Peter
MEASROCH
Music
Pianist and Composer
The Duo Project
Here are some rehearsal tracks from a project in development with saxophonist Jody Golick.
The influences are African and jazz oriented and besides some riffing around the old standard "Don't Blame Me" there are versions of a couple
of tunes by South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, who has been a big inluence on my own playing.
There is also an early exploration of Jody's beautiful composition," Ixnay".
Karoo
Karoo is the name of a desert in South Africa. It's also the name I have given to a project that will explore the African Jazz oriented music that I feel so close to.
The ensemble was initially formed for the SA Freedom Day concerts in Toronto, and here are a couple of rehearsal tracks as a duo with the other core member of this group, friend and bassist Mafata Lemphane, from Lesotho.
This one has been longer on the back burner than I would have liked but it will happen!
Blues 'n Roots
Most of the album keyboard work over the last few years has been with roots and blues artist Terry Gillespie. Four albums later and the pleasure of recording and playing live with this soulful performer has not diminished!
Here are some extracts from the most recent album, recorded live in Maxville, Ontario. Two tracks have been uploaded in their entirety so as you can get to know Terry a little better!
Read Review
(N. Illinois Blues Soc - Apr 2014)
Above is the group at the DoQ in Toronto in 2013. Terry Gillespie, Wayne Stoute on drums, Lyndell Montgomery on bass & yours truly...
Inner Land
Here is some early synth piano work from an album collection that became a performance dance project. This extract is from
a track entitled Oceanesque. The rest can be heard elsewhere on the site.
And now it's party time!
Orchestral
Performed here by the McGill chamber orchestra, an orchestration
of a medley from the Tchoupi TV series. Other extracts can be found on the next page
watch this space...
for new projects, solo piano constructions , re-constructions, and the fruits of new connections and ideas...
with a little help from my friends...
With the exception of the Tchoupi series and the Innerland project, in which I played and sequenced all the instruments and parts, the music elsewhere on these pages would not have been possible without the gifted friends and collaborators I have been fortunate to meet and work with along the way. Let me introduce you to those you have heard here....
Abstract Truth George Wolfaardt (bass&drums), Sean Bergin (saxes) and Kenny Henson (both Sean and guitarist Kenny have unfortunately since left us). I should also mention our hugely under-appreciated (at the time) producer, Clive Calder, without whom Silver Trees would surely have been much less than it was!
Daddy Longlegs Thomas Mitz, Cliff Carrison, Norton Holderman
The source music extracts for the 3 features selected were recorded with bassist Stephen Barry, drummers Gordie Adamson and John McColgan, and Jody Golick on sax with myself on keys. Electric guitars were Andrew Cowan on Angkor, Michael J. Browne on La Florida and Jordan Officer on l'Homme Ideale.
All my film/TV sessions were mixed by Francois Arbour
Puffballl's Redhaired Woman used the same core group but owes a lot to the wonderful Irish fiddle work of Chris Crilly.
Blue Soul extracts feature the then rhythm section complement of Lyndell Montgomery on bass and Wayne Stoute on drums
This core group was often expanded to include the laid back Owen Brown on bass and Trevor Brewster on guitar. When this happened things took a very reggae-like turn!
The Party video features harmonica playing by Martin Boodman, Stephen Barry on bass, Gordie Adamson on drums, Brian Monty on
guitar, Bobby Lalonde on violin along with Terry Gillespie on guitar and vocals and me being treated to a real Hammond B3! It was shot and edited by Helen Henshaw.
Much listening inspiration provided by the wide ears and eclectic mixes of Neil "Mac" McCallum for many years now...
And with humility and gratitude, thanks to my formative piano and theory teachers, Adolph Hallis and Alan Solomon, who taight me much more than just the notes...
To all those above and others not mentioned here - thank you for enriching my musical world!