Peter Coleman Epstein (born January 18, 1967) is an American jazz saxophonist.
Peter Epstein | |
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Birth name | Peter Coleman Epstein |
Born | Eugene, Oregon, U.S. | January 18, 1967
Genres | Avant-garde jazz, free jazz |
Occupation(s) | Musician, professor |
Instrument | Alto saxophone |
Years active | 1982–present |
Labels | M.A. Recordings, Songlines, Origin |
Website | peterepsteinmusic |
Biography
editEpstein learned clarinet as a youth from his father, Ed Epstein, who played saxophone, but picked up his father's instrument in his teens, playing in high school ensembles.[1] While attending the California Institute of the Arts, Epstein studied improvisation and composition with bassist Charlie Haden, flautist James Newton, and clarinetist John Carter, concurrently exploring West African music and dance, North and South Indian classical music and Balkan folk music.
He graduated from the California Institute of the Arts with a degree in music in 1992, then moved to Brooklyn, New York and has since appeared on more than 50 recordings and toured with Ralph Alessi, Michael Cain, Scott Colley, Jerry Granelli, Carola Grey, Bobby Previte, Brad Shepik, and Marcelo Zarvos.
Epstein was a founding member of the School for Improvisational Music in New York City and has taught workshops at universities, conservatories, and festivals around the United States (Eastman School of Music, California Institute of the Arts, New England Conservatory of Music) and the world (Nepal, India, Slovenia, Poland, Sweden, Germany, Portugal, Colombia).
He received his Master of Music Degree in Saxophone Performance from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2004. In 2007 Epstein became the director of Jazz & Improvisational Music and Associate Professor of Jazz Saxophone at University of Nevada, Reno.
Discography
editAs Leader
edit- Staring at the Sun (MA, 1997)
- Solus (solo) (MA, 1998)
- The Invisible (MA, 1999)
- Lingua Franca (with Brad Shepik and Brad Kilmer) (Songlines, 2005)
- Old School (MA, 2001)
- The Gadfly (as Bug)
- The Dark (with Larry Engstrom and David Ake) (Origin, 2010)
- Abstract Realism (Origin, 2010)
- Epstein Alliance (with brother, Ed) (Berno Records 2010)
- Polarities (with Ralph Alessi) (Songlines, 2014)
- Two Legs Bad (Shifting Paradigm Records, 2023)
As The Collective
edit- Boats (The Collective, 2003)
- Balance (The Collective, 2006)
- Once and Again (The Collective, 2008)
Bridges (Positone, 2013) Lake Effect (Positone, 2015)
With Ralph Alessi and Modular Theatre
edit- Hissy Fit (Love Slave, 1999)
- Open Season (RKM Music, 2008)
With Michael Cain
edit- Circa (ECM, 1997)
- Phfew (MA, 1998)
With James Carney Group
edit- Offset Rhapsody (Jacaranda Records, 1997)
- Green-Wood (Songlines, 2007)
- Ways and Means (Songlines, 2009)
With Jerry Granelli
edit- Enter, A Dragon (Songlines, 1998)
- Crowd Theory (Songlines, 1999)
With Carola Grey
edit- Noisy Mama (Jazzline, 1992)
- The Age of Illusions (Jazzline, 1994)
With Pete McCann
edit- Parable (Palmetto Records, 1998)
- You Remind Me of Someone (Palmetto Records, 2000)
With Joao Paulo
edit- O Exhilo (OA2, 2003)
- Almas (MA, 1999)
- Esquina (MA, 2000)
- Nascer (MA, 2001)
With Brad Shepik
edit- The Loan (Songlines, 1998)
- The Well (Songlines, 2000)
- Lingua Franca (Songlines, 2005)
With Marcelo Zarvos
edit- Dualism (MA, 1995)
- Labyrinths (MA, 1997)
- Music Journal (MA, 2000)
As Sideman
edit- Chris Dahlgren, Best Intentions (Koch Jazz, 2000)
- Nu Shooz, Kung Pao Kitchen (Nu Shooz, 2012)
- Chris Parker, Late in Lisbon (MA, 1999)
- Miroslav Tadic, Without Words (MA, 1992)
- David Tronzo, Crunch (Love Slave, 1999)
References
edit- ^ "Peter Epstein". The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. 2nd edition, ed. Barry Kernfeld.