions at you and we'll just ask for 10 answers back the first thing that comes intoyour head as we go along and I will start with a very tricky one which is what is the
first album you ever heard?
I by Bette Midler.
There was a Bette Midler record that apparently as a little boy I loved and I would justtrash the record player like picking it out and putting it on there.
(50:12):
That's not the Beaches soundtrack, Peter, that's acceptable.
I don't know.
Peter, what's your most important pre-gig ritual before you play a show?
What you need to have sort of to feel settled?
I think I just try to check in with my breath.
Especially lately with these concerts, there's a lot going on beforehand, because I'm alsosort of the host.
(50:35):
Everybody's asking me tons of questions.
And then at some point I'm like, I got to play.
All right, let me just separate for a second and just.
Okay, if you had not been a musician, what do you think your career choice would have beenand you're not allowed to say actor?
Well, when I was little, I always wanted to be an architect.
(50:55):
It's funny because I have terrible visual.
I can barely address myself, but I don't know.
think I like the idea of spaces.
Sounds like the architecture profession dodged a bullet.
If favourite tour you've ever done, Peter.
Oh, Australia.
(51:21):
Yes, indeed.
What about the favourite gig you've ever done?
Wow.
That's hard.
gosh, why is that so hard?
Well, I did play at Melbourne Recital Hall with Molly.
I remember that piano being extra special.
I think that's one of the best pianos I've ever played.
Wow.
I'm gonna put the pressure on now, Peter, and you can't use an Australian city, favouritecity you've ever played.
(51:45):
Can I say New York?
Yeah, absolutely.
Yeah, there's nothing like New York and also the energy that it gives you to play, youknow, something like, okay, here I am.
Very valid.
There's a song about that.
(52:14):
Take five.
If I never play that again, that'll be fine.
Sorry, I'll edit this out, obviously, no, that was great.
And then we have, favorite music documentary or movie, Peter?
Well, there's one on bill that's really good.
It's on Amazon.
I think it's called time remembered.
Yeah.
(52:36):
Yeah, it's 2016 maybe.
Yeah, mean, some kind of, I guess what we were talking about earlier, some kind of thingwhere you walk into a hall and you have a certain expectation from the instrument that a
(53:05):
little more uniformity.
I hesitate to say that because I don't want to take the soul out of great instruments.
I don't want to dumb down the brilliant ones.
But if we could just make them all brilliant, that would be good.
I love it.
And last but not least, Peter, your favourite non-musical activity or hobby, what keepsyou sane outside of music?
(53:26):
Ooh, yeah, I mean, I just like moving my body, whether it's going for a little run or ahike or a walk, you know.
It's really great.
I do my best thinking those times.
Yeah, understood.
Peter, I can't thank you enough for spending time with us.
I'm really excited to see what's happening for you over the coming years as well,including the release of that amazing movie.
(53:48):
I can't wait to see that.
And obviously if maybe see you down under at some stage, you get in the future as well.
That would be great.
Yeah, I should say look out for my album, which is coming out April 11th.
It's all soul jazz tunes, things like in the style of Lee Morgan's cornbread or Una Mas,straight grooves.
(54:08):
Features Roy McCurdy, the famous drummer who's 87 years old, if you want.
Still plays great.
Anyway, it's called Smitty Straightens Out.
it.
We'll definitely be linking to that too.
Peter, that's amazing.
(54:33):
There we have it, another quality guest Paul with a lot of interesting insights acrossboth the music and acting spectrum.
(55:10):
just want a thousand square foot studio in a church.
But that's just me.
not just me.
Peter's got, yeah.
(55:34):
Absolutely.
So now a big huge thank you to Peter and a huge thank you to you all out there forlistening.
Particular call out as always to our gold and silver supporters, Mr.
Dewey Evans from the sunny land of Wales.
Probably not super sunny in February, but still.
And then the lovely Tammy Katcher from Tammy's Musical Studio.
Thank you, Tammy, for your ongoing support.
(55:56):
The wonderful Edith Elk Electronic Synth Repair Guru, particularly for those of youlistening from Australia.
If you need a synth repaired, is the man.
And last but definitely not least, Dave and the team from the musicplayer.com forums.
been lots of great discussions on there just in the last couple of weeks, including theViscount Legend 1 has quite the thread going.
(56:18):
I can report, I know we talked briefly in the live stream, there is an overwhelmingconsensus that that damn keyboard is brilliant.
(56:40):
get a damn one into Australia.
would nearly buy one myself, but they're in short supply at the moment.
(57:19):
Number one is United States, two is UK and then I think Germany and Canada are right upthere and then Australia, New Zealand.
It's about 14.2 million.
You know, it numbers, I mean, it's a long and complicated story, but roughly on anyaverage episode, we end up with about 12,000 listeners.
(57:47):
So that's individuals listening around the world across both audio and video.
But there are some variances in that and I could bore people to death for hours, butthat's basically it.
Yeah.
(58:25):
No, we work with all our sponsors and we love to capture them via Patreon.
And basically you become a sponsor on Patreon, then you get the shout outs on the podcast.
We have a three or four time a year newsletter that goes out sort of with a bit ofkeyboard news and talking about the podcast that goes out to a large audience as well.
So yeah, there are some benefits to that.
(58:46):
So yeah, do consider and thank you.
No, that's fine.
We're to pay for this jet somehow.
Yeah.
Yeah.
All good.
So now thank you all out there for listening.
We'll be back again in a couple of weeks and in the meantime, keep on playing.
how I notate that, it's really important.
And like, I made a mistake once, you know, and it was not good.
It was not good.
Hello and welcome to the Keyboard Chronicles, a podcast for keyboard players.
I'm your host David Holloway and I'm thrilled as always to be here with you and my brotherin arms, Mr.
(00:23):
Paul Bindig is here with me.
How are you, sir?
I'm going really good, David, how are you going?
Yeah, look, I'm a bit of a high after talking to Mr Peter Smith.
Once again, we've had a wonderful guest with a very broad and diverse career.
Yeah, absolutely.
That whole being a real jazz guy, but then that move into being an assistant MD, associateMD on singing competition TV shows, which is a pretty interesting world in itself.
(00:54):
he's obviously played with some great artists and he's almost like a bit of a, I don'tknow if he can sing or not, but he did give us a couple of Sinatra notes in there.
So I wonder if he's a triple threat.
He's an accomplished actor as well, David.
Yeah, so think he can do all three lucky buggers.
So I look forward to seeing him on Glee.
Not the Glee, it doesn't exist anymore.
So yeah, I think you'll enjoy this interview with Peter a lot.
(01:16):
So we'll jump into it and then we'll talk to you after the show.
Peter, thank you so much for joining us on this, well, what for you is a relatively wintryMonday night?
(01:37):
Much appreciated.
Yes, thanks for having me guys.
So I thought we'd kick off just with how your 2024 into 2025 has been.
You're a busy, busy guy, but just tell us about what your last year's been like.
Well, you're kind of looking at it.
I am lucked into this amazing space in Pasadena, California, which is, you know, part ofLos Angeles.
(01:57):
This is a sort of a 1000 square foot room in a church and it's my studio.
I'm originally from New York and, you know, living in LA since 2005.
I guess it was like the summer.
(02:18):
of 2023, I was in New York, I was playing some shows and, you know, kind of, I always getenergized when I go to New York.
And I came back and I thought to myself, oh my goodness, I have this space.
Like, I've been recording and rehearsing and doing all sorts of things in here.
But, you know, the church has endless folding chairs, I should do concerts.
(02:40):
So I started this concert series and we're actually doing like volume 12 next Sunday.
It's pretty much always on Sunday.
And I kind of took a page out of, do you guys, are you familiar with this really greatyoung jazz pianist out in New York named Emmett Cohen?
Yeah.
So Emmett started this thing in the pandemic, know, live at Emmett's place and his tinyHarlem apartment.
(03:07):
So I kind of took a page out of his book, you know, and I thought, well, you know, I canfit about 40 people folding chairs, you know, and why don't I see about like,
mean, it's a studio, so I have all the microphones and I'll just set them all up and I'llget a buddy to help me and then we'll stream it, know?
So that's what we've been doing.
(03:28):
And we've made a lot of mistakes, but now we're kind of dialed in.
Brilliant.
And how's the response been, Peter?
It's been good response?
It's been really good.
mean, what's so interesting, I mean, you guys are music guys, like you'll go to a club,right?
And even if you're hearing acoustic music, whether it's folk or jazz or whatever, you'relike, you're hearing speakers, like even in these small spaces, you know, and, you know,
(03:55):
sometimes if, if there's a really good sound person, if the equipment's good, it can be alovely experience.
But, but I feel like we've lost a little bit.
and I don't know, maybe this isn't true in
you know, where you guys are, but you know, and the States for sure, like lost a littlebit of this sense of like, you know, what acoustic music really sounds like.
And people don't, what I'm giving them here, cause there's no, I mean, there's a tinylittle bass amp.
(04:20):
You can see it right there.
So the upright player, you know, maybe, but some guys don't even plug in.
If there's a vocalist, you know, I give her a microphone and a little help and theirmicrophone streaming, you know, everything, know, taking, capturing it.
but otherwise it's an acoustic, so I think the intimacy of that for people.
And also to get in here, you gotta like, it's fun, because it's like, there's all theseweird staircases and you gotta find, it feels like you need a secret password or
(04:48):
something.
So it kind of contributes to the whole experience.
So people are really digging it, you know?
Do you find, Peter, that the audience responds differently to the immediacy of that kindof setup?
Maybe it's almost visceral to them because you're feeling the actual vibrations of theinstruments in that setting.
Yeah, think you're exactly right about that.
And also the vibrations of actually the acoustic sounds, the fact that we can play soquietly and be really bombastic too.
(05:17):
And it's all, and they're just right there for all of it.
And then also just the intimacy of the environment.
While it is a large room, they're pretty close.
It's like they're right up against us.
And there are small jazz clubs that are like that.
And I feel like the jazz clubs, the way things were set up,
in the 50s and 60s, probably was similar to this.
(05:40):
But gosh, I remember hearing Jackie McLean when he was still alive at the Village Vanguardwhen I was still living in New York.
And the Vanguard, know, just hallowed ground for jazz.
I think it was like a quintet or sextet, and there's Jackie and trumpet player, and maybeanother tenor, maybe another, I think there was a tenor player too.
And they're all like playing into microphones and coming through the speakers.
(06:04):
at the Vanguard and their horn players.
It was like, who made that decision?
It doesn't make any sense.
And so if that's happening, well, okay, then you gotta mic the piano and turn that up andyou gotta do it.
It's like, it becomes this game of, and then suddenly I'm listening to a not very wellmixed recording almost.
(06:27):
You know what I mean?
It's weird.
And how Peter, do you apply that?
Obviously you've released a couple of albums as a solo artist in your own, right?
I mean, how do you apply that sort of knowledge to the way you record and release your ownwork?
Well, I mean, the trio record that I did, I guess it came out a couple of years ago now.
We did that all in one room in one of the great studios here in LA, United Studios.
(06:50):
And it was kind of crazy because this engineer buddy of mine, Eric Goble and Karma Auger,we did a Dolby Atmos recording.
So it's like a piano trio record.
But what they did was it was pretty innovative.
There was actually an article written about it in Mix Magazine.
(07:12):
So they set up 40 microphones, four zero for a piano trio.
So what they did is, you know, they, they become sort of experts in the, what is it likethe Dolby Atmos space, you know, cause it's, it's, it's 360, right?
So, um, so they tried to, to put microphones into all of those spots that are available tothem for mixing.
(07:38):
And I think when they got into mixing, like, it didn't necessarily go the way they hadpre-thought when they were recording.
They just made choices that were musical to them.
But a lot of it, I think, was set up that way.
So, yeah, so the idea of we're going to play better as a trio if we're all in one room.
mean, if I'm, you know, I had headphones on when I was recording at United, but I wasfeeling their energy and that was, I think I had, I might've had one year off and, you
(08:08):
know,
There's a lot of value from the mixing standpoint of recording an album with everybodyisolated.
And I'm playing along with you, but the reason I'm able to do that is because I'm wearingheadphones, because I wouldn't be able to hear you in your booth over there.
But I wonder, having done that many times, probably successfully sometimes, it's stilljust, it's so unnatural.
(08:34):
And it's so...
I often come out of sessions like that wondering like, well, I mean, I guess it soundedokay, but what could it have been if we had actually been playing and really with each
other?
You know what I mean?
Yeah, I think that again it may be what you may lose in the ability to isolate every micand might leak and that sort of thing.
(08:54):
You're gaining in the immediacy and the ability to bounce off each other and the snap,crackle and pop and sizzle that you have when you're hot, know, when you're working well
together.
