Peter Lemer
Encyclopedia
Peter Lemer is an English
jazz
musician
. He worked with the Pete Lemer Quintet, Spontaneous Music Ensemble
, Annette Peacock
, Harry Beckett
, Gilgamesh
, Baker Gurvitz Army
, Seventh Wave
, Harry Beckett's Joy Unlimited, Pierre Moerlen's Gong
, Mike Oldfield
Group, In Cahoots
, Miller/Baker/Lemer. He currently works with In Cahoots, Peter Lemer Trio/Quartet, Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia, and the Peter Lemer-Billy Thompson Quartet and Duo.
in 1942. He studied piano and composition at the Royal Academy of Music
with Sven Weber and John Gardner
, privately with Thomas Rajna
, and then at workshops in London run by Jack Goldzweig (who had himself co-coached in NY with Mal Waldron
and John Mehegan
). Lemer then went to NY to study Double Bass with David Walter, attended workshops run by Bill Dixon
, and studied piano with Jaki Byard
and Paul Bley
.
and Jeff Clyne
, which opened the Little Theatre Club. In 1966, he formed the Peter Lemer Quintet, with Jon Hiseman
on drums, George Khan on tenor sax, John Surman
on Baritone Sax and Tony Reeves on bass. This band successfully played a season at Ronnie Scott's and helped to pave the way for the British free jazz movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s, along with the Mike Taylor
trio. It cut one LP, Local Colour which was engineered by Eddie Kramer
.
In 1969, Lemer worked with the Spontaneous Music Ensemble
, an experimental jazz group.
In that year, he also joined Barbara Thompson.
The relationship developed into Barbara forming Paraphernalia with husband Jon Hiseman.
Paraphernalia became the most frequently performing jazz-oriented group in Europe, and Peter was keyboardist for most of the years right up to the present, including 10 albums recorded live or at Barbara and Jon's Temple Music Studios.
In 1974, Lemer joined Gilgamesh and played several gigs and some BBC sessions. He subsequently became an in-demand session player.
In 1974, he joined Ken Elliot's Seventh Wave, a pioneer synthesiser-based rock band, appearing on their second album, Psi-Fi.
In 1975, he joined Ginger Baker
, Mr Snips, and The Gurvitz brothers in the 'Baker Gurvitz Army' - recording 'Elysian Encounter' .
In 1976, he joined Jan Dukes de Grey
briefly to record their final album, Strange Terrain. Although the album was recorded in 1976, it was only released in 2010.
In 1979, Lemer joined Mike Oldfield's fifty piece touring band as one of two keyboard players. This led to him guesting on Moerlen's album Time is the Key.
Lemer has done much recent work with the band In Cahoots
. With them, he played on the album Cutting Both Ways (1987) and toured Europe. He joined the band Paraphernalia in 1987 and played on the albums A Cry from the Heart (1987), Everlasting Flame (1993) and Shifting Sands.
Lemer again worked with In Cahoots. He played on the album Digging In (1991) and rejoined the band permanently in 1995. After two In Cahoots tours, Lemer devoted 1999 to touring with Paraphernalia in support of the album they had recently released. Paraphernalia is not currently touring while Barbara Thompson is fighting Parkinson's Disease.
He is now coaching piano, improvisation, music technology. He also plays with the Spanish Harlow Orchestra.
He is also actively involved in lobbying to end global hunger and participates as Group Leader with Results UK, the premier UK citizen advocacy group for children globally.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
. He worked with the Pete Lemer Quintet, Spontaneous Music Ensemble
Spontaneous Music Ensemble
The Spontaneous Music Ensemble was a loose collection of free improvising musicians convened beginning in the mid-1960s by the late South London-based jazz drummer/trumpeter John Stevens and alto and soprano saxophonist Trevor Watts...
, Annette Peacock
Annette Peacock
- Biography :Annette Peacock began composing at the age of four. Her mother was a violist in the San Diego and Philadelphia Philharmonic Orchestras....
, Harry Beckett
Harry Beckett
Harold Winston "Harry" Beckett was a British trumpeter and flugelhorn player.-Biography:A resident in the UK since 1954, Harry Beckett had an international reputation. In 1961, he played with Charles Mingus in the film All Night Long. In the 1960s he worked and recorded within the band of bass...
, Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh (band)
Gilgamesh were a British jazz fusion band in the 1970s led by keyboardist Alan Gowen, part of the Canterbury scene.-History:...
