HI-RES PHOTOS
PRESS QUOTES
"I’ve been entirely impressed by [Pete's] playing: light yet forceful, tasty yet explosive when needed. Pete listens and responds in the most heartening ways, and he makes soloists and ensembles soar with subtle, sonically varied playing. When he’s given a chorus or two on his own, his solos have shape and flavor."
Michael Steinman
"The Pete Siers Trio’s is likely to knock you on your ass. Pete’s extraordinary command of the drum kit is the direct result of a lifelong devotion to Krupa and a sanguine pantheon of drummers from all over the traditional spectrum. Watching him at work is always a gas. The overall effect is that of a vitamin shot and several deep breaths of fresh night air garnished with black coffee and tiramisu. For selection, interpretation, inspiration, and sheer musicianship, what the Pete Siers Trio has given us here is an exceptionally wonderful offering."
Arwulf Arwulf
"This trio has undergone years of crafting, studying, perfecting, and performing these tunes; they eloquently proved their mastery over each and every one. Each member of the group exerts a ferocious amount of energy, matching the thrill of big band stylings. The Pete Siers Trio speaks to listeners with a multitude of great rhythms and general musicality. This is what draws in young, old, jazzers, hip-hoppers, funk groovers, rappers, and trappers. The Pete Siers Trio has created a gem for all to behold."
Hannon Hylkema, The Communicator
FLEA CIRCUS PRESS
This is an extraordinary new CD — the third in a series of duets between master drummer / washboardist Pete Siers and stellar pianist / vocalist Carl Sonny Leyland. And before you read another word from me, here is the Bandcamp link where you can purchase a download of this stirring music for about the price of a fancy coffee or a two-pound bag of organic carrots. (Other financial yardsticks are there for the imaginative to invent.)
I will only say that I was first dazzled by the swinging creative Mr. Siers in September 2004, when I attended my first Jazz at Chautauqua, and heard his beat (irresistible) and his sound-palette (apparently limitless). He is a percussionist who plays “for the comfort of the band,” as did the great forbears. I encountered the Rev. Leyland later, perhaps in 2011, but he made an impact on me that I have not forgotten: his mastery of the piano, his awareness of the joy to be found in playing and singing the saddest music as well as the most jubilant. Both men are irreplaceable soloists but they understand community deeply, so their duet is more than the sum of two organic entities: they are a portable orchestra that can occupy a two-top at the diner, so remarkable.
Self-care is more than the right moisturizer, so consider a careful purchase of this music and let it help you go aloft. And the legal shrubbery at the start was entirely necessary. You could hurt yourself while having an unrestrained personal festival. Swing out, buy hold on to the banisters.
JAZZ LIVES | April 30th, 2024