Jack Petersen (guitarist)
Encyclopedia
Collegiate Jazz Educator
Jazz Educator
Composer
Pianist
Arranger
Clinician
College
and University
Affiliations
Berklee (1963–65)
North Texas
(1970s-88)
North Florida
(1988–1999)
|}
Jazz Educator
Composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
Arranger
Arranger
In investment banking, an arranger is a provider of funds in the syndication of a debt. They are entitled to syndicate the loan or bond issue, and may be referred to as the "lead underwriter". This is because this entity bears the risk of being able to sell the underlying securities/debt or the...
Clinician
and University
Affiliations
North Texas
University of North Texas
The University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
(1970s-88)
North Florida
University of North Florida
The University of North Florida is a public university located in Jacksonville, Florida. A member institution of the State University System of Florida, the university is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate, master’s...
(1988–1999)
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Jack Leroy Petersen (born 25 Oct 1933 Elk City, Oklahoma
Elk City, Oklahoma
Elk City is a city in Beckham County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 11,693 at the 2010 census. Elk City is located on Interstate 40 and Historic U.S. Route 66 in Western Oklahoma, approximately west of Oklahoma City and east of Amarillo....
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz guitarist, pianist, composer, arranger, music publisher, music clinician, and renowned pioneer in jazz education
Jazz Education
- Non-academic :* ca. 1890: Jenkins Orphanage Bands. The Rev. Daniel Joseph Jenkins established an orphanage in Charleston, South Carolina.* 1890s: Alpha Cottage School An orphanage in Kingston, Jamaica offering a music programme....
who revolutionized guitar education. He was a pedagogical architect for jazz guitar
Jazz guitar
The term jazz guitar may refer to either a type of guitar or to the variety of guitar playing styles used in the various genres which are commonly termed "jazz"...
and jazz improvisation
Jazz improvisation
Jazz improvisation is an important aspect of jazz. Basically, improvisation is composing on the spot and coming up with melodies off the top of one's head. Traditionally, jazz improvisation was distinguished from other forms of music improvisation by its chordal complexity, often exhibiting ii V...
at three institutions of higher learning:
- First full-time jazz guitar teacher at the Berklee College of MusicBerklee College of MusicBerklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
(1962-65 – Inaugural Chair, Guitar Department)
- Longstanding and influential jazz guitar artist in residence at the University of North Texas College of MusicUniversity of North Texas College of MusicThe University of North Texas College of Music, based in Denton, is a comprehensive music school with the largest enrollment of any music institution accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music, and the oldest in the world offering a degree in jazz studies...
(1976-88 – Resident Artist, Jazz Guitar, Improv).
- Joining his close colleague, Rich MattesonRich MattesonRich A. Matteson, was an American jazz artist, collegiate music educator, international jazz clinician, big band leader, and jazz composer/arranger...
, who was recruited from North Texas to build a new program at the University of North FloridaUniversity of North FloridaThe University of North Florida is a public university located in Jacksonville, Florida. A member institution of the State University System of Florida, the university is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate, master’s...
focusing on jazz, Petersen built a jazz guitar program (1988–1995; fully retiring 1999 – Resident Artist and Associate Professor).
Family background
His father, Harold Petersen (Apr. 24, 1904, Beemer, NE – Dec 28, 1971, Denton, TX) had worked for LTVLing-Temco-Vought
Ling-Temco-Vought was a large U.S. conglomerate which existed from 1969 to 2000. At its peak, its component parts were involved in the aerospace industry, electronics, steel manufacturing, sporting goods, the airline industry, meat packing, car rentals and pharmaceuticals, among other...
and his mother, Effie Ellen Peterson, née Smith (Jul. 7, 1900, Hammon, OK – May 29, 1974, Denton, TX) had worked at Russel-Newman Manufacturing Company for 19 years.
