If Peter Erskine isn’t careful, he’s going to start giving jazz, musicians a good name. I mean, we all know about the reputation jazz players have with the general public, right? The stereotypical jazzer is perceived to be a sullen, somber and solitary figure.You can spot jazz musicians immediately: they lend to look melancholy, undernourished, and their eyes have the look of those who are more at home in dimly lit, smoke-filled nightclubs than out in the sunshine and fresh air. So what’s with this guy Erskine? How dare he be so healthy; so positive; so happy. If the average person were to encounter a smiling Peter Erskine bopping down the sidewalk in his baseball cap, I doubt if it would occur to that per­son that Peter is a jazz musician. There’s just something too wholesome about him. Doesn’t he care about his image? To hell with image—all that matters […]

December 2021 Issue