Just a question, Peter, and we'll come back to what equipment you used, but I'm interestedfor that particular recording, what piano were you working with?
it was a nine foot Steinway.
(09:15):
in fact, it was was a Steinway from from the Los Angeles Motown studios that ended up atUnited Point.
Yeah.
And it's funny, because somebody, I almost didn't check out United, because I checked outCapitol and East West, which is the old Ocean Way studio.
And someone had told me, don't bother, their piano's beat up, it's not good.
(09:40):
And I went and checked it out and I was like, whoa, this is great.
Actually, my friend Jordan Siegel, who's also a really great film composer, he hadrecorded his album there and he said, luckily I talked to him before I made the decision.
He's like, no man, check out United, you might like it.
Yeah right.
and then I did.
And the room is just so, you know, it's, could be quite daunting or it could be inspiring.
(10:04):
I was trying to feel it in an inspiring way, but you you go in the hallway and it's likeNat King Cole and Frank Sinatra and like, it's just walls of, you know, everybody's
recorded there and, and, count Basie, you know, it's just like, but yeah, it was, was, andthen the, think it's, oh gosh, I want to say it's a focus, right?
(10:25):
Board there?
I mean, you can look it up on the internet, I'm sure.
But an old one and like, you know, amazing.
And the mic locker was just ridiculous.
All the classic Neumanns, know, the 67s, 47s.
There were old ribbons, were telefunctions, and know, just like, they, Kinkarma used allof
(10:49):
Yeah, see all 40 of them scattered around.
Exactly.
Every cool microphone in that place was up and running and capturing something.
Yeah, it's amazing.
And you must have really given you a sense of being, you know, you're etching your ownlittle piece of history amongst all those great artists who record in that studio.
And speaking of history, we'd love to now rewind a little bit and go back to yourformative years as a musician.
(11:14):
So as a very young person, us about your musical upbringing.
What got you interested in music and how did that look for you as you were growing up?
Yeah, well, I was very fortunate to be born into a musical family.
My mother was a brilliant singer, a guitarist.
She played piano as well.
(11:36):
In fact, she went to Wellesley and I was, my mom died like in 2020 and I was, it was herbirthday in December and I connected with her best friend who went to college with her in
Wellesley.
And she was recounting stories of
you know, my mom used to play in the coffee houses in like 1959, 1960, you know, in thatarea.
(11:58):
And she apparently Joan Baez was also doing this.
And my mom's said, Oh, your mom was much better than her.
Like, seriously, like she said that, you know, as a kid, as the son of someone, you know,it's like, wow, the things you find out about your parents, Joe Baez is pretty great.
So I guess my mom was too.
So anyway,
(12:20):
Yeah, so I born into a musical family with parents who always encouraged me in the arts.
you know, now having so many colleagues in the arts and hearing so many stories from theirupbringing of, you know, well, that's fine kid, but you know, you're going to do something
real, right?
(12:40):
You're going to get a real job at some point, you know, not, not encouraging.
And my parents were like, no, this is, you know, this is a noble pursuit.
Yeah.
And they could have taught me little more about finances probably.
That would have been helpful, but they were good along the artistic line.
Yeah, so there was a piano in the house.
(13:01):
I was playing it as a four-year-old.
And so they were like, well, let's get him lessons.
And I started with classical music.
And I was never a good reader.
I would trick my teacher into playing pieces for me.
And then I would repeat it by ear.
So I, you know, it's funny because I've had to play a lot of catch up as an adult with mysight reading.
(13:24):
Because you know, as a professional now I'm in sessions and stuff.
I don't want to be sweating bullets if somebody throws something in front of me.
yeah, so that was that was sort of my upbringing.
And I took a brief pause in my piano lessons, like when I was 12 years old, because I gotinto sports and stuff.
And then I resumed it.
(13:45):
at age 14 as I was entering high school because I wanted to play stuff that was on theradio, like Billy Joel and that's where I was like, let me see if I can.
So there was a teacher at the music school who would do that.
And so I was studying with him and then every now and then he'd slip me like autumn leavesor, know, and then I don't know, something happened.
(14:07):
And I always grew up with jazz because my father plays vibes.
So there was like a lot of modern jazz quartet and
There's a Horace Silver record that we used to listen to a lot, Bill Evans.
jazz was part of my upbringing.
But then suddenly as a 16 year old, I no longer knew what was the most popular thing onTop 40 and I was the complete jazz.
(14:28):
Like I just went all in and I was buying CDs, you know, and kind of blossoming out of thatwhere, you know, I discovered Bill Evans and.
then Bill Evans with Miles Davis.
And then I was like, let me check out all these other bands.
And then, you know, John Coltrane and Rick Garland, and then, and then you go later toHerbie.
(14:48):
And then I want to get Herbie Hancock's records.
And then like it kind of, a lot of it grew out for me with Miles Davis, weirdly.
He's like my kind of forwards and backwards tree of jazz, you know?
And then, yeah.
So, and then by college, I went to college in the city at Columbia, just cause I wanted tostay in New York and I was able to get in.
(15:09):
I could get in now.
It's much harder.
I got in and didn't really know, I would do music in some fashion, but wasn't really sure.
And they didn't have much jazz.
They had Phil Schaap at the Columbia radio station, brilliant jazz historian.
And I joined the radio station, became a DJ, and I learned a lot from him.
But I think they have a good jazz program now, but at the time there weren't really anyinstructors.
(15:33):
So I was, I continued my classical piano and then I discovered if
A student wanted to study a certain kind of music performance and Columbia didn't have ateacher for them, like on faculty.
You could audition for the conductor of the symphony.
And if he deemed you worthy, Columbia would pay for your lessons.
So I did that and he said, okay, yeah, you can play.
(15:56):
And so I began a mentorship with Mike Ladon, who's a, I hope well-known jazz pianist.
with Mill Jackson for like 14 years and some Rollins and Benny Gholson and you know,dozens of records under his own name.
So that's, that's where I really learned how to play was with Mike.
I thought I could play and then I got with him and he was like, said you're gonna playthis one note and you're gonna make it swing and then we'll go from there, you know.
(16:24):
Well.
I that's what a good mentor does, right?
They challenge you and take you to places you never thought you could go yourself or maybedidn't even know existed.
So that would have been amazing experience.
So thinking about your work you've done later in life when it comes to TV work, which Ithink would be its own unique sort of discipline.
(16:46):
How did you get into that and what did you learn from your jazz upbringing and yourmentorship through college that allows you to deal with that environment, if anything?
Right, right.
Well, it's been an interesting road, know, I mean, life is so funny because it goes allthese unexpected places.
So as I think you guys mentioned earlier, I've had these dueling careers, although I'mreally primarily a musician at this point.
(17:11):
But for a long time, I was just as much pursuing my acting career as I was pursuing mymusic career.
And they would, you know, kind of I'd be involved with one and then something would end.
then I, you know, my New York musician
friends were always very confused when I would go do a play.
Be like, what happened to you?
Were you on the road or like, know, because I'd be calling them up like, hey, I need somegigs now I'm done, you know.
(17:37):
They're like, were in a play?
You were playing in the pit?
Like, what were you doing?
So, but that said, like, I think the fact that I was involved in that world made meattractive to some people when I moved to LA.
just with a familiarity around that industry.
(17:59):
there's someone in LA, brilliant musician and music director and just a great human.
He's responsible for so much work here for so many.
Ricky Minor, he was Whitney Houston's bassist and did American Idol and The Tonight Showand all this.
So I think Ricky saw in me, I mean, not only a certain musical competency, but just like,
(18:24):
that I would be cool around celebrities and stuff and not, you know, was used to itbecause I was in that world a bit.
And a lot of that is that that's so important.
But just generally speaking for musicians, you know, just how are you gonna be aroundpeople?
Like, okay, can you play great?
Yeah, can you bring certain things?
(18:45):
But like, what if I have to be on a tour bus with you for three weeks?
Am I gonna lose my mind?
Or what if I, you know, what if we've got this serious, like famous artist like
Are you gonna be weird around her?
like, you know, that's a lot of, that's a big part of whether you get the work or not, youknow?
So I think that helped me get in these situations where I was associate music director forsome of these television singing competition shows like Duets and The Four, and doing
(19:15):
other things where I'm, you know, just on set doing musical coaching or.
Yeah, and then separate from that, I've been very lucky to, and again, it's justconnections and luck, to have, gosh, like over two dozen of my songs placed in television
shows.
That's kind of one of few avenues remaining where musicians can make sort of real money.
(19:41):
I mean, with Spotify and all that, you know, it's hard to make any money on albumsanymore.
Satellite radio is still a thing.
I don't know how it is in Australia.
Yeah, not so much, sadly, yeah.
Yeah, I think the main source of income is hitting the road or as you say, having yourwork be licensed by a film or a TV show or something like that.
(20:01):
Absolutely.
I'm still holding out for that TV show theme.
That would be great.
But yeah, mean, I've been very lucky along those lines.
But even so, I had a long run of that and I'm still seeing some of the benefits of thoseTV placements.
But in the last handful of years, it's been less so.
(20:23):
it's like, the career of a musician is always like, okay, this is slowing down.
So you wanna have like four things going at once.
So if one goes.
one lessons, you've got another thing you can kind of put the gas pedal on the otherthing, you know, and let it let it take off.
Yeah, I just wanted to ask you one more question about the TV work.
(20:44):
Yeah.
I imagine the pace you're working at is hectic.
I can imagine it's intense.
So I'm really interested in your experience of that and how you dealt with that, if myassumption is correct.
Yeah.
Yes, well, the, yeah, a couple of things, a couple of stories, I think, on that.
(21:05):
So first, working on some of these singing competition shows.
So the role that I've had in that world, and I've done a couple of them, associate these,you know, when you're an associate music director, you're basically working with the
contestants, and sometimes a vocal coach as well.
And so it's like, okay, we're going to do, you know, the song has been
(21:26):
chosen it's, it's, you know, goodbye yellow brick road by Elton John, you know, like,okay, how are we going to do it?
Are we going to, we have to cut the, cut the bridge and maybe only half of a verse.
And then, you know, cause it's, can only be 90 seconds or two minutes tops.
And so you come up with this arrangement and, then that contestant is with my MD, like I'mthe associate MD.
(21:50):
like whether for duets, it was John Beasley for, um,
the four it was Ricky Minor and then Adam Blackstone.
So these contestants are going to be rehearsing with the full band sometimes that same dayor maybe like maybe they're with me like first thing in the morning the bands and there's
some there's an arranger like writing the chart overnight, you know.
(22:15):
So how I notate that our work, you know, it's really important.
And like I made a mistake once.
You know, and it was not good.
It was not good.
So, but you learn from mistakes, right?
So yeah, to just be clear and like you want to in a situation like that, you want toalways be making the MD like look good and, and, and helping, helping his job easy.
(22:42):
So you learn quickly, like a lot of lessons along those lines about how to do that.
imagine too in those singing competition shows you're occasionally working withcontestants who might be quite inexperienced in dealing with these sort of situations, not
being professional musicians themselves, which would be at its own level of challenge, Ithink.
Yes, that's correct.
so trying to steer somebody to do, that reminds me of a story from my acting world.
(23:07):
So one of my acting teachers always quoted Mike Nichols, the famous director.
And Mike Nichols said, a good director enables an actor to want to do what he must do.
So often in this situation you're describing, that's what I was like, how do I get thiscontestant to want to do the...
(23:28):
the better choice here.
Like, I don't think you want to do that, you know.
So that's, you know, a lot of it.
And someone like Ricky Miner is brilliant at that.
I've learned so much just watching him.
I mean, Ricky will be in the center of a room with, you know, the musicians and theproducers and everything.
(23:51):
And he's somehow keeping track of like what everybody needs and how to get the job donethrough it all.
You know what I mean?
And it's a very specific and rare skill and so use.
Absolutely.
and and going from one extreme to the other, Peter from working with people that may beless experienced through to someone that was incredibly experienced when you worked with
(24:15):
her which was Natalie Cole.
us about how that came about and again what you learned from from that relationshipplaying with her.
Well, I was, it was very, very short-lived.
I really just had one gig with her.
wow.
I was the last pianist she hired.
And I mean, it was almost like a tryout thing where I was flown to the Bay Area to playsort of part of a gig with her.
(24:41):
There was actually a colleague of mine, John, who had been a long time sub as a pianist inthe band.
He was playing.
I had been sort of hired.
given that I didn't fall flat on my face in this experience.
And so I did okay, and I remember going to her dressing room and she's like, Peter, yousounded great.
(25:08):
I've heard so many good things.
I'm really excited to be working with you.
This was like in September of whatever year, the year she died.
Yeah, and then.
And that week I had all these dates in my calendar, including playing with the SanFrancisco Symphony, like a big holiday show over Christmas time.
