Peter Erskine
One of the most skilled and versatile jazz drummers of his generation, Peter Erskine has anchored big bands, jazz-rock fusion ensembles, and his own small groups. As adept at sophisticated polyrhythms as he is at powerful, rippling solos, Erskine played with the Stan Kenton and Maynard Ferguson big bands before gaining widespread acclaim as a member of the iconic fusion band Weather Report in the '70s and '80s. He was also a member of the Brecker Brothers' adjacent Steps Ahead before embarking on a vibrant solo career with 1982's post-bop-oriented Peter Erskine. He has recorded for ECM, including albums with John Abercrombie, as well as with his trio with pianist John Taylor and bassist Palle Danielsson. Since founding his own Fuzzy Music, he has recorded regularly with his Dr. Um Band featuring keyboardist John Beasley, and collaborated on varied projects with Ron Carter, Alan Pasqua, and Danny Grissett, the latter of which joined him on 2024's Bernstein in Vienna.
Born in 1954 in Somers Point, New Jersey, Erskine began drumming at three, and participated in Stan Kenton's National Stage Band Camps from the age of six. He studied with Alan Dawson and Ed Soph, attending the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan and Indiana University. He played with Kenton from 1972 to 1975, then from 1976 to 1978 with Maynard Ferguson. From 1978 to 1982, Erskine was the main drummer and percussionist with Weather Report, appearing on such albums as Mr. Gone, 8:30, and Night Passage. He also did several West Coast sessions in the late '70s, including playing on albums by Joni Mitchell, Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Henderson, and Joe Farrell.
Returning to the East Coast, he joined Michael and Randy Brecker in the contemporary fusion group Steps and Steps Ahead, contributing to 1983's Steps Ahead, 1984's Modern Times, and 1986's Magnetic. During the '80s he also worked with John Scofield, Bob Mintzer, Lew Soloff, Mike Mandel, Kenny Werner, Stanley Jordan, and Ricki Lee Jones, among others.
As a leader, he debuted with Peter Erskine in 1982 on Contemporary, an engaging post-bop album that featured contributions by Michael and Randy Brecker, his fellow Steps Ahead bandmate Mike Mainieri, Kenny Kirkland, and others. He returned to a more fusion-informed style on 1986's Transition, the latter of which included his five-part, 22-minute "Suite: Music from Shakespeare's 'King Richard II'."
It was also during the late '80s that he developed a good relationship with ECM, collaborating on projects with Gary Peacock (Guamba), John Abercrombie (Getting There), and Marc Johnson (Bass Desires). Big Theatre, an album of percussion heavy music Erskine recorded for several theatrical productions of works by William Shakespeare arrived in 1990.
He made his ECM debut as leader with 1992's You Never Know, showcasing a trio with pianist John Taylor and bassist Palle Danielsson. Several more ECM dates featuring the trio followed, including 1995's As It Is and 1998's Juni. Also during the '90s, Erskine founded his own Fuzzy Music label, delivering such albums as 1995's From Kenton to Now with tenor saxophonist Richard Torres and 1998's Lava Jazz.
In the 2000s, Erskine continued to release albums via Fuzzy Music with 2002's Badlands, 2005's The Lounge Art Ensemble: Music for Moderns, and 2016's Dr. Um, which introduced his Dr. Um Band featuring keyboardist John Beasley. In 2017, Erskine reunited Beasley and the Dr. Um Band for Second Opinion, followed again in 2018 by On Call. That same year, he joined Ron Carter and Airto Moreira for Sides Of: Jazz.
Another Collaboration, Accidental Tourists: The Alaska Sessions with Markus Burger and Bob Magnusson appeared in 2019, followed by Live in Italy with the Dr. Um Band and a second concert album also recorded in Italy with pianist Alan Pasqua and bassist Darek Oles. Bernstein in Vienna, an exploration of the music of composer Leonard Bernstein, arrived in 2024 and captured Erskine's live performance with Danny Grissett and members of the Vienna JAM Music Lab University during his 2021 artist in residency at the Austrian school.
© Matt Collar /TiVo
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Discografía
46 álbum(es) • Ordenado por Mejores ventas
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Vienna to Hollywood: Impressions of E.W. Korngold & Max Steiner
Peter Erskine, JAM Music Lab All-Stars
Jazz - Editado por Origin Records el 20 nov. 2024
Disponible en24-Bit/96 kHz Estéreo -
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Turnage: Another Set-to, Silent Cities, Four-Horned Fandango & Fractured Lines
Leonard Slatkin, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Christian Lindberg, Evelyn Glennie, Peter Erskine
Clásica - Editado por Chandos el 1 oct. 2002
Disponible en24-Bit/96 kHz Estéreo -
Silence in Motion
Lucas Heidepriem, Peter Erskine, Johannes Schaedlich
Jazz - Editado por IN+OUT Records el 11 ago. 2015
Disponible en24-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Bulgaria (Bonus Track) (Live in Italy)
Jazz - Editado por Fuzzy Music LLC el 29 jul. 2022
Disponible en24-Bit/96 kHz Estéreo -
Old Spanish Song
Peter Erskine, JAM Music Lab All-Stars
Jazz - Editado por Origin Records el 10 ene. 2025
Disponible en24-Bit/96 kHz Estéreo -
March of the Merry Men
Peter Erskine, JAM Music Lab All-Stars
Jazz - Editado por Origin Records el 3 ene. 2025
Disponible en24-Bit/96 kHz Estéreo -
Los Angeles Takes
Wieland Welzel, Peter Erskine, Darek Oles
Jazz - Editado por wiwi music el 21 dic. 2024
Disponible en24-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Bass Desires
Marc Johnson, Bill Frisell, John Scofield, Peter Erskine
Jazz - Editado por ECM Records el 1 ene. 1985
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
November
John Abercrombie, Marc Johnson, Peter Erskine, John Surman
Jazz - Editado por ECM Records el 1 oct. 1993
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
As It Was - Old And New Masters Series
Peter Erskine, Palle Danielsson, John Taylor
Jazz - Editado por ECM Records el 17 jun. 2016
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Star
Jan Garbarek, Miroslav Vitous, Peter Erskine
Jazz - Editado por ECM Records el 1 ene. 1991
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
On Call
Jazz fusión & Jazz rock - Editado por Fuzzy Music LLC el 6 abr. 2018
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Bernstein in Vienna (Live)
Peter Erskine, JAM Music Lab All-Stars
Jazz - Editado por Origin Records el 19 ene. 2024
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Guamba
Gary Peacock, Jan Garbarek, Palle Mikkelborg, Peter Erskine
Jazz - Editado por ECM Records el 1 mar. 1987
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
My New Old Friend
Alan Pasqua, Darek Oleszkiewicz, Peter Erskine
Jazz - Editado por Cryptogramophone el 1 ene. 2006
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Trace Elements
Paolo Di Sabatino, Janek Gwizdala, Peter Erskine
Jazz contemporáneo - Editado por Irma Records el 9 sept. 2014
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Turnage / Scofield: Scorched
John Scofield, John Patitucci, Peter Erskine, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, hr-Bigband, Hugh Wolff
Clásica - Editado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) el 1 ene. 2003
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Free Spirit
Peter Erskine, Lennart Aberg, Palle Mikkelborg
Jazz - Editado por Amigo el 18 oct. 2006
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Sketches
Vince Mendoza, Wolfgang Niedecken , Peter Erskine, Dieter Ilg
Jazz - Editado por ACT Music el 1 ene. 1993
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Kayak
Jazz - Editado por Detroit Music Factory el 2 sept. 2014
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo