Peter Appleyard
Encyclopedia
Peter Appleyard, is a Canadian
jazz
vibraphonist
, percussionist, and composer
of English
birth. He has spent most of his life living and performing in the city of Toronto
where for many years he was a highly popular performer in the city's nightclubs and hotels. He also played and recorded with many of the city's orchestras and been featured on a number of Canadian television and radio programs. In the early 1970s he drew wide acclaim for his performances with Benny Goodman
's jazz sextet with which he toured internationally. In 1992, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
in recognition of his being an "internationally renowned vibraphonist [who] has represented the Canadian jazz community across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Australia".
, Appleyard became apprenticed to a nautical instrument maker after being forced to leave school due to economical reasons related to the Second World War. At that time the popularity of American Big Band
music was growing in England, particularly through a major influx in big band recordings from America by jazz legends like Benny Goodman
, Duke Ellington
, and Count Basie
. These recordings had a strong influence on Appleyard and he decided to pursue a career as a jazz musician. He began his career in the early 1940s playing in the Boys Brigade, a youth organization. He went on to perform as a drummer in several other British dance band
s during the 1940s and, while a member of the Royal Air Force
during in the mid 1940s, played in RAF bands.
department store. He began studying music with Gordon Delamont
and soon thereafter began playing the vibraphone in concerts with Billy O'Connor in the early 1950s. From 1954-1956 he played with a band at the Park Plaza Hotel and made numerous appearances on CBC Radio
with jazz pianist Calvin Jackson
. He formed his own jazz ensemble in 1957 which performed not only in Toronto but also toured throughout North America and appeared on American television during the 1960s. Among the ensemble's original members was pianist and arranger Jimmy Dale
. The group notably accompanied singer Gloria DeHaven
for a year.
From 1961-1962 Appleyard was co-hosted with singer Patti Lewis the CBC Radio program Patti and Peter. He spent most of the mid 1960s on the road touring. In the late sixties, he ceased his busy touring schedule and returned to Toronto on a more permanent basis. He began playing once more at the Park Plaza Hotel. In 1969 he co-hosted the program Mallets and Brass with Guido Basso
for CBC TV. In addition he began studying timpani and percussion and extended his musical expertise substantially.
's jazz sextet. With the group he toured in Europe in 1972 and 1974 and in Australia in 1973. Afterwords, he played only periodially with the group for the remainder of the decade, notably playing three performances with the ensemble at Carnegie Hall
in the mid to late 1970s. During these years he continued to live in Toronto where he remained a popular performer in nightclubs and hotel lounges, serving as music director for a number of local jazz bands. He was also a leading percussionist in the city's orchestras for both theatre and studio work. From 1977-1980 he had his own television program, Peter Appleyard Presents, a jazz and variety show syndicated in North America.
In 1982 Appleyard formed the All Star Swing Band which specializes in performing old pop and jazz tunes, often in medley arrangements by Rick Wilkins
. The ensemble's 1982 release Swing Fever earned a gold record certification for sales of 50,000 units within Canada and was nominated for a Juno Award for Instrumental Artist of the Year
. The ensemble has toured throughout the world, including making several appearances in New York City (notably appearing with Mel Tormé
at Michael's Pub), a 1987 tour to Great Britain, a 1998 tour to Switzerland, and at festivals like the DuMaurier Jazz Festival, Moncton Jazz Festival, the Ottawa Jazz Festival, and Dick Gibson's Jazz Party in Colorado. The group has also performed in Chicago, Florida, Texas, Scandinavia, Germany, and Japan.
Following the death of Benny Goodman, Appleyard formed the Benny Goodman Tribute Band in 1985 which is composed of a number of Goodman alumni and some great Toronto musicians. Appleyard also is the leader of the "Swing Fever Band". He has also made several concert tours for NATO, most of which have been at his own expense. He has completed four tours at bases in Europe and three tours in Cyprus
and the Gaza Strip
and has also performed for Canadian and American servicemen at the North Pole Christmas Show in Greenland
. He currently resides on a farm at Rockwood, Ontario.
Appleyard also recorded on various CBC Records
' RM and LM series releases.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
vibraphonist
Vibraphone
The vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
, percussionist, and 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...
of English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
birth. He has spent most of his life living and performing in the city of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
where for many years he was a highly popular performer in the city's nightclubs and hotels. He also played and recorded with many of the city's orchestras and been featured on a number of Canadian television and radio programs. In the early 1970s he drew wide acclaim for his performances with Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
's jazz sextet with which he toured internationally. In 1992, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
in recognition of his being an "internationally renowned vibraphonist [who] has represented the Canadian jazz community across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Australia".
Early life and career in England
Born in LincolnshireLincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, Appleyard became apprenticed to a nautical instrument maker after being forced to leave school due to economical reasons related to the Second World War. At that time the popularity of American 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...
music was growing in England, particularly through a major influx in big band recordings from America by jazz legends like Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
, Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
, and Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
. These recordings had a strong influence on Appleyard and he decided to pursue a career as a jazz musician. He began his career in the early 1940s playing in the Boys Brigade, a youth organization. He went on to perform as a drummer in several other British dance band
Dance band
Dance band can be one of several kinds of musical ensemble:* British dance band* Dansband, a Swedish pop genre* A Eurodance band...
s during the 1940s and, while a member of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
during in the mid 1940s, played in RAF bands.
Early career in North America
In 1949 Appleyard moved to Bermuda where he lived for two years. While there he spent his holidays in Canada and picked up his first set of vibes. He was so impressed with Canada that, when the time came to leave Bermuda the choice of a new home was easy - he headed for Toronto. At first, unable to get a union card in Toronto, Appleyard worked as a room booking clerk at the King Edward Hotel and as a salesman at Simpson'sSimpson's
The Robert Simpson Company, or Simpsons , was a Canadian department store chain, founded by Robert Simpson. The chain was eventually bought by the Hudson's Bay Company.- History :...
department store. He began studying music with Gordon Delamont
Gordon Delamont
Gordon Arthur Delamont was a Canadian music educator, author, composer, and trumpeter. He is best remembered for his work as an educator, having helped shape the talents of dozens of notable musicians in Toronto. He also published several books on musical theory topics which have been used widely...
and soon thereafter began playing the vibraphone in concerts with Billy O'Connor in the early 1950s. From 1954-1956 he played with a band at the Park Plaza Hotel and made numerous appearances on CBC Radio
CBC Radio
CBC Radio generally refers to the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which are outlined below.-English:CBC Radio operates three English language...
with jazz pianist Calvin Jackson
Calvin Jackson
Calvin Jackson was an American jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader....
. He formed his own jazz ensemble in 1957 which performed not only in Toronto but also toured throughout North America and appeared on American television during the 1960s. Among the ensemble's original members was pianist and arranger Jimmy Dale
Jimmy Dale (musician)
Jimmy Dale is a Canadian arranger, composer, conductor, organist, and pianist of English birth. He was active as a music director for both Canadian and United States television during the 1970s and 1980s. He has also composed several film and television scores and written a number of tv theme...
. The group notably accompanied singer Gloria DeHaven
Gloria DeHaven
Gloria Mildred DeHaven is an American actress and a former contract star for MGM.-Early life and career:DeHaven was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of actor-director Carter DeHaven and actress Flora Parker DeHaven, both former vaudeville performers.She began her career as a child...
for a year.