When Jack Petersen was 5, his family moved to Denton, TX. He began playing guitar when he was 16 (about 1949), his initial influence being Western Swing
Western swing
Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands...
.
Early guitar education
Petersen won a course in guitar from a radio contest. The teacher was Bob HamesBob Hames
Robert "Bob" Earl Hames was an American jazz guitarist best known for being a staff guitarist for live productions at WFAA-TV in the early 1950s...
, an ex-GI attending North Texas
University of North Texas
The University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
from Wolfe City, TX. Hames introduced Petersen – and Petersen's friend, Dick Crockett – to jazz recordings of Karl Kress, Tal Farlow
Tal Farlow
Talmage Holt Farlow was an American jazz guitarist. Nicknamed the "Octopus", Farlow's extremely large hands spread over the fretboard as if they were tentacles. He is considered one of the all-time great jazz guitarists. Michael G...
, Chuck Wayne
Chuck Wayne
Chuck Wayne was a jazz guitarist who came to prominence in the 1940s. He is best known for his work with Woody Herman's First Herd, and for being the first guitarist in the George Shearing quintet...
, Herb Ellis
Herb Ellis
Mitchell Herbert "Herb" Ellis was an American jazz guitarist. Perhaps best known for his 1950s membership in the trio of pianist Oscar Peterson, Ellis was also a staple of west-coast studio recording sessions, and was described by critic Scott Yanow as "an excellent bop-based guitarist with a...
, Barney Kessel
Barney Kessel
Barney Kessel was an American jazz guitarist born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA. Generally considered to be one of the greatest jazz guitarists of the 20th century, he was noted in particular for his vast knowledge of chords and inversions and chord-based melodies...
, Barry Galbraith
Barry Galbraith
Joseph Barry Galbraith was an American jazz guitarist.Galbraith moved to New York City from Vermont early in the 1940s and found work playing with Babe Russin, Art Tatum, Red Norvo, Hal McIntyre, and Teddy Powell...
, Remo Palmieri, Oscar Moore
Oscar Moore
Oscar Moore was an American swing jazz guitarist.Moore was an integral part of the Nat King Cole Trio during 1937–1947, appearing on virtually all of Cole's records during the period. A superb and influential guitarist, Moore was himself influenced by Charlie Christian...
, and Charlie Christian
Charlie Christian
Charles Henry "Charlie" Christian was an American swing and jazz guitarist.Christian was an important early performer on the electric guitar, and is cited as a key figure in the development of bebop and cool jazz. He gained national exposure as a member of the Benny Goodman Sextet and Orchestra...
.
During Petersen's high school years, he and his friend, Dick Crockett, spent a lot of time listening to the North Texas Lab Bands and many small groups that appeared on campus. Petersen graduated from Denton High School 1951.
U.S. Army
In 1955, Petersen enlisted in the Army to perform with the 8th US Army Band in Seoul, Korea. While in in Seoul, Petersen met a lot of musicians and played 11 gigsGig (musical performance)
Gig is slang for a musical engagement in which musicians are hired. Originally coined in the 1920s by jazz musicians, the term, short for the word "engagement", now refers to any aspect of performing such as assisting with performance and attending musical performance...
a week.
College
After leaving the Army, Petersen attended North TexasUniversity of North Texas
The University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
to study music, playing cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
and double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
in the orchestra and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
in the jazz ensemble where he collaborated closely with faculty members Gene Hall
Gene Hall
Morris Eugene Hall was a music educator, saxophonist, and arranger, most known for creating and presiding over the first academic curriculum leading to a bachelors degree in jazz at an institution of higher learning, being at the University of North Texas College of Music Morris Eugene Hall (aka...
and Floyd Graham.
While North Texas was the first university in the world to offer an academic degree in jazz (1947 – the degree was originally called "dance band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
"), talented jazz artists, like Petersen, commonly did not finish degrees, despite having the camaraderie of music students with amazing musical talent.
