Peter Erskine (1954)
The first time I saw and heard Peter Erskine, he was playing with Maynard Ferguson. The gig was at Walt Disney World, maybe one of their “Theme Park” jazz events. Maynard was flying high with his successful Rocky theme song. I enjoyed Peter’s playing with that band. He was solid, loud and very energized. He was playing a Slingerland drumset.
I never saw him with Weather Report. The videos of him playing during that period are very good. I enjoyed his style for the Maynard and Weather Report gigs.
The next time I saw him, he was giving a drum clinic in the early 80s. It was sponsored by Yamaha and Zildjian. His playing and energy was different. I took my friend, teacher, Tommy Thomas (1901-1995)
For the clinic, two Orlando musicians were hired to play with Peter. Ron Miller on bass, Rich Shemaria on piano. Rich had several of his 10 page charts for them to sight-read and perform. Peter’s reading was impressive.
I saw Peter play again in Tampa with the John Abercrombie trio. Mark Johnson was playing acoustic bass. During my stint as a music manufacturers representative, my Los Angeles, NAMM visits, I saw him play on several occasions.
My favorite recording in his discography is the 1991 ECM project, Star, with Jan Garbarek and Miroslav Vitous.
His skills as an entrepreneur are well noted as an endorser of many product lines.