In our latest A&R Factory interview, Peter Xifaras returns to talk about Adagio Grooves, an LP that reshapes the conversation between jazz and classical music into what he calls “Third Stream 2.0”. Known for crafting works that stretch across continents, genres, and causes, Peter shares the inspirations, technical intricacies, and collaborative sparks that shaped this ambitious release.
From orchestral sessions in Budapest to groove-laden sax takes in Los Angeles, he peels back the curtain on how he balances the elegance of Adagios with the pulse of improvisation. Alongside reflecting on his past socially charged projects, he offers a candid glimpse into his upcoming works and the double-edged freedom of living outside genre confines, inviting readers to explore an artist in full creative stride.
Welcome back to A&R Factory, Peter. It’s our absolute pleasure to sit down and speak with an artist whose work has travelled across genres, awards circuits, and international airwaves with such consistency and creative edge.
Your new LP, Adagio Grooves, introduces a fresh direction compared to your previous recordings, which often alternated between classical and jazz. What inspired this latest chapter, and how would you describe the mood or vision you wanted to capture with this album?
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.
A key aspect of Third Stream is the integration of improvisation, a hallmark of jazz, with the formal structures and notational precision of classical music. This approach ideally culminates in an inextricably interwoven structure in and of itself. Therefore the two original streams, or genres, of music merge into a single ‘Third Stream’, of which there is a homogeneous sense of form, texture, melody, harmony and rhythm– as opposed to a distinctly separate jazz and classical feel– within the composition.
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.
We’d love to peek behind the curtain on the recording process of Adagio Grooves; did you come away from it with any revelations or anecdotes?
The recordings took place at 3 different locations in 4 studios. The Orchestral recordings took place in Budapest, however, rather than being on location for the session I was able to participate thru zoom. Justin Chart’s sax was recorded at Chalice studios in Los Angeles, Scott Jackson’s drums were recorded in Los Angeles at NeverNeverMusic, my piano tracks & Max Gerl’s bass tracks were recorded on the East coast at MusicWithNoExpiration®. I mix and produce all my own recordings so the process was similar to previous projects.
However, as I’ve recorded in the past with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra I opted this time for the Budapest Symphony Orchestra on this project and had to rethink the orchestral template with regards to eq, instrument panning, verb, etc. The revelation was even though you have the same groups of instruments from one orchestra to the next, players in different European regions can differ in tone, bowing and overall sound quality depending on how they play their instruments.
You’ve always pulled some strings to get revered players to pull strings for you. How did the contributing artists shape the overall sound of Adagio Grooves?
Even though the orchestra was playing jazz harmonies, I wanted them to maintain a traditional classical tone. That reinforced the intention of the Adagio concept I was looking for. When the grooves start to evolve for each track, I asked the rhythm section to lay down a steady groove that was powerful but wouldn’t distract from the soloists. That also allowed me some freedom on the keys to slip in changes that wouldn’t be overbearing but would be noticed if they weren’t present.
I asked Max to record both upright and electric bass versions for each track. Aside from the bass solo on electric, I used the Upright versions as they lent themselves to be authentic to the traditional sound used in many jazz recordings of the past. Because of the Third Stream vibe, drummer Scott Jackson was able to experiment with non-traditional rhythms and hand percussion that you usually don’t hear on jazz only albums.
Justin originally recorded sax tracks over the piano changes that were used as the basis for the orchestration of the Budapest orchestra’s recording session. Then a new set of sax tracks were recorded with the Symphony orchestra’s session which gave way to a whole different interpretation based on this vibe versus the solo piano renditions. This resulted in beautiful sax solo melodies over the orchestra and rip-roaring bebop solos over the groove.
With your past work being so multifaceted, from symphonic compositions to expressive guitar solos, do you approach each new project with a fixed idea in mind, or do you let the concept evolve naturally once you’re in the studio?
Previous releases have been more of an evolution as the music is developed. Some of the past projects evolved over a period of time in coordination with social unrest, the need to advocate for social change, and the human condition as is evident with ‘Children Of Conflict’. ‘Dystopian World’ I think will always be relevant in that it deals with Orwellian societal issues that mirror George Orwell’s novel 1984. ‘Fusion’ was originally just going to be a contemporary instrumental/jazz album, however, after learning of featured artist/trumpeter Shunzo Ohno’s obstacles he faced in his musical journey and fellow musician Iranian dissident Mehdi Rajabian’s torture and jailing in Iran for the simple reason of creating music the government disapproved of, the album came to represent triumph over adversity that includes a dedicated song – ‘While My Guitar Weeps For Mehdi Rajabian’.
Adagio Grooves as well as the next 2 albums (mentioned below), have a fixed idea. Adagio Grooves is my attempt at taking Third Stream in a bit of a different direction.
You’ve won a staggering list of awards, including the American Prize and a Telly, and received recognition for humanitarian themes in works like Children of Conflict. Has this kind of acknowledgement changed how you choose your subject matter or who you create for?
I was never one to create music in an attempt to target a specific award. Any awards that are bestowed upon me are just icing on the cake. I don’t think anyone would argue that it is nice to receive that type of recognition for your work, however, anything I create comes from the soul as I don’t think I have the skill set to create something that targets an ulterior motive other than the art itself.
With Adagio Grooves to be released, are there any themes, genres or ideas you’re especially eager to explore next, either in your solo work or through your upcoming collaboration with JawDoc Productions?
Writing for film can be an arduous exercise. Between script and score changes, production funding, divas, producers, directors…it can be exhausting ;>) I take it all with a grain of salt until there is a firm commitment with studio approval.
As mentioned above, I have two other projects I’ve started working on. The first is a concerto for classical guitar and orchestra, with yours truly on guitar. I’ll be wearing many hats as soloist, composer, mixer & producer – I’m tired just thinking about it! The other is an album based on Variations on a Theme – a classical project where the first movement will contain a music theme and the following movements will contain music that are a set of variations on that theme.
The genre-defying nature of your discography suggests a freedom from expectation. Do you find that working outside of strict genre confines opens up more possibilities, or does it sometimes present unexpected challenges?
It is a doubled-edged sword. On the one hand the freedom to do whatever you want is an artist’s dream. On the other hand it is hard to maintain a steady reliable fanbase. Artists in other genres who stay within one genre are able to build upon previous releases as their fans are expecting to hear a similar vibe when releasing new material. I tend to lose some fans because I switch often between genres and overtime you can be off the radar of a listener if they don’t hear about your latest and greatest in a genre they don’t follow. But I’m working on it;>)
Your platform, MusicWithNoExpiration, invites guest artists to be part of your projects. What are you looking for in a guest artist, and what sort of creative space do you aim to provide for those collaborations?
As a member of the Recording Academy and as a GRAMMY® voter, I ‘m fortunate to have access to a wide variety of talented artists who I can consult with. I’m open to any type of vocalization and instrumentation. Creatively, I generally ask artists to put their own imprint on how the music affects them and to do their own thing especially when it comes to improvisation. As far as I know this philosophy seems to work with guest artists as they get to contribute to shaping the sound and overall vibe of the music which can be fulfilling.
Discover more about Peter Xifaras via their official website.
Interview by Amelia Vandergast