(25:31):
And then she just got sick and I never got to do any of it.
But that was special.
And I mean, it's just nice to be thought of in that world.
My friend Josh Nelson, who's a wonderful pianist in LA, spent a lot of time working withher.
And I think it was Josh.
think it was Josh who recommended me actually.
It's really lovely how that works.
(25:54):
And it's a little bit different, you know, because I've lived in the acting world as well.
You know, the music world, like, we're really looking out for each other in a weird way.
mean, there's, yeah, there's competition and, you know, sometimes you get a hint of like,with somebody plays something really great and you see it, you're like, I wish I could,
you know, but mainly it's like, we're out here kind of helping each other and support andlike, you know.
(26:19):
I go hear Josh play and I love it.
I want to support him and I think he feels the same way.
Yeah, that's the way it should be.
Peter, thankfully a much longer relationship musically has been with Molly Ringwald.
tell us how that came about.
And I mean, that's been going for 10 plus years, just how that's developed over time.
(26:39):
And again, what you get out of that.
Well, I got two trips to Australia.
Great.
Which was amazing.
Now, Bollie's really a close friend and she's been very busy acting the last, what, fouror five years and hasn't been as active musically.
(27:00):
But yeah, we met actually as actors.
You know, I was in a play with her.
She had no idea I was a jazz pianist.
Her father was...
this amazing sort of traditional jazz pianist.
was blind, really a remarkable guy.
So she grew up, in fact, she thought she was gonna be a jazz singer.
Like as a little girl, she was working with her dad.
(27:20):
She thought she was headed towards that as a career as a little girl.
Got involved with some acting as a teenager and like kind of got lucky with the facts oflife and then all the movies and then suddenly she's Molly Ringwald, know, and she's,
okay, this is what you're doing, I guess.
But yeah, so there was a cast party.
at this, for this play that we were both in.
And there was a piano, and Molly didn't even know I played.
(27:45):
But like some other people in the cast did, and they were like, Peter, go play, you know?
And I started playing, and then Molly, and we'd been friendly, you know, the way you are,but like, we weren't close or anything, and I was, I was sort of respectful of her space,
because, you know, she's a celebrity and all that.
But when I played the piano, she was like, she's like, where have you been?
(28:06):
You know, like.
How did I not know this about you?
And we sort of quickly started developing plans of working together.
And then I moved to Los Angeles and she was actually sort of upset about that because shewas still in New York and she's like, you're supposed to be my piano player, you can't
(28:26):
move.
But then she followed a couple of years later, she got a TV show and...
It was perfect because she was working maybe like one day a week on this show.
She was sort of the mom of the main character.
So she had a fair amount of time.
So she was over my house.
We were working out arrangements.
Like we got it all going.
(28:48):
And then finally in 2013, the album released and we toured heavily for like five years,five or six years and played all kinds of places.
And in fact, there's a live album that's pretty much all finished.
live at Birdland from our, we did a week at Birdland and she sounds great on it.
(29:09):
And I don't know, hopefully people get to hear it one
Yes, I knew that was going to ask you about when that was coming out.
So yeah, I look forward to seeing that whenever it does.
I mean, think you saying you toured heavily is an understatement.
I think it was something like what 250 shows in seven countries.
That's a big, that's a big amount of touring.
That's good.
I should remember that.
I should write that down somewhere.
(29:30):
I had no idea that's what it was.
Yes, I know that that is amazing.
so I mean, just describe for us Molly's voice.
So obviously, like most people, I'm aware of Molly's an actress.
When I've obviously listened to her album now a couple of times and she has a beautifulvoice.
It's a it's a different voice like most people if you're used to hearing the speakingvoice when you the singing voice, go, wow, that's different.
(29:52):
What do you think it is that's special about her voice?
There's an intimacy to her voice that I love.
And it's interesting because she has, I feel like she doesn't have just one voice, youknow, because she's done Broadway and stuff.
And that voice, I mean, it's the same tone, you know, she's the same woman, you know, butit's like, but that's a different voice, you know, it fits that style better.
(30:14):
It has a different kind of power.
And I think, I think what she, what she knew as a young girl, as a jazz singer and whatshe.
really honed in the studio and then live was just how intimate it could be.
I mean, there's something wonderful about being a jazz singer and having some gorgeousmicrophone like right here.
(30:36):
And you can just, you you hardly have to do anything and it captures every little bit, youknow?
And I think she, because she's very clever and talented and gets things quickly.
She got that very quickly.
Yeah, I think it's intimacy.
Of course the tone, she's a beautiful tone.
And, but also, and the storytelling, you know, what she brings as an actor, like the storyof a song is very important to her.
(31:01):
The title track of the album, except sometimes, you I get along without you very well,except sometimes the story of that song is very meaningful to her.
We did, it would be on the Birdland record if it comes out.
We have an arrangement of Don't Explain, the Billie Holiday classic that's like verypersonal to her.
So yeah, I mean, that's what I, I guess that's what I like about it.
(31:22):
feel like as you just said Peter, I if you're a really good actor, acting as aperformative discipline as is playing music, I think you can really imbue songs with
meaning and emotion because I guess that's something that's required in both disciplinesand as we mentioned before and you've alluded to a couple of times, you've got some pretty
serious acting credits behind you yourselves.
(31:44):
acting on on broadway but also in shows that are genuine household names listeners andviewers so shows like CSI and Law and Order and this sort of thing so I'm really
interested in your perspective on so I gave that example but how else do you think there'ssome sort of cross-pollination between the skills that someone who can do acting can bring
(32:04):
to a music performance as well?
Yeah.
Well, two things come to mind.
First of all, what you're describing with acting and the connection with music, I thinkwas really what was so great about Sinatra.
And people who emulate him sometimes miss that.
What they emulate is the, hey, you know, that kind of like the crooner-y kind of guy, youknow, and like, be a lady tonight, you know, that a certain attitude.
(32:31):
But what was great about Sinatra was he was
He sang every line the way you would say it if you were an actor and it was a line givento you.
That's where his greatness was.
And his tone, of course, you know, but doing that on pitch and with his voice.
So when he does that, what naturally happens, because you're emphasizing certain thingsand, you know, if you had a line, I really don't feel well today, you know, you wouldn't
(32:59):
say, I really don't feel well.
today, you know, there would be you would emphasize certain words, right?
And when you do that, when you sing, you get this natural, it becomes a little irregularand swinging because you're hitting sometimes on the beat and sometimes off the beat.
But Sinatra is not thinking that he's just saying that like you would say it, you know, sothat's so that's great.
(33:27):
Because if you embrace that part of Sinatra the way he did, then you're
you're acting the song, you're telling the story of the song and you're swinging withouthaving to think about like, did I just hit a downbeat?
Okay, let me hit an offbeat now or like, you know, whatever.
And then the other thing I think that comes even for instrumentalists, know, the best,best solos tell a story, right?
(33:48):
So they, you know, if you, you come out blazing from the top, like, you know, you'vestated the melody and then you come out blazing, like that better be part of a story,
right?
Cause
Because the thing we're most used to understanding in any kind of like artistic contextis, you know, I guess like Aristotle, right?
(34:10):
You know, there's a beginning, a middle, an end.
It's the beginning, there's the end of the beginning, beginning in the middle, the end ofthe middle, beginning in the end.
And so a solo kind of takes you through that.
So if you can understand the...
And dynamics do that too.
(34:31):
Dynamics can really tell a story.
Where if you could bring something down and, know, dynamics are almost like the way anactor might use stillness.
Like if an actor has been moving and then they're suddenly still, you and the audience golike, what is it?
You know what mean?
And so if we can, as music, if we can suddenly, you know, pull it in and come, and theycome to us and then, you know, and then take them somewhere else, you know?
(34:58):
So yeah, think it's to think narratively in music is a real, is really beneficial if youcan do that.
Yeah.
links well, Peter, one of the masters of light and shade in music was Bill Evans.
Now, you've mentioned that you've got a little screenplay sitting there that you're hopingthat sees the light of day on his time with Miles Davis.
(35:20):
Just tell us a little bit about the inspiration for that.
And yeah, what made you get into that?
Yeah, so this was a marriage between my acting life and music life as a young man.
So in the 90s, I attended, I got a master's degree in acting actually in a program down inSan Diego connected with the Old Globe Theater.
(35:41):
And that program had a thesis requirement and it was 20 minutes by yourself on stage.
And, you know, technically I think we could have compiled monologues or something, buteverybody writes something for themselves to do.
And it's a great thing.
because you learn all these lessons doing that.
So I knew I wanted to do something with music and I also knew I didn't want to offendpeople with makeup.
(36:02):
So I started looking at white pianists and seeing what might, you know, what might bethere, you know, what's, you know, it's not just the music, it has to be dramatic and
like, what could I do that would be, that would make a good little 20 minute one man show.
And so what I came across, and of course I was so familiar with music, but what I cameacross was,
(36:22):
know, Bill Evans during his time with Miles Davis is so interesting and dramatic and sosort of the story of him coming of age as an artist under Miles's wing.
So the one man show imagined him the night before the Kind of Blue recording session.
He's sort of pulling his hair out, trying to figure out what Miles expects of him.
(36:43):
Miles has given him this assignment.
Okay, G minor six, A augmented seven.
What would you do with those two chords?
You know, and of course we know Bill.
comes back and he writes blue and green and it ends up on Kind of Blue, which is thegreatest Aeroling jazz record of all time.
So my one man show, it's like, he's going through those demons that we all have, not justartists, know, of like, what's my authentic expression versus what do I think people
(37:09):
expect me to do and like, and how do I get through my own inner obstacles and demons tokind of triumph and create this thing that's ultimately, you know.
the most beautiful thing on that record, arguably, you know?
So I did that, and then my sister, who knows about these things, she was like, yeah,that's like the climax of a third act of a screenplay.
(37:32):
And I kind of filed that away.
And then a few years later, it was 9-11, and like, everything shut down, I had no work.
I'm living in New York, and I thought, okay, maybe I'll give it a go, you know?
And I was interviewing.
I had interviewed all these people for the one main show and then I interviewed othersincluding his African American living girlfriend at the time, Perry Cousins, who died not
(37:56):
long after I interviewed her.
I was really, it's not good that she died, but I was very fortunate to catch her while Icould, you know?
And Paul Motion, the drummer.
So anyway, fast forward, I be,
managed to get the script in the hands of an agent at William Morris.
I became a William Morris client.
He is now, his name is Alan Gassmer and he's just produced the Bob Dylan biopic, TheChalamet and is producing my script.
(38:22):
There's a French director involved named Francois Velle.
There's, we're finally, what, 25 years later, maybe on the brink of actually making thisthing.
That's amazing.
And I have to ask, Peter, I assume there's going to be, I know it's too early to say, butthere be some sort of live shoot of the Village Vanguard, that's all I'll say.
(38:42):
yeah, yeah, there's there's stuff in the Vanguard.
Don't worry.
19.
It's basically like 1955 to 1960.
So, you know, it's taking a page.
There's a there's a wonderful movie called Capote that Philip Seymour Hoffman star andit's it focuses on the time that Capote wrote one of his greatest novels in cold blood.
(39:06):
And by focusing on that time, you get the sense of the whole life.
And so similarly, I mean, there's a lot of stuff in Bill's life that's just not in mymovie.
But, you know, it's like Bill's life is like four five, six movies.
I don't know.
You know, so it's by focusing on this time, I think where you get, okay.
(39:26):
Now at the end of the mile, now he's the Bill that we're all going to know.
And, you know, he's come into himself.
So it really ends with this formation of the great hero with the Scala for our own polemotion.
I often feel like as an audience member, I love it when a biopic just focuses on thatcertain time, a certain place, because it allows you to go so deep.
(39:51):
And as you said, I think the understanding that you can draw out of that real person ismuch, much greatly enriched rather than having like a cradle to grave thing, which is
limited by time and that sort of thing.
that sounds very, very cool.
I'm eating.
Yeah, well, we're excited.
I'm sure you're more excited, but we're very excited to see if that comes out and sees thelight of day.
(40:11):
But it sounds like you're making great progress there, Peter.
Well, thank you.
It's funny, because this thing has had so many fits and starts over the years.
And Alan, back when he was my agent, mean, still my manager, I guess, technically, buthe's a producer now.
He can be a producer on film and all of this.
But when we first started working together, said, because he worked on Ray, he said,Peter, Ray took 20 years to make.
(40:37):
He's like, when your movie gets made, I might be an old man.
You might be an old man, too.
So it takes a while.
But yeah, know, fingers crossed it's actually, and I think what I'm really excited aboutis I just feel like it would be really good for the music.
Because the characters in this screenplay, you know, the next to Bill, the next biggestcharacters, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Kennebal Adderley, George Russell, Paul Motions,
(41:06):
it's all these people are gonna learn about our heroes, right?
You know?
the soundtrack will be amazing and as you say it'll bring that music to so many.
It's such a new audience who would appreciate it which would be cool.
And look and there's something to be said for the delayed gratification too so when ithappens you'll be a happy man.
I was talking before about going deep and now I'm going to go a bit tangential.
(41:29):
Can I go deep to the of your studio there and can you please tell me what is that pianothat's sitting in the back?
yes, that's a seven foot Baldwin.
It's a Baldwin F.
I that one.
It's from 1970 and I love it.
Yeah, sorry, there's a sheet on it.
That's like my dust cover.
Tell us about the character of the piano, Peter.
What do you think about it?
(41:49):
It's really, well, first of all, my favorite piano, if I can get a good one, you know, toplay at venues and halls and such, is a Steinway B, the seven foot Steinway.
A really good seven foot Steinway, I almost prefer to the nine foot for jazz, just becausea nine foot can be so reverberant.
And when you're articulating a bebop line, sometimes it's, the note is still hanging inthe air.
(42:14):
And you're like, wait, I'm on to the next, you know, and it's not.
list, you know, it's different.
So this Baldwin has that dryness and crispness, I feel like of a Steinway B and it's, Imean, it is, you know, it's Baldwin's, it's Baldwin Steinway B, it's a seven foot and the
action is the Renner action.
(42:34):
So it's the same action that's in Steinway.
And the bass is really robust.
It's like, you know, you hit some of those notes in the lower octave and they're just, youknow,
just go for days, it's great.
And that's been a revelation too of, you know, as a piano player, you play, you know, likewhen I was on the road with Molly, for example, your, you know, whatever instrument is
(43:00):
there, that's what you're playing.
And you know, we, we would send a rider asking for certain instruments and usually thevenues had them, but sometimes they didn't.
And sometimes even if they did, they, maybe they weren't in good shape or, know, andtrying to spend that time in soundcheck like,
figuring out what this instrument does and can I do what I need to do and now that I'mdoing concerts and recording on my piano, it's like, my gosh, you know, if I can't sound
(43:29):
good here, I'm in trouble, you know, because like, I know what this piano does, you know.
Exactly, you know, hey, the song was in my eyes, you know.
Yeah, so that's been really great to do these concerts and
Well, and actually my last record that's coming out in two months, we recorded here.
(43:49):
It's a quintet record.
We just did it all in one room.
like you might even become less tolerant of pianos you get to use on tour now that you'vehad so much enjoyable time with your own one and the pleasure it's bringing you.
We asked a question of all our guests, Peter, and it relates to live performance.
We'd love it if you could share a train wreck story for us.
(44:13):
man.
So speaking of television, I was doing a gig.
My good friend, Ryan Cross, a bass player who's very dialed into the TV world.
said, Peter, I need you to do this thing.
It's for one of the networks.
I forget which one they had done.
there was a television production of rent, the musical.
And it was like 2019 and it was very well regarded and it was up for awards.
(44:37):
And this is one of those things.
You see these around award.
season in LA, it's FYC, For Your Consideration, you know.
So there was like a For Your Consideration concert of this really amazing singer, hugeBroadway talent and television actor, Brandon Victor Dixon is his name.
(44:58):
And it was just me and him playing a song from Ren.
And like, I can do the Broadway thing, you know, and my reading is now pretty good.
But it's not like playing all the things you are.
So I have the music on an iPad and we're playing and I've played through it, but likedon't have it memorized.
And I'm not, there might've been chords.
(45:19):
I don't think there were chords.
I think it was all just notation.
I think it was just reading music.
And I go to turn the page on the iPad and nothing happens.
And it was one of those things where it was like, like in the movie where it's like, whoa.
You know, it's like, it just goes in like slow motion.
know what I mean?
So there's this program, you guys probably know it, it's called Four Score, it's forreading music on the iPad.
(45:42):
So if you tap it too much, it thinks you're trying to edit it.
Like that my finger is trying to write something on the music or something.
So I guess that's what I had done.
And so I started frantically tapping it, and somehow I got out of that.
my left hand, because I wasn't telling it what to do, but my left hand was kind of justdoing something that kept rhythm.
(46:06):
And eventually the page turned and Ryan was in the audience and he knew something wasgoing on.
You know what mean?
But I don't think anybody else did, thank goodness.
But that was just, know, yeah.
That's an original one, Peter.
I haven't heard that one before.
thank you for that.
That's something different.
Another traditional question we ask Peter is for our guests to tag another keyboardplayer.
(46:29):
So is there someone out there that you would mile or who I've worked with that you'd loveto hear more about their story?
Well, there's a jazz pianist named Sullivan Fortner.
Well, I don't know.
I believe he's, I mean, I'm not sure if they're married or whatever.
They're certainly together.
The vocalist, Cecile McLaren Savant.
(46:50):
Sullivan is, I'm pretty sure he's a genius.
Everything I hear from him, and it's funny, because, you know, it's not like I almostexperience him.
I really like to go to dance performances or art museums.
because I really don't know anything about it.
You know I mean?
And I can just kind of like, look at the pretty colors.
I couldn't have an erudite conversation about art or dance.
(47:16):
And it's funny because the way Sullivan plays, I almost have a little bit of that becauseit's so profound and so like, it's not really how I play.
mean, I suppose I wish I could play because he's so good, you know?
But, but.
But it's just, he's like on another level.
And I think a lot of people feel that way about him.
(47:38):
I think people feel that way, the way they do about him, the way that a lot of people feltabout Mulgrew Miller when he kind of came on in the 90s.
Mulgrew had this nickname, they called him the state of the art.
I don't know if you, do you know that idiom in Australia?
Do you have that?
Yeah, yeah.
So yeah.
(47:58):
and Sullivan's kind of that way too.
Great pick noted well and truly.
Thank you, Peter
There's, if you can check it out, let me just shout out the, there's a video.
He gets a request because he also sings.
It's like a great singer.
He's playing a gig in Paris and it's around Christmas time.
And he has a microphone just to announce songs.
So no boom stand or anything.
(48:19):
It's just there.
And someone's like, sing, sing, sing.
We love the way you sing, you know?
And he does have yourself a merry little Christmas holding the microphone in his righthand and just with his left hand.
And it's like, and it goes through like five or six keys.
And it's just, it's like it's mind blowing.
know?
(48:39):
So check that out if you can.