In the 50s, the jazz and popular music profession did not place much value on college degrees. In academia at other universities, a degree in jazz had limited use. Even until the 80s, some universities with reputable music schools banned jazz. Even today, in the jazz and popular music profession, having performed with the One O'Clock Lab Band
One O'Clock Lab Band
The One O’Clock Lab Band for years has been the premier ensemble of the Jazz Studies Division at the University of North Texas College of Music in Denton. The band has performed and toured abroad in Australia, Canada, England, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway,...
has similar cachet as having won a European Music Conservatory First Prize. North Texas has always been a magnet for young talented musicians. Many jazz students, especially in the early days, viewed North Texas more like a music conservatory, avoiding non-music core academics of universities.
Building upon his scholastic days, Petersen was proficient in double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
, cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
, and piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, all of which gave him strong sight reading
Sight reading
Sight-reading is the reading and performing of a piece of written music, specifically when the performer has not seen it before. Sight-singing is often used to describe a singer who is sight-reading.-Sight-reading:...
skills, a highly differentiating competitive edge for guitarists of the day who were earning money playing for others. Sight reading
Sight reading
Sight-reading is the reading and performing of a piece of written music, specifically when the performer has not seen it before. Sight-singing is often used to describe a singer who is sight-reading.-Sight-reading:...
and being able to maneuver sophisticated jazz chord progressions (beyond blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, pentatonic, and classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
) made Petersen a highly sought-after guitarist in recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
s, with big bands, and with high-profile artists and entertainers who had little time to teach parts to sidemen.
Family
- 1960 — Petersen married Shirley Ann Wilkinson of Dallas, September 18.
- Early 1960s — Having divorced his first wife, Petersen, while at Berklee, met and married Claudette Elizabeth Lemire (b. approx 1938), who, at the time, had been a secretary at Berklee. Jack and Claudette had two children:
- Cheryl A. Petersen (b. Boston, MA) now of Palm Coast, FL
- Scott Petersen (b 1970, Dallas, TX) aka Catharsis, is an electronic music recording artist, studio engineer, DJ, and member of PC Synergy, a group signed with Om RecordsOm RecordsOm Records is a US-based record label, established in 1995, which releases electronic music, dance music, and hip hop. The label was founded in San Francisco in 1995 by Chris Smith. Om Records releases both artist albums and various compilations. Some of the most notable compilations include Om...
and Scott's own imprint partnership, Soul Support Recordings, with engineer Phil Green of Greenteam Media Inc. Publisher Greentiger Publishing ASCAP
Career
Demand for Petersen's talent as a guitarist lured him away from college before he finished his degree, but he never lost contact with or mutual admiration for his collegiate mentors. Some say that, despite having no degree, Petersen's early influences from North Texas gave him the talent, vision, inspiration, and connections to make jazz guitar a highly respected discipline at major academic institutions of higher learning. Petersen laid foundations at three such institutions for future generations of guitarists to emerge well rounded in music and with academic diplomas.- 1957 — Petersen joined the Hal McIntyreHal McIntyreHal McIntyre was an American saxophonist, clarinetist, and bandleader....
Orchestra on September 8, 1957, in Knoxville, Tennessee, for its upcoming European tour.
- 1958–62 — Petersen was a Dallas studio musician recording jingles, first as a guitarist and sometimes pianist, then as producer, composer. Much of the work was making IDs for radio stations all over the country. Petersen once remarked in an interview that people don't realize the work that goes into it — "In 20 seconds, you've got to write a whole symphony".
- 1960 — Gene Hall recruited Petersen to teach with him at Stan Kenton Band ClinicsStan Kenton Band ClinicsStan Kenton Band Clinics were summer programs founded by Stan Kenton in 1959. Kenton conceived the idea out of concern that education of jazz and all its forms were not reaching teenagers who showed signs of interest in it...
. As of 1977, Petersen has been with Stan Kenton Band Clinics for some 17 years.