, Baker Gurvitz Army
Baker Gurvitz Army
Baker Gurvitz Army was an English rock group. Their self-titled debut album featured a blend of hard rock laced with Ginger Baker's drumming. The lengthy "Mad Jack" was that album's outstanding track, and the album hit the US Billboard 200 chart, and peaked at #22 in the UK Albums Chart...
, Seventh Wave
Seventh Wave (band)
Seventh Wave was a British psychedelic and progressive rock duo formed in the mid 1970s.The band was formed by Ken Elliot and Kieran O'Connor , both of whom had been members of earlier progressive rock groups, Second Hand and Chillum.Produced by future Motörhead producer Neil Richmond, and signed...
, Harry Beckett's Joy Unlimited, Pierre Moerlen's Gong
Pierre Moerlen's Gong
Pierre Moerlen's Gong is a jazz fusion outfit which is very different from the first incarnation of Gong, the psychedelic space-rock act led by Daevid Allen...
, Mike Oldfield
Mike Oldfield
Michael Gordon Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...
Group, In Cahoots
In Cahoots
In Cahoots is a Canterbury scene band led by guitarist Phil Miller, their main composer.The band was formed in November 1982 by Miller with Pip Pyle , Richard Sinclair and Elton Dean , as the Phil Miller Quartet. It was expanded to a quintet and given its definitive name when Peter Lemer joined...
, Miller/Baker/Lemer. He currently works with In Cahoots, Peter Lemer Trio/Quartet, Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia, and the Peter Lemer-Billy Thompson Quartet and Duo.
Early life and education
Peter Lemer was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1942. He studied piano and composition at the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
with Sven Weber and John Gardner
John Gardner
John Champlin Gardner, Jr. was an American novelist, essayist, literary critic and university professor. He is perhaps most noted for his novel Grendel, a retelling of the Beowulf myth from the monster's point of view....
, privately with Thomas Rajna
Thomas Rajna
Thomas Rajna is a Hungarian-born composer and pianist, domiciled in Cape Town in South Africa since 1970. He started to play the piano and compose at an early age and studied at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music where he won the Liszt Prize in 1947. That year he left Hungary to settle in London...
, and then at workshops in London run by Jack Goldzweig (who had himself co-coached in NY with Mal Waldron
Mal Waldron
Malcolm Earl Waldron was an American jazz and world music pianist and composer, born in New York City.Like his contemporaries, Waldron's roots lie chiefly in the hard bop and post-bop genres of the New York club scene of the 1950s; but with time, he gravitated more towards free jazz and composition...
and John Mehegan
John Mehegan
John Mehegan was an American jazz pianist, lecturer and critic.Mehegan was born in Wethersfield, Connecticut, and began playing the piano at the age of five. He taught himself to play by matching his fingers to the notes played on a neighborhood player piano. His mother gave him violin lessons,...
). Lemer then went to NY to study Double Bass with David Walter, attended workshops run by Bill Dixon
Bill Dixon
Bill Dixon was an American musician, composer, visual artist, and educator. Dixon was one of the seminal figures in the free jazz movement. He played the trumpet, flugelhorn, and piano, often using electronic delay and reverberation as part of his trumpet playing.-Biography:Dixon hailed from...
, and studied piano with Jaki Byard
Jaki Byard
Jaki Byard was an American jazz pianist and composer who also played trumpet and saxophone, among several other instruments. He was noteworthy for his eclectic style, incorporating everything from ragtime and stride to free jazz...
and Paul Bley
Paul Bley
Paul Bley, CM is a pianist known for his contributions to the free jazz movement of the 1960s as well as his innovations and influence on trio playing.-Biography:...
.
Career
In 1965 , he formed a trio with John StevensJohn Stevens (drummer)
John William Stevens was an English drummer. He was one of the most significant figures in early free improvisation, and a founding member of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble .-Biography:Stevens was born in Brentford, the son of a tap dancer...
and Jeff Clyne
Jeff Clyne
Jeffrey Ovid 'Jeff' Clyne was a British jazz bassist .-Biography:...
