Ottawa jazz pianist Peter Hum has been a mainstay on the music scene of Canada’s capital for three decades. He strives to make original music that uplifts listeners with forthright lyricism, strong evocations of moods, and energetic, unfettered improvising. Largely self-taught, Peter was bitten by the jazz bug when he was a teenager, exposed to the music of Keith Jarrett, Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea. He counts himself very fortunate to have performed with such Canadian jazz legends as Sonny Greenwich, Phil Nimmons, Reg Schwager and Pat LaBarbera.

Peter has released three albums of his compositions, A Boy’s Journey (2010), Alpha Moment (2015), and Ordinary Heroes (2020). All of Peter’s albums were supported by grants from the City of Ottawa, while Alpha Moment and Ordinary Heroes were additionally supported by the Ontario Arts Council. In March 2020, Peter embarked on a 10-date Canadian tour supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and Ontario Arts Council, which was cut short by COVID-19. The tour is resuming in late January 2022 Outside of his musical pursuits, Peter has been a full-time journalist with the Ottawa Citizen since 1990.