Peter Jarvis (born 1959) is an American percussionist, drummer, conductor, composer, music copyist, print music editor and college professor.

Peter Jarvis
Born1959 (age 64–65)
Hackensack, New Jersey, United States
Occupation(s)Musician, college professor, composer, print music copyist
Instrument(s)Percussion, drums
LabelsNonesuch, NAXOS, Abkco, Composers Concordance Records, Capstone Records, Composers Recording Incorporated, Furious Artisans, Koch International, several others

Career edit

Peter Jarvis (born in Hackensack, New Jersey) is a percussionist, drummer, conductor, composer, music copyist, print music editor and college professor. He is an associate director of the Composer Concordance and co-director of Composers Concordance Records. He teaches music at Bergen Community College.

Jarvis composed, orchestrated, arranged and performed music for Moonrise Kingdom, a film by Wes Anderson, which opened the Cannes Film Festival on May 16, 2012.[1][2] Moonrise Kingdom received a Golden Globe nomination for "Best Score" and an Academy Award nomination in 2013. His involvement in the film as a composer included various individual projects ranging from adding music to a score by Benjamin Britten and composing original music for several scenes. As arranger and orchestrator he worked on music composed by Mark Mothersbaugh and as performer he led a percussion section and provided several improvisations.[1] He has also performed his own solo percussion music for the second, third, fourth and fifth seasons of the HBO Series "Boardwalk Empire." During the third season, his music appeared in seven episodes. Jarvis worked on Ang Lee’s movie Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, released in 2016; his involvement on the project included transcribing, arranging and as percussionist. More recently he recorded for the sound track of "The Pale Blue Eye" a film directed by Scott Cooper, starring Christian Bale.

Over the decades, as a freelance musician, he has performed popular and unpopular music with equal enthusiasm. He has performed as a soloist, chamber player, Broadway musician and as conductor with chamber music ensembles including the Velez / Jarvis Duo, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, CompCord Ensemble, The Group for Contemporary Music, Saint Luke's Chamber Ensemble, the New Jersey Percussion Ensemble (which he directs) and on new music/arts festivals such as the Europe/Asia Festival and the Hong Kong Arts Festival[3] and in orchestras and with choruses. He has performed for PBS, Russian and Hong Kong television. The New York Times has said about Jarvis's conducting: "... [He] did full justice to its rhythmic complexities; Mr. Jarvis and his forces richly deserved the standing ovation they received."[4]

Jarvis has performed and or recorded with composers musicians such as Milton Babbitt, John Cage and Steve Reich. He is active as a percussionist, conductor and composer in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and elsewhere. As conductor he has appeared with the Saint Luke's Chamber Ensemble, the New Jersey Percussion Ensemble,[5] Composers Concordance, Ensemble21 and several other groups. He has appeared as guest conductor on the San Francisco Symphony's New and Unusual Music Series with the New Jersey Percussion Ensemble. The proliferation of percussion literature is extremely important to Jarvis and he has performed nearly 100 solo pieces for multi-percussion, timpani, vibraphone, marimba, solo snare drum and drum set composed for him.

His compositions are published by Calabrese Brothers Music LLC, Indian Paintbrush Productions, Peter Jarvis Music Publishing, and L-T Music Publishing. He is a voting member of The Recording Academy which selects The Grammy_Awards winners, and is a member of Broadcast Music, Inc.

Press Coverage (partial list) edit

The New York Times wrote Jarvis "led the New Jersey Percussion Ensemble in a precise, tactile performance with an elastic pulse",[6] and that the "Percussion Symphony" was "a mammoth work ... on its way to becoming a genuine 20th-century warhorse" which Jarvis conducted from memory.[7] The Record described Jarvis's conducting of "Percussion Symphony" as "a masterful example of the conductors craft",[8] and praised the way he sculpted the melody in the medieval song by Guillaume Dufay. The New Music Connoisseur mentioned that "While the new music scene abounds with percussionists, only a very few can match the awesome musicianship of Peter Jarvis"[9] and further described his performance of Ron Mazurek's Masked Dances as "the highlight of the evening".[9] According to Raul da Gamma of Jazz da Gamma, "This is a duet recording by two musicians (Peter Jarvis and Gene Pritsker) of impeccable pedigree." (August 1, 2016). In Percussive Notes, the official journal of the Percussive Arts Society, Quintin Mallette wrote "... by the seminal performer, composer, and conductor Peter Jarvis". He went on to say "I recommend this recording not only for its artistic merits, but also for its pedagogical merit as a tool for exploring the less tangible aspects of musicianship necessary in chamber music settings."[10]

Transcriptions edit

Published by Calabrese Brothers Music, LLC.

