We were lucky to catch up with Peter Xifaras recently and have shared our conversation below.
Peter, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
I’m very excited about this album, ADAGIO GROOVES, as it is the first of its kind for me. As I tend to gravitate towards jazz and classical projects, I decided this time to integrate the two, something I refer to as Third Stream 2.0. Third Stream was coined by composer Gunther Schuller in 1957 to describe compositions that incorporate the improvisational and rhythmic aspects of jazz with the sophisticated structures and instrumentation of classical music. While Third Stream music acknowledges the existence of “two streams” of Western art music (classical and jazz), it is a musical genre that blends elements of classical and jazz that aim to create a new musical landscape where both genres coexist and complement each other, rather than remain separate. The innovative idea of fusing jazz and classical pushed the boundaries of traditional music and introduced this new genre that blends the two styles into a unique hybrid form that wasn’t simply a combination of the two, but a distinct entity that drew from both.
Early attempts at Third Stream faced challenges as some classical musicians struggled with jazz improvisation and swing feel, while some jazz musicians found rigid classical structures difficult. My solution for these challenges on Adagio Grooves is to let classical musicians do what they do best, play Adagios exquisitely and let Jazz musicans do what they do best, lay down Grooves and improvise solos. The key is how to integrate them into a seamless art form.
Schuller essentially defined what we refer to today as Alternative Jazz, and ADAGIO GROOVES is what I like to refer to as Third Stream 2.0.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I began taking guitar lessons at a very young age and by my teens I was doing gigs in local night clubs with rock & fusion bands. This pretty much solidified my future pathway as I decided to pursue music as a career. In high school I auditioned for the music curriculum at the State University and was told I needed to trade in my Gibson Les Paul for a Classical guitar in order to be accepted into the program. I heeded their advice and majored in guitar performance. Years later I started a record label, MusicWithNoExpiration.com®, to release my own compositions as well as those of my alter ego symphoneX Orchestra® with future plans to expand on that concept.
Fast forward many years later: I’m a Sony/orchard composer, guitarist, and producer with music resonating across radio stations including over a decade of rotation on SiriusXM. With multiple albums having charting on BILLBOARD’s Classical, Jazz and Crossover charts, these releases have been the recipient of many awards including Gold in Debussy, Schubert, Reinecke and Satie competitions, the AMERICAN PRIZE, a TELLY, and an Accolade Global Film HUMANITARIAN award just to name a few.
Marked by their genre-defying nature, these projects have magnetized a diverse array of accomplished guest artists who frequently enrich these releases. In addition to writing classical, cinematic, jazz & contemporary works, I also score for film and will be working on the next feature-film production by JawDoc Productions.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
As an independent musical artist, I can attest to the fact that streaming has been devastating to this community of creatives. Generating fractions of pennies for streams doesn’t begin to cover the cost of recording, manufacturing, releasing and the marketing of an album. My advice on how to best support your favorite musical artists is to buy their music and merch. Whether it’s a CD, Vinyl or music download, you get a tangible product with cool cover art and often interesting liner notes. Not to mention a better sound quality as streamed music is often compressed with a limited frequency range.
Here are my talking points on purchasing in lieu of streaming:
•No Wifi Needed
•No Advertisements
•No Monthly Subscription Fees
•No Compressed Frequencies
•High Bit-Rate Offers Superior Sound Quality
•Buy it Once, Own It For a Lifetime
Supporting artists in this manner enables them to finance their next project much to the benefit of their fans.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
In addition to creating musical works that have social significance, the focus and mission for myself as an artist and for the record label MusicWithNoExpiration.com® is creating works that stand the test of time – what I believe is the true definition of art. It is this philosophy that has attracted a wide range of talented guest artists who are excited to participate on one of the many multi-genre releases. If the art still stands up 20 years from now, mission accomplished ;>)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://peterx.music
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xifaraspeter
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PeterXifarasMusic
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-xifaras-739093135/
- Twitter: https://x.com/PeterXifaras
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@peterxifaras
- Other: https://musicwithnoexpiration.music https://symphonyx.music
Image Credits
Under license from Shutterstock.com