Jazz Dialogues: Peter Hum - David Smith Quartet

Peter and David, a Canadian expatriate flourishing on the New York jazz scene, have been friends since the early 2000s and they look forward to the infrequent occasions when they can get together and present their highly compatible compositions and arrangements. Completing their quartet at 10,000 Hours will be bassist Alec Walkington, an Ottawa native and a mainstay of live jazz and jazz education in Montreal, plus Valeriy Nehovora, the Ukraine-born drummer who has been a vital part of Ottawa's music scene since he moved here in the mid-2010s. Some of the music that the quartet will play at 10,000 Hours will be featured on Peter's next album, which will star David Smith and Alec Walkington, among others.

Peter Hum has been a leading figure in the jazz scene in Ottawa, his home town, since the early 1990s. He has released three well-regarded albums as a leader, including Ordinary Heroes (2020), which received a four-star review in DownBeat magazine. Self-taught as a jazz pianist, he considers himself very fortunate to have performed with such Canadian greats as Pat LaBarbera, Reg Schwager, Phil Nimmons and Sonny Greenwich. In recent years, he has performed his music in top jazz venues from Vancouver to Charlottetown, frequently collaborating with local musicians. His four recordings and touring have been supported by the City of Ottawa's Creation and Production Fund, the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts. In addition to his musical pursuits, Peter has been a journalist at the Ottawa Citizen since 1990.

David Smith is a Canadian-born trumpeter residing in New York City. He studied and began his professional career in Toronto, and in 2000 he relocated to New York with a study grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. Before long he was much in demand on the New York City jazz scene. While the roots of his music are in classic jazz, he combines elements of classical harmony and counterpoint, resulting in a very original compositional style. His approach to the trumpet is also unique, intervallic and harmonically sophisticated yet lyrical and emotional. In addition to releasing three acclaimed recordings as a leader, David has also recorded for national broadcasts on CBC Radio in Canada and Denmark's Radio in Denmark. He has played in many of New York’s finest jazz clubs including the Blue Note, the Jazz Standard, Smalls, Cornelia St. Cafe and 55 Bar, as well as clubs in Canada, France, Denmark, Sweden and Haiti.

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