All Episodes

One of the pieces began like Paul Simon's Sound of Silence, but I went elsewhere. At the end, some chords evolved into rising thirds, which reminded me both of Silver Bells and Blue Monk, so... I kind of played both at the same time!

Tonight I dug into the kind of sonorities I was wanting to hear, reminding myself that so much of this project is to do exactly that. Sometimes I try to challenge myself to go into unfamiliar styles or genres, and that is a good exercise, but I feel most at home with a particular sound that seems to draw my ear into it, and I more successfully become absorbed in it. I also messed with the mixer settings which may have helped with some of the ringing in the audio. This piano does create a LOT of overtones, but everything else is so wonderful I'm not complaining!

I didn't feel very psyched to play tonight, and I wondered if the music would feel stiff and unimaginative. I didn't share this with our guests and started playing as usual. Sure enough, the music just kind of takes over, and everything felt fine! 

Three people here tonight. Went in several different directions tonight; started a rolling thing that turned into a tribute to Stephen Sondheim. One piece became an epic 50s ballad, and the last piece began as an imitative melodic counterpoint which somehow evolved into Simple Gifts. Enjoy.

Felt like playing faux jazz standards tonight. I attempted to create melodies that sounded like songs! I suppose it was inevitable that real songs would show up. First came Oh What a Beautiful Morning, which associatively led to America, which led to Imagine. I'll leave it to you to figure out those associations.. It was a little shorter tonight, sorry!

Ten people here tonight! On the night before Thanksgiving! Pushed myself a bit tonight; tried a few new pathways, and hit a few stumbly notes! Hey, it's all grist for the mill. Went back to my days as a ballet accompanist and played a boisterous waltz. One piece was all about how chords can spill into each other. Another piece felt a little Russian folk, perhaps? 

Really dug into some thematic elements tonight. A motif of a few notes really can be the fuel which propels the music forward. It's also a balancing act, because you also don't want overdo a theme and render it boring. It's certainly fun to play with the balance! Enjoy.

Nice group tonight! Worked with some motifs and explored different harmonies with them. Towards the end I started a blues, but I wasn't really feeling connected to a "free blues" so I segued into a version of God Bless the Child. After that I still felt like staying with a jazz sound so the next piece was Manhã de Carnaval, also known as Black Orpheus. Enjoy.

I do tend to follow a certain arc to each evening's music; the first one is a rolling piece that evolves gently, then I tend to dig a little deeper into some more complex harmonies, then try a rhythmic  thing that moves and builds. After that I often do a more simple, easy thing, then maybe another energetic piece, or a very somber dirge. Whatever the particular flow, I try to have variety and some development over the course of the set. Now watch me mess with it now that I've described the "usual"! Hey, whatever; enjoy! 

Something happens when you don't question your choices. The confidence to own your choices creates a kind of inevitability of the music, and by allowing it to happen, it somehow generates music that has a deliberate quality to it. The more I explore this kind of expression, the more it takes on a life of its own. Thanks for joining me on this exploration.

Ok, tonight felt a bit like catharsis. Maybe self indulgent, maybe not, you decide. I wasn't in the best mood starting in, so I just went with the feelings that were there. The second piece just went wherever it wanted and I let it go! Probably not the most "meditative" but it was nonetheless still in "flow". Curious if you have comments!

Pretty big group tonight, but Facebook didn't allow Livestreaming. So this is it! It's way better audio quality anyway. Really felt good about the flow of tonight's music. 

New guest tonight, always fun. Started with fifths because I was showing our new guest a simple way to create harmony and add melody. Not sure if it was this one, but on one piece I fell into a bit of "El Condor Pasa". The second piece began as an exploration of an upbeat tempo, but it went pretty dark at times. I chose a high, quiet sound as a contrast for the next piece. It touched on "Tender Shepherd" from Peter Pan. The next piece was sort of a standard jazz tune that never repeated anything! Finally, I wanted to play a straightforward positive vibe kind of thing, and I kept circling around a known theme but couldn't figure out what it was. Then I realized it was the Cinema Paradiso theme, so I messed with that a bit. Enjoy.

A big part of what I do with these pieces is to see if I can hear what the next chord or melody movement should be. I also try to keep a certain thematic unity with whatever happens with the first notes. It helps my ear, but what's also interesting is when I think something will sound a certain way, but it doesn't, I then have to retroactively try to make it make musical sense! Fun and risk combined!

New guests tonight; always a treat! Dug into a lot of alternating notes tonight, and rhythmic shifts.