From 1961-1962 Appleyard was co-hosted with singer Patti Lewis the CBC Radio program Patti and Peter. He spent most of the mid 1960s on the road touring. In the late sixties, he ceased his busy touring schedule and returned to Toronto on a more permanent basis. He began playing once more at the Park Plaza Hotel. In 1969 he co-hosted the program Mallets and Brass with Guido Basso
Guido Basso
Guido Basso, CM is a jazz musician from Montreal. He started playing the trumpet when he was nine. Settling in Toronto in 1960, he became a studio trumpeter. He also occasionally played harmonica in-studio. In 1963, he became a music director for CBLT, a post he held until 1967...
for CBC TV. In addition he began studying timpani and percussion and extended his musical expertise substantially.
Working with Benny Goodman and later career
In the early 1970s Appleyard gained wide international notice as a member of Benny GoodmanBenny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
's jazz sextet. With the group he toured in Europe in 1972 and 1974 and in Australia in 1973. Afterwords, he played only periodially with the group for the remainder of the decade, notably playing three performances with the ensemble at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
in the mid to late 1970s. During these years he continued to live in Toronto where he remained a popular performer in nightclubs and hotel lounges, serving as music director for a number of local jazz bands. He was also a leading percussionist in the city's orchestras for both theatre and studio work. From 1977-1980 he had his own television program, Peter Appleyard Presents, a jazz and variety show syndicated in North America.
In 1982 Appleyard formed the All Star Swing Band which specializes in performing old pop and jazz tunes, often in medley arrangements by Rick Wilkins
Rick Wilkins (musician)
Rick Herbert Richard Wilkins is a Canadian composer, conductor, and tenor saxophonist. He is primarily known for his work as an arranger. He has worked extensively for CBC and CTV arranging, rehearsing, and often conducting music for television and radio programs of pop-music and variety...
. The ensemble's 1982 release Swing Fever earned a gold record certification for sales of 50,000 units within Canada and was nominated for a Juno Award for Instrumental Artist of the Year
Juno Award for Instrumental Album of the Year
The Juno Award for "Instrumental Album of the Year" has been awarded since 1976, as recognition each year for the best instrumental album in Canada. The award was originally called the "Instrumental Artist of the Year"....
. The ensemble has toured throughout the world, including making several appearances in New York City (notably appearing with Mel Tormé
Mel Tormé
Melvin Howard Tormé , nicknamed The Velvet Fog, was an American musician, known for his jazz singing. He was also a jazz composer and arranger, a drummer, an actor in radio, film, and television, and the author of five books...
at Michael's Pub), a 1987 tour to Great Britain, a 1998 tour to Switzerland, and at festivals like the DuMaurier Jazz Festival, Moncton Jazz Festival, the Ottawa Jazz Festival, and Dick Gibson's Jazz Party in Colorado. The group has also performed in Chicago, Florida, Texas, Scandinavia, Germany, and Japan.
Following the death of Benny Goodman, Appleyard formed the Benny Goodman Tribute Band in 1985 which is composed of a number of Goodman alumni and some great Toronto musicians. Appleyard also is the leader of the "Swing Fever Band". He has also made several concert tours for NATO, most of which have been at his own expense. He has completed four tours at bases in Europe and three tours in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
and the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
and has also performed for Canadian and American servicemen at the North Pole Christmas Show in Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
. He currently resides on a farm at Rockwood, Ontario.
Discography
An incomplete list of works follows:- 1956-1957: Anything Goes (RCA CamdenRCA CamdenRCA Camden was a budget record label of recordings, first introduced by RCA Victor.-History:The label was named after Camden, New Jersey, original home to the Victor Talking Machine Company, later RCA Records. It specialized in reissuing historic classical and popular recordings from the RCA catalog...
