Pete Hawkes

Pete Hawkes in 2012

Pete Hawkes (born 28 May 1965) is an Australian composer, musician and mathematician. He is best known for his ability to compose music from many different genres.[1][2][3] In 2002 Hawkes won the ABC Newcastle Songwriter of the Year Award,[4][5] and won another ABC award in 2009 for his instrumental works.[2] In 2012 he was recognised as an Australian music legend by receiving a MUSICOZ Legend award.[6] He has recorded over 1200 recordings[4][7] covering a wide range of different genres (Hawkes has composed original Celtic, Folk, Jazz, Jazz Fusion, Classical, Chamber Music, World music, Rock, Gothic rock, Ragtime, Blues, Folk Blues, Delta Blues, Ambient, Singer Songwriter, Baroque and hybrid styles) [8][9] and is known for significant innovation and melding of different musical styles (such that they have been subject to features in well known music magazines[10][11]). Like Franz List and Duke Ellington, Hawkes has chromesthesia, a form of synesthesia where he sees the sounds in colors. He believes music should not be classified and that it should be primarily judged by the emotional impact the music makes to listeners rather than technical prowess.[12]

Biography

Hawkes was born in 1965 in Australia at Lake Maquarie, Newcastle. He learned to play guitar from an old waterlogged guitar nicknamed "The Paddle" named so because his father had got drunk one night out on the lake when he was young and used it as a paddle to get home.[4] He learned guitar by listening to old vinyl recordings, citing his early influences as diverse as Blues legend Robert Johnson to English guitarist Davey Graham.[4][13] Hawkes started playing electric slide guitar in Chicago style blues bands gigging at clubs and pubs in and around Lake Maquarie and Newcastle city at the age of 17, and was soon invited to perform as a session musician across Australia. In his early 20's Hawkes relocated to Tasmania, where he trained as a luthier.

On his return from Tasmania he completed a degree in pure mathematics from the University of Newcastle and moved to the Australian Capital Territory the following year.

In the mid-1990s he recorded his debut album, Secrets Vows and Lies, with English folk violinist Dave Swarbrick guesting on a few tracks.[13][14] The album was released by Festival Records, and was critically well received.[14] with the song "A Housewife's Lament, with its winsome string backing (Paul Stender on cello, Sandy Gibbney on fiddle and viola), a gentle and evocative tale about the unreasonable demands of child-rearing" [14] being very popular with audiences.

Following the release Pete embarked on an Australian tour during in which he supported bands and artists such as Steeleye Span and Bert Jansch, but the tour was largely unsuccessful and Pete, despondent decided to move to London. Secrets Vows and Lies was released in the UK by Select Records[15] with more success and Hawkes started playing in small clubs and hotels throughout the UK. Hawkes briefly reconnected up with Swarb (Dave Swarbrick) in Coventry and supported a few of Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick gigs around Scarborough, North Yorkshire with acclaimed violinist Sue Aston.[16] He quickly established a following and was featured on 'rock n reel' magazine and prospects looked good but at the height of the growing success he then moved to Russia where he lived and composed in St Petersburg for several months, playing Jazz with local Russian and Romani musicians. Hawkes left Russia via the Trans-Siberian Railway. In Beijing he became involved in the underground Jazz developments in the city. Playing in venues like the 'East-Shore Jazz Club' he encouraged many Chinese musicians to play Jazz rather than traditional material. Jazz was, however, not accepted by the Communist Party of China, and Hawkes was asked by the local authorities to return to Australia.

After returning to Australia, Hawkes released more recordings, including Unspoken Riddles, Melancholy Cello (inspired by Russian music), Double Diversity, considered now a landmark album of its time.[2] Hawkes then started to focus on composing and arranging music. In 2006 he released Witchcraft, an orchestral suite, and then a jazz album, The Jazz Chronicles In 2007. In 2009 he released an extended gothic rock album, The Lost Souls Entwined[2] with electric guitarist Phil Emmanuel.[17][18] (the elder brother of Tommy Emmanuel), featuring Hawkes on slide guitar and Emmanuel's on lead guitar.

In more recent years Hawkes has continued to write and compose various musical works, including concerti for viola and cello, Celtic music with flugelhorn, and even acid jazz. He continues to write and produce significant output. His more recent works being reviewed highly.[19] The bulk of his many works are now distributed through the Catapult label (Texas)

Music

Hawkes is known for innovation and melding of musical styles and has been in many music magazines such as Australian Guitar[10] and Fine Music.[20] As an example of this innovation, his version of the Beatles' "Yesterday" was arranged in delta blues (slide acoustic guitar) with jazz sax and then orchestral parts as the arrangement.[21] His albums can display a variety of different styles and genres ( for example 'double Diversity" or Unspoken Riddles"

Discography

References

  1. ↑ Glen Humphries (11 June 2009). "A Man of Many Genres". The Illawara Mercury. p. 29. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Goodwin Andrew (11 November 2009). "Peter Hawkes – Winner of the Instrumental Category". ABC. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  3. ↑ Rojer Holesworth: The global Villae. "Artist Profile: Pete Hawkes". PBS 106.7. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Kate Tarala (19 April 2012). "Still in the Music Boat". Newcastle Herald. p. 24. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  5. ↑ Michael Gadd (4 November 2002). "Musicians Take A Bow at Awards". Newcastle Herald. p. 4. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  6. ↑ "2012 Musicoz Awards Winners Announcement". Musicoz. 18 May 2012. Retrieved 2012-06-17.
  7. 1 2 "iTunes – Music – Pete Hawkes". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  8. ↑ Graham McDonald (10 June 2009). "Musical variety is life's spice". Canberra Times. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  9. ↑ "Pete Hawkes". Entertainoz.com.au. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  10. 1 2 "Pete Hawkes: Playing With Colours". Australian Guitar Magazine. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  11. ↑ "Fine Music Magazine March 2014". Issuu. Retrieved 2016-09-27.
  12. ↑ "Pete Hawkes:Playing With Colors". 19 January 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  13. 1 2 "SongCast : Artist Bio". Songcastmusic.com. Retrieved 2012-06-17.
  14. 1 2 3 Bruce Elder (3 February 1997). "Be Doubly Thankful". Sydney Morning Herald. p. 10.
  15. ↑ Reinhardt Zurkie (15 March 2009). "Pete Hawkes: Secrets, Vows & Lies". Informatik.uni-hamburg.de. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  16. ↑ name = "Ashton"Sue Aston. http://www.sueaston.com/biography/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  17. ↑ "Phil Emmanuel". primalent.com. 2007. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  18. ↑ "Phil Emmanuel". Countrymusichalloffame.com.au. Retrieved 2012-06-17.
  19. ↑ http://www.bluepierecords.com/news/great-new-single-released-by-pete-hawkes-riddle-of-the-east-from-his-album-acoustic-collection/
  20. ↑ "Fine Music Magazine March 2014". Issuu. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  21. ↑ "Pete Hawkes – Unspoken Riddles". www.duckscrossing.org. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
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