Leitch, Peter

Leitch, Peter, hard-bop guitarist; b. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Aug. 19, 1944. He was born while his parents were in the air force. Following World War II, the family settled in Montreal, where Peter saw Coltrane, Wes Montgomery, and Monk perform. He played with R&B groups, organ bands, and back-up groups for all kinds of entertainers, and traveled from one small town to another. In 1973-74 he moved to Quebec City to do a television show. In 1975, he returned to Montreal, then moved to Toronto in about 1976, and then to N.Y. in late 1982, where he has remained. Most of his recordings feature his long-time rhythm section of pianist John Hicks, Ray Drummond, and Smitty Smith. He has recorded or performed with Oscar Peterson, Milt Jackson, Al Grey and Jimmy Forrest, and Woody Shaw and Pepper Adams. In the mid-1990s, he led the group Guitars Play Mingus. He has also been an artist-in-residence and led clinics at several university jazz programs. He plays a Zoller guitar, which is a big hollow-bodied instrument made by the Hoffher and designed by Atilla Zoller. It is one of only two such models in existence (the other is owned by Jimmy Raney).

Discography

Jump Street (1981); Exhilaration (1984); Red Zone (1984); On a Misty Night (1986); Mean What You Say (1990); Portraits and Dedications (1990); Trio/Quartet ’91 (1991); From Another Perspective (1992); A Special Rapport (1993); Duality (1995); Colours and Dimensions (1996); Up Front (1997).

—Lewis Porter