by Don Berryman
A previously unreleased recording of the late great pianist, Bobby Peterson, with bassist Gary Raynor and drummer Jay Epstein recorded live at the Dakota jazz club at Bandana Square in Saint Paul in 1996 is now available on Bandcamp This show was a tribute to Oscar Peterson who Bobby noted was a major influence. This performance was broadcast live by Twin Cities jazz radio station KBEM-FM.
Bobby Peterson had toured and recorded with the Buddy Rich big band in 1969 and 1970 where he earned the nickname “Knuckles” because of his forceful attack on the piano. That same ferocity was on display at the Dakota that night opening with “Days of Wine and Roses” taken at a blistering speed. Bobby’s precision and fluidity were unimpeded by the pace, you can hear Oscar’s influence.
After his tenure with the Buddy Rich big band Bobby returned to his Twin Cities and was one of the founding members of the acclaimed fusion band Natural Life in the mid 70’s which is when I first heard him. Then he dropped out of the scene for a while only to reemerge playing even stronger.
I heard him again and got to know him when I started frequenting the Artists’ Quarter jazz club in St. Paul in the mid 90’s. I was blown away by his playing. I remember one night in particular, I had gone alone and sat at a table right by the piano for some “deep listening“. Bobby’s trio was playing “Autumn Leaves” and with each chorus he built on themes he introduced in the previous one. It was like hearing a swinging prelude and fugue being composed on the spot. One can hear that same inventiveness on this newly released recording.
In the release notes Jay Epstein says, “Gary and I started playing with Bobby in the 1970’s and were fortunate to have shared many electrifying nights on the bandstand with his scintillating musical spirit”.
In a social media post about this recording, Gary Raynor commented: “Bobby could make anyone of his “standmates “ play better, and more authentically, than we thought we could. It wasn’t just raising all boats; playing with Bobby was such an exhilarating, joyful experience. There’s probably an Einstein-ian mathematical formula for it, for the way it moves sound through the Universe, but we just called it Time and Groove. Bobby owned it and freely shared it with us.”
My impressions of the music:
As I mentioned, the opening track “Days Of Wine And Roses” is uptempo and easily justified the volcano image on the cover with the explosive and percussive piano play.
For the waltz, “Someday My Prince Will Come”, Bobby starts with a baroque motif in the intro and then moves to Bill Evans style voicing. As tempo increases so does the density of chords before breaking as Gary plays a nice Arco solo.
“Sometimes I’m Happy” is handled with joyous exuberance.
“I Got Rhythm” is brilliantly tackled at warp speed followed by a spellbinding rendition of “Isn’t It Romantic”. The ballad “Serenade In Blue” is probably my favorite track on the album. Bobby starts by exploring melody with fluidity like a gentle brook, and builds harmony like a mighty river.
The final track,”Chicago” is a burner that unfortunately was cut off abruptly. I don’t know if they ran out of tape or if the radio cut off at the end of the program’s allotted time.
The rest of the Trio:
Jay Epstein is a creative drummer and a busy one. He spent five years on the high seas playing in cruise ship bands and has performed with many jazz legends (including Barney Kessel, Sheila Jordan, Terry Gibbs, Claudio Roditi, JoAnne Brackeen, Ernie Watts, Karrin Allyson, Kenny Werner, Toots Thielemans, Avashai Cohen, Bob Dorough, Marc Ribot, and Sarah Vaughan). He currently works with the bands Red Planet, Framework, Firebell, and Tall Tales.
First call bassist Gary Raynor is also quite active in the local jazz scene. In addition to his jazz creds, his varied musical career includes recording two albums with Janet Jackson (“The Velvet Rope” and “Janet”), and the Guy’s All-Star Shoe Band on “A Prairie Home Companion” radio show (also appearing in the Robert Altman film of the same name).
Track Listing
- Days Of Wine And Roses (H. Mancini and J. Mercer) 7:01
- Someday My Prince Will Come (L.Morey, F.Churchill) 8:58
- Sometimes I’m Happy (V.Youmans, I.Caesar) 7:13
- I Got Rhythm (Gershwin, Gershwin) 4:54
- Isn’t It Romantic (R.Rogers, L.Hart) 08:23
- Serenade In Blue (H.Warren, M.Gordon) 07:19
- Chicago (Cut Off) (F.Fisher) 2:28
Bobby Peterson passed away from heart failure in 2002 at the age of 52 and it was quite a blow to his friends, family, and fans. He is still remembered fondly and missed dearly. I am glad we still have this music. He made a few other records including The Bobby Peterson Trio Live at the Artists’ Quarter in 2001 and Cool Streams from 1993: both are well worth seeking out. He appeared on many other albums as a sideman:
See https://www.discogs.com/artist/1020975-Bobby-Peterson.
Bobby Peterson with Gary Raynor and Jay Epstein Live at The Dakota St. Paul 1996 can be purchased at: https://jayepstein.bandcamp.com/album/bobby-peterson-gary-raynor-jay-epstein-live-at-the-dakota-1996