Chamber edit

  • Rockaby for voice and piano (2003) — Ron Mazurek, transcribed for voice and vibraphone, Op. 14 (2011) by Peter Jarvis, premiered by the William Paterson University New Music Ensemble; Erica Tanner and Nicolas Doktor, March 28, 2011, at William Paterson University, Wayne, New Jersey.
  • Fugue in G minor, "Little" BWV 578Johann Sebastian Bach, transcribed for Mallet Quartet, Op. 12 (2010) by Peter Jarvis.

Film and Television (partial list) edit

Film edit

Selected

  • 2021 — "The Pale Blue Eye", directed by Scott Cooper
  • 2016 — "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk", directed by Ang Lee.
  • 2011 — "Moonrise Kingdom", Op. 19 — music for the movie directed by Wes Anderson; Moonrise Kingdom, Op. 19, refers to all music Jarvis worked on including original music, arrangements and transcriptions. Published by Indian Paintbrush Productions.

Television edit

  • Surveying Carnage, Op. 21 (2012) — percussion solos, improvisations for the HBO series Boardwalk Empire – season 3, multiple episodes. Published by L-T Music Publishing.
  • On the Boardwalk, Op. 18 (2011) — percussion solo, a multi-track improvisation for the HBO series Boardwalk Empire. Used in episode 10 of season 2: "Georgia Peaches" aired on November 27, 2011. Published by L-T Music Publishing.

Documentary edit

DVDs (partial list) edit

  • Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (released November 11, 2016) – A TriStar Pictures release. Written by Jean-Christophe Castelli, directed by Ang Lee. Various transcriptions, arrangements, and improvisations by Peter Jarvis on the soundtrack.
  • Moonrise Kingdom (released October 16, 2012) – An American Empirical Picture presented by Focus Features and Indian Paintbrush. Written by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola, directed by Wes Anderson. Various compositions, arrangements, orchestrations and performances by Peter Jarvis on the soundtrack.
  • Boardwalk Empire – Seasons 2-5, – An HBO Production. "Georgia Peaches" (episode 10), solo percussion performance of "On the Boardwalk" by Peter Jarvis on the soundtrack. During seasons 2-5 Jarvis performs in over 10 episodes.

Discography (partial list) edit

Composer/percussionist/conductor edit

Partial

  • Jarvis and Friends, Volume 3 – With Chris Opperman performing duos with Jarvis, and several others performing music by Jarvis. Composers Concordance Records COMCON0063 – NAXOS
  • Dragonfly – Peter Jarvis and William Schimmel – All music by Jarvis and Schimmel – Composers Concordance Records COMCON0060 – NAXOS
  • Der Weg Ins Freie – William Anderson – Cygnus Ensemble – FURIOUS ARTISANS Productions – FACD6819
  • Chamber Music from Hell – Chris Opperman "Owl Flight" recorded by the New Jersey Percussion Ensemble.
  • Jarvis and Friends, Volume 2 – With Payton MacDonald, Kevin Norton, Gene Pritsker, and David Taylor – Composers Concordance Records – NAXOS
  • Payton MacDonald: Solo Marimba My Ous 16 "Saties Hammock" Composers Concordance Records – COMCON0051 – NAXOS
  • Jarvis and Friends, Volume 1 – With Glen Velez, Franz Hackl, William Schimmel, and John Clark. – Composers Concordance Records COMCON0046 – NAXOS
  • New Jersey Percussion Ensemble and Friends at 50, Volume 1 – Composers Concordance Records COMCON0045 – NAXOS
  • Explorations – "Chamber Setting No. 2" – Robert Pollock, New Jersey Percussion Ensemble, Peter Jarvis, conductor – Ebb and Flow Arts
  • New Music For Percussion: Night Music – Jeffrey Kresky, John Ferrari, Peter Jarvis and Payton MacDonald – Percussion. Drumming For Milton" by Peter Jarvis, Paul Carroll drum set. "Concerto for Vibraphone and Percussion Ensemble" by Peter Jarvis, performed by the New Jersey Percussion Ensemble, John Ferrari – vibraphone soloist, Peter Jarvis – conductor. William Paterson University Recording Label. Recorded in 2014.
  • Moonrise Kingdom[11] – The Original Soundtrack; Track 2 performed by Peter Jarvis. Label: Abkco
  • Jersey Sessions Volume 2: Passing Fancies – Stephen Peles, Peter Jarvis – Percussion, Robert Pollock – Piano, Music for Winds, Percussion, 'Cello & Voices – Rolv Yttrehus – Composers Guild of New Jersey Performance Ensemble, Peter Jarvis, conductor, Composers Guild of New Jersey, 1990, #CGNJ 0990

Percussionist (partial list) edit

Partial

  • Milton Babbitt – A Composers' Memorial; For Milton, Composed by David Saperstein, Peter Jarvis – vibraphone. Perspectives of New Music/Open Space Records, 2012, pnm/os cd 3
  • ballets and solos; The International Street Cannibals Ensemble – Solo for Pete, Composed by Patrick Hardish, Peter Jarvis – drum set. Composers Concordance Records – on Naxos
  • Milton Babbitt: Soli e Duettini; Homily for Solo Snare Drum, The Group for Contemporary Music, Koch International, 1996, 3-7335-2H1 and Naxos 8.559259
  • Society of Composers, Inc.: Milestones; Night Black Bird Song, for 2 piccolos & 3 percussionists – Emily Doolittle, Capstone Records, CD #8701
  • American Classics – George Antheil: Ballet Mécanique – Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra – Naxos 8.559060
  • Floating Bridge – ECM Tour; Floating Bridge – Kung Chi Shing, recorded live in Taiwan – Kung Ensemble, October Music, 1996, ECM Tour in Taiwan
  • Destiny Travels Limited; Destiny Travels Limited – Kung Chi Shing, recorded live in Hong Kong – Kung Ensemble, October Music, 1996, #5
  • Andrew Ford: Icarus; Chamber Concerto No. 3: In Constant Light – Terra Australis Incognita, Tall Poppies #150
  • New Sounds From The Village; Encounters – Ron Mazurek – Percussion Quartet, Capstone Records, 1994, #CPS 8616
  • Jersey Sessions Volume 3: In Search Of. . . Percussion Solo with Electronic Sound – Ron Mazurek, Peter Jarvis – Percussion, Ballet Mécanique – George Antheil, Composers Guild of New Jersey, 1992, #CGNJ 0393;

Conductor edit

  • David Rakowski: Hyper Blue; Ensemble21 – Sesso e Violenza, Peter Jarvis, conductor, tracks 6, 7 & 8. CRI CD820 [12]
  • Charles Wuorinen: The Group for Contemporary MusicPercussion Quartet – Charles Wuorinen – Peter Jarvis, conductor, Koch International, 1997, #3-7410-2H1
  • Charles Wuorinen: Tashi – New Jersey Percussion Ensemble – Percussion Quartet – Charles Wuorinen – Peter Jarvis, conductor, NAXOS 8.559321
  • The Music of Rolv Yttrehus – Music for Winds, Percussion, 'Cello & Voices, Composers Guild of New Jersey Performance Ensemble – Peter Jarvis, conductor, CRI CD 843
  • Jersey Sessions Volume 1: ConcertinoRoger Sessions, CGNJ Performance Ensemble, David Gilbert, conductor, Revolution – Robert Pollock, Cygnus Ensemble, Joel Suben, conductor, Composers Guild of New Jersey, 1989, #CGNJ 0989
  • Percussion Music; Percussion Symphony – Charles Wuorinen, Charles Wuorinen, conductor, Elektra/Nonesuch, 1988, #979150-2
  • Music of David Olan and Chester Biscardi; Prism – David Olan, Peter Jarvis, conductor, Composer's Recording Inc., 1986, #CRI CD 585

References edit

  1. ^ a b "'Moonrise Kingdom' Soundtrack Details". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  2. ^ Minsker, Evan (May 21, 2012). "Listen: More Music From the Score to Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 12, 2013.
  3. ^ "City Inside the Broken Sky". Special Administrative Region Government. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  4. ^ Page, Tim (October 7, 1984), "Percussion Group in Contemporary Works", The New York Times, retrieved October 13, 2009
  5. ^ Charles Wuorinen: A Bio-Bibliography. Greenwood Press. 1994. ISBN 0-313-25399-4.
  6. ^ Kozinn, Allan (January 29, 1991), "The Astonishing Winds, a New-Music Trio", The New York Times, retrieved 2009-10-14
  7. ^ Page, Tim (January 25, 1985), "New Jersey Percussion at Symphony Space", The New York Times, retrieved 2009-10-14
  8. ^ Orgill, Roxane (October 9, 1984), "What makes a conductor count," The Record, p. B16
  9. ^ a b Cohen, Barry, L. (2006, Fall/Winter). "Coming Full Circle", New Music Connoisseur, in association with Composers Concordance, Inc., vol. 14, no. 2, p. 18
  10. ^ Percussive Notes, vol. 58, February 2020
  11. ^ Minsker, Evan (May 2, 2012). "Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom Soundtrack: Check Out the Tracklist and a Piece of the Score". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 12, 2013.
  12. ^ David Rakowski – Hyper Blue, Discogs. Retrieved 12 July 2018.

External links edit