) - 1958: Vibe Sound (Audio Fidelity)
- 1960: Per-cus-sive Jazz (Audio Fidelity)
- 1963: The Vibraphone of Peter Appleyard (2 records, CTL)
- 1969: Polished Appleyard (RCA RecordsRCA RecordsRCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
) - 1969?: The many moods of Peter Appleyard (Canadian Talent Library)
- 1970: Dealer's Choice (Pickwick)
- 1972: The Lincolnshire Poacher (CTL/Audat)
- 1974: Percussive Jazz (with Sidney Cooper, Ted Shadbolt; Audio Fidelity)
- 1976: Sophisticated Vibes (United Artists)
- 1977: Peter Appleyard Presents (Salisbury)
- 1979: Peter Appleyard (CTL/New Ventures)
- 1979: Vibes (Pickwick)
- 1982: Prelude to a Kiss (RCA)
- 1982: Swing Fever (as All Star Swing Band; CBS), Canadian gold certification
- 1990: All Points East (Jazz NB)
- 1990: Barbados Heat (Concord JazzConcord JazzConcord Jazz is a subsidiary of Concord Records, owned by Concord Music Group.-Dozens of albums:*Charlie Byrd*Ruby Braff*Dave McKenna*Marian McPartland*Rosemary Clooney*Scott Hamilton*Tito Puente*George Shearing*Gene Harris*Mel Tormé*Monty Alexander...
) - 1990: Barbados Cool (Concord JazzConcord JazzConcord Jazz is a subsidiary of Concord Records, owned by Concord Music Group.-Dozens of albums:*Charlie Byrd*Ruby Braff*Dave McKenna*Marian McPartland*Rosemary Clooney*Scott Hamilton*Tito Puente*George Shearing*Gene Harris*Mel Tormé*Monty Alexander...
) - 1991: Great Vibes (Rockwood; reissue of songs from CTL releases)
- 2002: Peter Appleyard Quartet (Peter Appleyard)
Appleyard also recorded on various CBC Records
CBC Records
CBC Records is a Canadian record label, owned and operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which distributes CBC programming, including live concert performances in album and digital format....
' RM and LM series releases.
On other artists' releases
Appleyard performed on the following releases:- 1954: Cal Jackson, Cal Jackson Quartet (X, reissued 1955 by Rave Notice)
- 1971: Guido Basso, Benny Goodman, Benny Goodman into the 70s, vol 5 (Time Life, reissued 1972 by On Stage)
- 1979: Peanuts Hucko, Peanuts Hucko with the Pied Piper Quintet Featuring Peter Appleyard (World Jazz)
- 1988: Slam Stewart, The Cat's Are Swinging (Sertoma)
- 1989: Sherrie Maricle, John Mastroianni Quintet, Cookin' on All Burners (Stash)
- 1991: Lenny SolomonLenny SolomonLenny Solomon is a Canadian jazz, pop, and classical violinist and composer. An active studio musician, he has performed on hundreds of recordings and soundtracks, including albums by Nigel Kennedy, Anne Murray, and John McDermott. He has also recorded two of his own jazz albums: After You've Gone...
, After You've Gone (BayCities, reissued 1996 on Jazz Inspiration) - 1992: Sonny Costanzo, Sonny's on the money (Stash)
- 1992: Mel Tormé, Sing Sing SingSing Sing Sing (Mel Tormé album)Sing Sing Sing is a 1992 live album by Mel Tormé. -Track listing:# "Lulu's Back in Town" – 4:29# "Memories of You" – 5:04...
(Concord JazzConcord JazzConcord Jazz is a subsidiary of Concord Records, owned by Concord Music Group.-Dozens of albums:*Charlie Byrd*Ruby Braff*Dave McKenna*Marian McPartland*Rosemary Clooney*Scott Hamilton*Tito Puente*George Shearing*Gene Harris*Mel Tormé*Monty Alexander...
) - 2001: Skitch HendersonSkitch HendersonLyle Russell Cedric “Skitch” Henderson was a pianist, conductor, and composer. His nickname reportedly derived from his ability to quickly "re-sketch" a song in a different key.- Biography :...
, Swinging with Strings (Arbors RecordsArbors RecordsArbors Records is an independent American jazz record label based in Clearwater, Florida. It was founded by the family team of Mat and Rachel Domber in 1989, initially devoted to the recordings of their friend Rick Fay.-History:...
)