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Peter Hata
Peter Hata is a jazz guitarist and educator.
About Me
• B.A., Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA • M.M., California State University, Los Angeles, CA • Played professionally with Hiroshima 10 years (incl. Grammy nomination, 1981) • Teaching jazz improvisation and guitar since 1994 • Adjunct Professor of Music at California State University, Los Angeles • Studied jazz improvisation with: -guitarist Jack Wilkins at the Stanford Jazz Residency and in New York City -guitarist Tom Hynes -saxophonist Dr. Jeff Benedict, at Cal State University, Los Angeles -percussionist Dr. Jon Nathan at Cal State University Los Angeles -saxophonist Kim Richmond and pianist Dr. Rick Helzer at Fresno State Summer Arts
My Jazz Story
The rewards of learning to improvise are great. While the experience of improvisation is
ultimately indescribable in words, jazz musicians sometimes describe moments while
improvising of being so “into” the music that there was no separate awareness of playing an
instrument, of the technical aspects of the chord changes, or even of oneself as an individual,
separate person. Obviously, a musician is cognizant of all those things, but they recede into
the background of one’s consciousness and what is left is simply an awareness of “the music.”
In these times, it is as if the music is playing itself, and the improviser is simply a vehicle for a
creative flow that is passing through. There is a tremendous joy and exhilaration in this
experience.