I love it.
Thank you for that suggestion Peter.
That's amazing.
And then we have the dreaded Desert Island Discs question.
So if you can, Peter, five albums, if you have to choose them, what would they be?
Okay, Wynton Kelly, Kelly at Midnight.
Stevie Wonder, Fulfilling this First Finale.
(49:01):
Bill Evans, Trio Explorations.
Miles Davis, Live at Carnegie Hall, The My Funny Valentine with George Coleman and B.
How many am I at?
Yeah, I think it would have to be the Cannonball Adderley, Nancy Wilson record.
yes.
Great picks and for someone that hadn't had a chance to think about them that's incrediblyimpressive so well done.
(49:24):
Very well there, Peter.
It's always hard to pick only five, of course, when you have such a great love.
Yeah, of course.
People usually feel bad for the ones they leave out.
That's normally what happens when we do that.
So, Peter, we'd love to include our podcast with a series of questions we call the QuickFire 10.
(49:45):
And what this is, David and I will rapid fire 10.
questions at you and we'll just ask for 10 answers back the first thing that comes intoyour head as we go along and I will start with a very tricky one which is what is the
first album you ever heard?
I by Bette Midler.
There was a Bette Midler record that apparently as a little boy I loved and I would justtrash the record player like picking it out and putting it on there.
(50:12):
That's not the Beaches soundtrack, Peter, that's acceptable.
I don't know.
Peter, what's your most important pre-gig ritual before you play a show?
What you need to have sort of to feel settled?
I think I just try to check in with my breath.
Especially lately with these concerts, there's a lot going on beforehand, because I'm alsosort of the host.
(50:35):
Everybody's asking me tons of questions.
And then at some point I'm like, I got to play.
All right, let me just separate for a second and just.
Okay, if you had not been a musician, what do you think your career choice would have beenand you're not allowed to say actor?
Well, when I was little, I always wanted to be an architect.
(50:55):
It's funny because I have terrible visual.
I can barely address myself, but I don't know.
think I like the idea of spaces.
Sounds like the architecture profession dodged a bullet.
If favourite tour you've ever done, Peter.
Oh, Australia.
(51:21):
Yes, indeed.
What about the favourite gig you've ever done?
Wow.
That's hard.
gosh, why is that so hard?
Well, I did play at Melbourne Recital Hall with Molly.
I remember that piano being extra special.
I think that's one of the best pianos I've ever played.
Wow.
I'm gonna put the pressure on now, Peter, and you can't use an Australian city, favouritecity you've ever played.
(51:45):
Can I say New York?
Yeah, absolutely.
Yeah, there's nothing like New York and also the energy that it gives you to play, youknow, something like, okay, here I am.
Very valid.
There's a song about that.
(52:14):
Take five.
If I never play that again, that'll be fine.
Sorry, I'll edit this out, obviously, no, that was great.
And then we have, favorite music documentary or movie, Peter?
Well, there's one on bill that's really good.
It's on Amazon.
I think it's called time remembered.
Yeah.
(52:36):
Yeah, it's 2016 maybe.
Yeah, mean, some kind of, I guess what we were talking about earlier, some kind of thingwhere you walk into a hall and you have a certain expectation from the instrument that a
(53:05):
little more uniformity.
I hesitate to say that because I don't want to take the soul out of great instruments.
I don't want to dumb down the brilliant ones.
But if we could just make them all brilliant, that would be good.
I love it.
And last but not least, Peter, your favourite non-musical activity or hobby, what keepsyou sane outside of music?
(53:26):
Ooh, yeah, I mean, I just like moving my body, whether it's going for a little run or ahike or a walk, you know.
It's really great.
I do my best thinking those times.
Yeah, understood.
Peter, I can't thank you enough for spending time with us.
I'm really excited to see what's happening for you over the coming years as well,including the release of that amazing movie.
(53:48):
I can't wait to see that.
And obviously if maybe see you down under at some stage, you get in the future as well.
That would be great.
Yeah, I should say look out for my album, which is coming out April 11th.
It's all soul jazz tunes, things like in the style of Lee Morgan's cornbread or Una Mas,straight grooves.
(54:08):
Features Roy McCurdy, the famous drummer who's 87 years old, if you want.
Still plays great.
Anyway, it's called Smitty Straightens Out.
it.
We'll definitely be linking to that too.
Peter, that's amazing.
(54:33):
There we have it, another quality guest Paul with a lot of interesting insights acrossboth the music and acting spectrum.
(55:10):
just want a thousand square foot studio in a church.
But that's just me.
not just me.
Peter's got, yeah.
(55:34):
Absolutely.
So now a big huge thank you to Peter and a huge thank you to you all out there forlistening.
Particular call out as always to our gold and silver supporters, Mr.
Dewey Evans from the sunny land of Wales.
Probably not super sunny in February, but still.
And then the lovely Tammy Katcher from Tammy's Musical Studio.
Thank you, Tammy, for your ongoing support.
(55:56):
The wonderful Edith Elk Electronic Synth Repair Guru, particularly for those of youlistening from Australia.
If you need a synth repaired, is the man.
And last but definitely not least, Dave and the team from the musicplayer.com forums.
been lots of great discussions on there just in the last couple of weeks, including theViscount Legend 1 has quite the thread going.
(56:18):
I can report, I know we talked briefly in the live stream, there is an overwhelmingconsensus that that damn keyboard is brilliant.
(56:40):
get a damn one into Australia.
would nearly buy one myself, but they're in short supply at the moment.
(57:19):
Number one is United States, two is UK and then I think Germany and Canada are right upthere and then Australia, New Zealand.
It's about 14.2 million.
You know, it numbers, I mean, it's a long and complicated story, but roughly on anyaverage episode, we end up with about 12,000 listeners.
(57:47):
So that's individuals listening around the world across both audio and video.
But there are some variances in that and I could bore people to death for hours, butthat's basically it.
Yeah.
(58:25):
No, we work with all our sponsors and we love to capture them via Patreon.
And basically you become a sponsor on Patreon, then you get the shout outs on the podcast.
We have a three or four time a year newsletter that goes out sort of with a bit ofkeyboard news and talking about the podcast that goes out to a large audience as well.
So yeah, there are some benefits to that.
(58:46):
So yeah, do consider and thank you.
No, that's fine.
We're to pay for this jet somehow.
Yeah.
Yeah.
All good.
So now thank you all out there for listening.
We'll be back again in a couple of weeks and in the meantime, keep on playing.
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