- 1962 — Petersen accepted an invitation by Lawrence Berk, founder of BerkleeBerklee College of MusicBerklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
, to design and chair the first formal guitar curriculum at Berklee College of MusicBerklee College of MusicBerklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
. Berk discovered Petersen through his affiliation with the Stan Kenton Band ClinicsStan Kenton Band ClinicsStan Kenton Band Clinics were summer programs founded by Stan Kenton in 1959. Kenton conceived the idea out of concern that education of jazz and all its forms were not reaching teenagers who showed signs of interest in it...
.
- 1965 — Petersen returned to Dallas because of high demand to work as a performer and studio musician. While in Dallas, Jack and Claudette had a son — Scott Alan Petersen (b. July 9, 1970, Dallas County, TX, now of Orlando, FL).
- Mid-1970s — Leon Breeden invited Petersen to develop the jazz guitar program at North Texas. Petersen, with jazz pianist Dan Haerle, helped lead a jazz improv curriculum that Rich MattesonRich MattesonRich A. Matteson, was an American jazz artist, collegiate music educator, international jazz clinician, big band leader, and jazz composer/arranger...
had revamped.
- 1974 — Petersen, along with Rich MattesonRich MattesonRich A. Matteson, was an American jazz artist, collegiate music educator, international jazz clinician, big band leader, and jazz composer/arranger...
and Phil WilsonPhil WilsonPhil Wilson may refer to:Musicians*Phil Wilson , singer with The June Brides and solo artist*Phil Wilson , American jazz trombonist and educator*Phillip Wilson , American jazz drummerPoliticians...
, founded the music publishing company, Outrageous Mother, Inc., a Texas corporation, to distribute their arrangements.
- 1988 — Matteson recruited Petersen, his longtime colleague, to build a jazz guitar program. Rich Matteson, who had been teaching jazz at the University of North Texas for 13 years, was recruited in 1986 by the University of North FloridaUniversity of North FloridaThe University of North Florida is a public university located in Jacksonville, Florida. A member institution of the State University System of Florida, the university is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate, master’s...
to build program focusing on America's legacy in music, jazz. Petersen taught at UNF as resident artist and associate professor until his retirement in 1995, retiring fully in 1999.
- 2003 — Petersen moved to Prescott, AZ, and performs regularly, particularly as guest artist and clinician around the country.
Guitar lab innovation
While at Berklee, Petersen introduced a guitar lab concept that transformed guitar education, particularly jazz guitar, with respect to sight readingSight reading
Sight-reading is the reading and performing of a piece of written music, specifically when the performer has not seen it before. Sight-singing is often used to describe a singer who is sight-reading.-Sight-reading:...
and with respect to accommodating large numbers of guitar students. He created a big band composed of 12 guitars in three units of four – one unit would cover the woodwinds of a big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
, one would cover the trombones, and one would cover the trumpets. The guitar players read single notes, just like horn players — no chords. Later, Petersen helped his colleague at North Texas, Rich Matteson
Rich Matteson
Rich A. Matteson, was an American jazz artist, collegiate music educator, international jazz clinician, big band leader, and jazz composer/arranger...
develop a similar concept for low brass, creating a big band composed solely of low brass instruments. The Matteson-Phillips Tubajazz Consort
Matteson-Phillips Tubajazz Consort
Matteson-Phillips Tubajazz Consort is a US big band scored for low brass instruments – trombones, euphoniums, and tubas – performed by artists who are renowned in jazz or classical or both.-History:...
was composed mostly of renown professional artists and educators.
Former students
BERKLEENORTH TEXAS
University of North Texas
The University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
NORTH FLORIDA
University of North Florida
The University of North Florida is a public university located in Jacksonville, Florida. A member institution of the State University System of Florida, the university is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate, master’s...
Instruments
Petersen's primary jazz guitar is a Benedetto Fratello Archtop.Benedetto Guitars