October gigs

I played two concerts this month, both on bass guitar. One was a corporate gig at the Hamm Building in Saint Paul, with Paul Renz and Eric Heegaard on guitar, Todd Tanji on trumpet, Lisa Meyer on keys, and Jessie Lemeister on drums. We played many original compositions by Lisa, as well as jazz standards. The other was a benefit for the West Bank School of Music in Minneapolis, with Paul Renz on guitar, Jessie Lesmester on drums and Robert Tess on piano. We played three songs: "Blue Bossa", "It's a Stretch" ( a Lisa Meyer original), and "Autumn Leaves." I used my Parker Fly bass for both gigs - excellent! - played through an SWR amp. Butch Thompson closed the show with some great piano solos by Fats Waller and Jelly Roll Morton.

Jazzkickers gig for Employee Giving Campaign

On September 16, the Jazzkickers played two gigs at the West facility in Eagan, MN. Tunes included "Sweet Georgia Bright", "Corcovado", "Equinox", "Angel Eyes", and "Black Orpheus". Many thanks to all who turned out to support us and the Employee Giving Campaign.

Summer gigs

A catch up posting and a retrospective on the summer's gigs. In July, I played my Les Paul with the Jazzkickers on the Tech Terrace at West Publishing in Eagan. I never find it easy to get a good sound in the open air, and this gig was no exception. I made the mistake of putting an amplifier down on a concrete floor, which leads to all kinds of harsh reflections. Next time, I'm getting the amp up on a stand, or at least on a mat of some kind. Musician's Friend sells a pretty nice sound insulating mat that has the footprint of most medium size amps. Everyone else sounded good, with Carmin Pluntz on sax, Tim Wick on keys, Steven Proper on bass, and Gary Berosik on drums. I also played at the University Club of Saint Paul with Steve Klein on sax, Ron Peterson on keys, Bruce Morrow on bass and Mike Hachey on drums.

Spring gigs

I didn't play out much in March, thanks to bad weather, flu, and a hectic travel schedule. However, April 1st I did play the University Club of St. Paul with Carmin Pluntz (sax), Ron Peterson (piano), Bruce Morrow (bass), and Mike Hachey (drums). Other musical events included Dennis Spears' birthday bash at the Dakota, and a couple of Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra concerts: Benjamin Britten's War Requiem at the Ordway and an afternoon of Gluck, Benda and Mozart at Ted Mann Hall.

Gigging at the Speakeasy

Played the Speak Easy February 5th with Melanie Marrow (vocals), Sarah Sty (keybds), Jeff Jones (bass), Paul Renz (guitar), and Jesse Lesmeister (drums). Songs were "Blues In The Closet"; "Yardbird Suite"; "Don't Get Around Much Anymore"; "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat"; "It Don't Mean A Thing"; "Since I Fell For You"; "Autumn Leaves" and "Twisted." I played my new Les Paul Elegant through a Fender 63 Reissue Vibroverb. Upcoming gigs at the Speak Easy are March 12 and April 16. The Speak Easy is located in the Lyn-Lake area of Minneapolis behind the 3 Muses restaurant at 2817 Lyndale Ave S.

Guitar acquisition syndrome and other ailments

I recently moved into a new house and collected all my musical instruments in one place for the first time. What a shock! I have a 31' x 26' basement studio, and it's now filled with 15 electric guitars, 5 acoustic guitars, 10 electric basses, 2 acoustic basses, 4 mandolins, a banjo, 4 Roland keyboards, a Vox organ, a Moog Rogue, a Fender Rhodes Piano Bass, a Novation Bass Station, and a piano accordion. I feel like a glutton owning all these instruments, but I can't bear to part with any of them. Highlights of my collection are a Gibson Les Paul Elegant, a Custom Shop 335, a Martin D-35, and a Parker Fly bass. I have a bunch of amps also, pride of place going to two custom-built tone monsters from Savage Audio, a Macht 12 and a Rohr 15.

First gig of the year

Played University Club of Saint Paul on January 7th with Melanie Marrow (vocals), Ron Peterson (electric piano), Bruce Morrow (upright electric bass), Mike Hachey (drums), and self (electric guitar). Songs included "Why Don't You Do Right?" (a.k.a. The Jessica Rabbit Song); "Autumn Leaves"; "Smile" (a Charlie Chaplin song); "Since I Fell For You"; and "Summertime". I played lead on some instrumentals to round out the evening, including "Four" (nice Miles Davis tune); "Wave" (my favorite Jobim samba); and a few blues standards.

Introduction

My name's Peter Jackson and music has been my hobby since age 13. I've been playing guitar for 40 years, bass for 10 years, and keyboards for 2 years. I also take an interest in the local jazz and classical music scene in the Twin Cities.

Recent performance and recording activities:

Since moving to the United States from Scotland 15 years ago, I've played in a rock band (Memphis Underground, Saint Louis), a mandolin ensemble (Minnesota Mandolin Orchestra), and a couple of jazz line-ups in Minneapolis-Saint Paul. I also played bass guitar on the Hurricane album by Tom and Cathy Plantenberg, and was an executive producer on the second Dennis Spears album Why Try to Change Me Now? along with my wife, Sandra Browning. I currently play at the University Club of Saint Paul with the Mike Hachey Band, and at the Speakeasy with a Paul Renz ensemble class out of the West Bank School of Music.

Other musical activities:

I recently joined the Board of Directors of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. The SPCO is the nation’s only full-time professional chamber orchestra and is widely regarded as one of the finest chamber orchestras in the world. I'm proud to be associated with this great group of musicians.

Feel free to visit my music home page.