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Self-taught pianist Jeff Herge hails from Alexandria in
Virginia, USA. His only release to date, Jeff Herge,
was released in 1993 and quickly met with critical acclaim.
Jeff was nominated for the Washington area's "Best New Age
Artist" in 1995, and his music has received warm
praise from the highly-regarded Peter Kater. Jeff's music
has featured on national and international radio, and has
been used in commercials and even a White House
presentation! Currently Jeff is indulging in some DIY at his
home, as well as compiling material for his eagerly-awaited
second album. He kindly took "time-out" to speak to
Piano-Heaven.
Enjoy the interview....
S.C.
Well, first of all, Jeff, a very belated "Congratulations" on your self-titled
CD, some sixteen years after it was released. Have you generally been pleased
with the response to your album over that period of time?
J.H. I have been very pleased with the
draw and attention the album has received. Being a limited self-taught
composer/musician, I was surprised that these excerpts of self-expression and
musical exploration would be welcomed and respected so broadly around the world
by music fans and critics alike.
Let's go back to the beginning. How did the
concept for the CD come about? Was it a case of, "I want to release my own piano
CD" or did other events take their course?
Not being a formal or trained musician, I
originally wanted to record my music to share with friends and family. I didn’t
really look at this as a possible album until I put together a cassette copy of
my songs and found people wanting it, and suggesting that it be released into a CD
for broader use and interests (i.e. radio air play, compilation albums and
critical reviews).
Have you come from a musical background? When did
you learn to play the piano? Were you classically trained? When did you start
composing your own music? Was this encouraged?
Not really. My brother played the guitar and
trombone for a couple of years and my mom learned to play a Korean instrument
called the kayagum and drums when we lived in Korea. My background prior to
composing piano music was playing the drums as a teenager in my room. I never
played in a band. I only started playing the piano when I took a music class in
my senior year in high school. But because I am dyslexic, I found it difficult to
read sheet music correctly or to tempo. There was a requirement for my class to
read and perform from sheet music, but because of my disability, my music
teacher and I worked together to find an alternative approach to my assignment.
He assigned me with the task of attempting to compose very small piano measures
and told me to transcribe them to written score. From there I finally found a
place of musical and artistic expression. I was eighteen at the time. Just like all
parents, they loved hearing me play music, but weren’t sure how long I would be
interested in it. So they offered to buy me a piano, only if I was still
interested in music a year from then. I stuck with it by playing any piano I
could get my hands on (the neighbours' piano and a piano at local historic park
building in the community). They soon realised that it wasn’t a fad and offered
to purchase my first upright piano. I’ve had a number of pianos since then, even owning two at one time. Now I have a Roland digital piano.
Let me ask you about that tree- it's even
named in the CD insert (Princess Ann). As well as featuring on the cover of your
CD, what significance does it have? Has it been a source of inspiration to you?
Have you always been interested in nature?
The Princess Ann tree was a tree located in the
park that was located at the entrance to my neighbourhood at that time. I worked
as a park employee at the time that I took that picture. I’ve always loved
nature and photography. That particular tree was not a music inspiration, but a
photographic inspiration. I loved its lines and how it resembles a large bonsai
tree. I guess I have always been interested in nature. I’m always picking up
bugs and intrigued by something while I’m out in the great outdoors.
My favourite piece on the album is Raindrops-
I just love the melody. It appears in various forms at different points of the
CD- is this because it had a special appeal to you? Would it be fair to say that
this track has generated the most response?
I love that piece too, because of the imagery it
evokes. I really love nature and like the challenge of creating something that
draws those mental pictures. But truth be told Autumn Snow and
Jeffrey’s Theme have always been the songs that have drawn the most appeal
to fans and radio programmer directors.
Can
you talk us through the composition process? Are these carefully crafted pieces
or improvisations- or indeed, somewhere in between? How long did the album take
to compose?
That’s a great question. Composition for me is a
cross between improvisation and crafting pieces found through improvised
exploration. I find myself messing around with certain rhythms and sounds. I
later find a way to piece them together to create a cohesive melody or melodic
path. When you take the time to hear what you’re producing, you soon find out
whether it’s a keeper or weed it out. You either use it now or later in another
composition.
The full album took four years to come up with
enough material suitable to share and record.
It's been
quite some times since the original release. Have you been composing music
during this time? Can your listeners expect a new release at any time soon?
I know it has been a long time since the original
release. Unfortunately, life got in the way of my musical endeavors. You know-
bills, work and family. I don’t regret taking care of those other things, but I
do regret having my music hit the back burner the way that it has. To be honest,
I really haven’t played in years. I sit down every so often; I find myself a
little rusty, but I’m often pleasantly surprised to find that I still have that
love and interest still in me. I have several new songs in my head that I want
to go back into the studio to record for another album. I’ve promised myself and
my family that I’d love to do that this year. My daughter is eleven now and has
never seen me perform in concert. That tears me up. She’s got to see that,
especially since one of the new songs I have is dedicated to her.
Well, I'm certainly looking forward to that! I read about your musical influences- no great
surprises apart from one, the identity of whom was new to me- Bob Olshin. Could
you explain to the readers why you rate this pianist so highly? (I've ordered
his CD by the way, purely out of curiosity- couldn't find sound-clips anywhere
on the Web!)
Bob Olshin was a local pianist to the Washington
D.C area where I live right now. He was hitting the musical scene the same time
I was. I met and performed with other artists before meeting Bob. But when I was
looking to pair up and perform concerts with someone, I was soon impressed with
the style, capabilities and talent of Bob’s music more than any other artist
that I came to know. But just like me, I suspect life got in his way of his
musical career. I hope we will hear from him again soon.
You've
received much-deserved praise from the highly-regarded Peter Kater. How did the
great man himself come to hear your music?
All in all he was a friend of a friend of a
friend. I got his permission to send him a copy of my album and was fortunate
enough to talk to him one day to get his opinion regarding my music and the new
age genre. It was truly an honor.
These are difficult times for musicians in the
genre, especially perhaps independent ones.... or do you see your independence
as an advantage? Why do you think "New Age" music has taken something of a
bruising in recent years from his undisputed popularity of the 1980s? Can
anything be done to halt the decline?
It’s actually a difficult time for most
musicians, with the invention of peer-to-peer music sharing on the internet.
It’s kind of a double-edged sword. On one hand our music is being shared and
becoming more broadly known, but on the other hand we don’t see the financial
return or rewards on the sharing of our music.
I’m glad that I’m an independent artist for the
mere fact of being able to see more profit on the sales of my music, but I wished
that my music was picked up by a record label to help in promoting the CD. It’s
hard doing everything by myself.
As for the popularity of New Age music, it’s
always had a certain stigma attached to it. But like anything, there are always
peak times of popularity. Yes, New Age music is not as popular as it was in the
1980s, but I feel that it still has a strong and sustaining presence in the
evolutionary track of music.
I love the sound of the piano you use on the
recording- please could you tell the readers the make and model you used? Were
you happy with its performance?
The piano I used to record my album was a Yamaha
C6 Conservatory Grand Piano. I was extremely pleased with the sound and feel of
that piano. It was a little stiff, but not overly. That piano became a dear
friend to me and enabled me to produce the beautiful sounds emulated in the
songs on my album. I’m grateful to have been able to record using it.
....and finally, Jeff, how do you relax away from
the piano?
I love to listen to music, audio books, and take
pictures.
Thank you, Jeff, for your fascinating answers,
and the very best of luck with the production of your second album.
S.C.
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