, which opened the Little Theatre Club. In 1966, he formed the Peter Lemer Quintet, with Jon Hiseman
Jon Hiseman
Jon Hiseman is an English drummer, recording engineer, record producer and music publisher.-Career:...
on drums, George Khan on tenor sax, John Surman
John Surman
John Douglas Surman is an English jazz saxophone, bass clarinet and synthesizer player, and composer of free jazz and modal jazz, often using themes from folk music as a basis...
on Baritone Sax and Tony Reeves on bass. This band successfully played a season at Ronnie Scott's and helped to pave the way for the British free jazz movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s, along with the Mike Taylor
Mike Taylor (musician)
Ronald Michael 'Mike' Taylor was a British jazz composer, pianist and co-songwriter for the band Cream.Born in Ealing, West London, Taylor was brought up by his grandparents in London and Kent, and joined the RAF for his national service...
trio. It cut one LP, Local Colour which was engineered by Eddie Kramer
Eddie Kramer
Edwin H. Kramer is an audio engineer and producer who has worked with, among others, Led Zeppelin, Triumph, Kiss , Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Spooky Tooth, Peter Frampton, Curtis Mayfield, Santana, Anthrax, Carly Simon, Loudness, and Robin Trower.-1960s:Eddie...
.
In 1969, Lemer worked with the Spontaneous Music Ensemble
Spontaneous Music Ensemble
The Spontaneous Music Ensemble was a loose collection of free improvising musicians convened beginning in the mid-1960s by the late South London-based jazz drummer/trumpeter John Stevens and alto and soprano saxophonist Trevor Watts...
, an experimental jazz group.
In that year, he also joined Barbara Thompson.
The relationship developed into Barbara forming Paraphernalia with husband Jon Hiseman.
Paraphernalia became the most frequently performing jazz-oriented group in Europe, and Peter was keyboardist for most of the years right up to the present, including 10 albums recorded live or at Barbara and Jon's Temple Music Studios.
In 1974, Lemer joined Gilgamesh and played several gigs and some BBC sessions. He subsequently became an in-demand session player.
In 1974, he joined Ken Elliot's Seventh Wave, a pioneer synthesiser-based rock band, appearing on their second album, Psi-Fi.
In 1975, he joined Ginger Baker
Ginger Baker
Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker is an English drummer, best known for his work with Cream and Blind Faith. He is also known for his numerous associations with World music, mainly the use of African influences...
, Mr Snips, and The Gurvitz brothers in the 'Baker Gurvitz Army' - recording 'Elysian Encounter' .
In 1976, he joined Jan Dukes de Grey
Jan Dukes de Grey
Jan Dukes de Grey is a short-lived Acid/Progressive folk and progressive rock band that was primarily active in the early 1970s. Despite a relatively meager total output and a lukewarm contemporary reception in terms of sales, the band has attracted a cult following and has seen a moderate revival...
briefly to record their final album, Strange Terrain. Although the album was recorded in 1976, it was only released in 2010.
In 1979, Lemer joined Mike Oldfield's fifty piece touring band as one of two keyboard players. This led to him guesting on Moerlen's album Time is the Key.
Lemer has done much recent work with the band In Cahoots
In Cahoots
In Cahoots is a Canterbury scene band led by guitarist Phil Miller, their main composer.The band was formed in November 1982 by Miller with Pip Pyle , Richard Sinclair and Elton Dean , as the Phil Miller Quartet. It was expanded to a quintet and given its definitive name when Peter Lemer joined...
. With them, he played on the album Cutting Both Ways (1987) and toured Europe. He joined the band Paraphernalia in 1987 and played on the albums A Cry from the Heart (1987), Everlasting Flame (1993) and Shifting Sands.
Lemer again worked with In Cahoots. He played on the album Digging In (1991) and rejoined the band permanently in 1995. After two In Cahoots tours, Lemer devoted 1999 to touring with Paraphernalia in support of the album they had recently released. Paraphernalia is not currently touring while Barbara Thompson is fighting Parkinson's Disease.
Present
Lemer's most recent albums include Players of Games recorded with Billy Thompson, Looking for Soup, All That with In Cahoots, and Never Say Goodbye recorded with Paraphernalia.He is now coaching piano, improvisation, music technology. He also plays with the Spanish Harlow Orchestra.
He is also actively involved in lobbying to end global hunger and participates as Group Leader with Results UK, the premier UK citizen advocacy group for children globally.
External links
- Source
- Cluzion Jazz Club's Myspace
- http://www.temple-music.com/
- http://www.billythompson.co.uk/
- http://www.results-uk.org/
- http://www.spanishharlow.co.uk/