Peter Eldridge

Peter Eldridge belongs in the celebrated tradition of melodic poets, most famously represented by such disparate voices as Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, and Steely Dan -- singer/songwriters who write catchy, beautiful tunes with insightful lyrics that are both personal and universal. These are some of Eldridge's major influences, but by adding his own brand of wry, gentle humor and a strong jazz sensibility, he creates music that's difficult to file under any one genre. Combining elements of jazz, pop, R&B, rock, soul, and Latin music, his style flows from the message and mood of any individual song, although his harmonic signatures remain unique and readily identifiable. An accomplished keyboardist, arranger, and producer, Eldridge has been on the jazz vocal faculty of the Manhattan School of Music since 1993, and also teaches privately (one of his students was Jane Monheit, whom he taught for four years before she became a finalist in the 1999 Thelonius Monk competition). He first came to international attention as a jazz/pop singer with a warm and supple voice and a relaxed, engaging stage presence; a founding member of the Grammy-winning New York Voices, Eldridge has been touring and recording with the group since 1987, performing in Europe and Japan as well as stateside venues such as Carnegie Hall and The Kennedy Center. He has worked or recorded with Nancy Wilson, Joshua Redman, Bobby McFerrin, Patti Austin, Ray Brown, the Count Basie Band, Jim Hall, Astrud Gilberto, and George Benson, among others, and performs independently with percussionist/co-producer Ben Wittman to a fast-growing fan base in the New York area. Eldridge was incubated in a musical family -- his father played upright bass with Benny Goodman. He began piano studies...