Remembering the Great Ralph Peterson

photo by Steven Sussman

I first encountered the dynamic presence of hard-swinging drummer-bandleader Ralph Peterson at one of his regular Fo’tet gigs at Sweet Basil in the late ‘80s. Ten years later, when Michael Brecker was going out on a European tour in the summer of ‘98 and needed to find a sub for Jeff “Tain” Watts, I recommended Peterson. Mike later called to report how thrilled he was at the chemistry he and Ralph forged on the bandstand during that tour. Here’s a clip of them playing “Madame Toulouse” from Brecker’s 1998 album Two Blocks From the Edge at the Estival Jazz Lugano.

The following year, Michael guested on Peterson’s 1999 album, Back to Stay, performing on the gorgeous ballad “Soul Eyes,” which also features Ralph playing trumpet . (Yes, he was a doubler. In fact, I remember seeing him doing a Hip Pocket gig at Tramps where he played exclusively pocket trumpet).

I did liner notes for Ralph over the years and was thrilled to catch him at The Side Door in Old Lyme, CT on Oct. 13, 2018 leading the Messenger Legacy Band (with saxophonists Bobby Watson and Bill Pierce, trumpeter Brian Lynch, pianist Geoffrey Keezer and bassist Essiet Okon Essiet). That gig was documented on Legacy: Alive Vol 6 At The Side Door.

Ralph played mightily that unforgettable night in 2018, showing no signs of his ongoing struggle with cancer. And he fought it hard, with the mindset of a heavyweight boxing champion going into the ring every day to do battle. And though he had already been diagnosed in 2015 and was determined to win this fight, Peterson finally succumed to cancer on March 1, 2021 at age 58.

In reflecting on Ralph today, in what would’ve been his 64th birthday, I think back to that day I spent with him in Boston during a summer session for the incoming freshmen at the Berklee College of Music for a Downbeat feature story (December 2018 issue). Here it is: