Peter Michael Yellin (July 18, 1941 – April 13, 2016) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

saxophonist and educator.

Career

A native of New York City, Yellin received piano lessons from his father, who was a staff pianist for NBC. He began playing saxophone in the late 1950s after hearing

Art Pepper Arthur Edward Pepper Jr. (September 1, 1925 – June 15, 1982) was an American jazz musician, most known as an alto saxophonist. He occasionally performed and recorded on tenor saxophone, clarinet (his first instrument) and bass clarinet. Active ...

. He studied music at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

and

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn in New York City, United States. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls nearly 14,000 students on a campus in the Midwood and Flatbush sections of Brooklyn as of fall ...

. During the 1960s, Yellin worked with

Chick Corea Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain (instrumental), Spain", "500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba" ...

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, percussionist, and bandleader. He worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, an ...

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, ...

, and

Tito Puente Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (April 20, 1923 – May 31, 2000), commonly known as Tito Puente, was an American musician, songwriter, bandleader, timbalero, and record producer. He composed dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz music. He was also k ...

. In the 1970s, he was a member of

Joe Henderson Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and very occasional flute player. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day an ...

's band and worked with Mario Bauzá,

Charles Earland Charles Earland (May 24, 1941 – December 11, 1999) was an American jazz organist. Biography Earland was born in Philadelphia and learned to play the saxophone in high school. He played tenor with Jimmy McGriff at the age of 17 and in 1960 fo ...

Maynard Ferguson Walter Maynard Ferguson CM (May 4, 1928 – August 23, 2006) was a Canadian jazz trumpeter and bandleader. He came to prominence in Stan Kenton's orchestra before forming his own big band in 1957. He was noted for his bands, which often served ...

, Sam Jones, and the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. He started his own group in 1974. During the 1980s and 1990s, he worked with

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American jazz fusion guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the ...

Eddie Palmieri Eddie Palmieri (born December 15, 1936) is an American Grammy Award-winning pianist, bandleader, musician, and composer of Corsican and Puerto Rican ancestry. He is the founder of the bands La Perfecta, La Perfecta II, and Harlem River Drive. ...

, and

Bob Mintzer Robert Alan Mintzer (born January 27, 1953) is an American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader. Early life Mintzer was born and raised in a Jewish family in New Rochelle, New York, on January 27, 1953. He attended the Inte ...

. Yellin played with Mintzer's big band from its origin in 1984 until 2007, when he moved to California. Four years later, he suffered the first of several strokes that would end his life in 2016. He taught jazz at Long Island University, establishing its program in 1984 and leading it through the 1990s.

Discography

As leader

* ''Dance of Allegra'' (Mainstream, 1972) * ''It's the Right Thing'' (Mainstream, 1973) * ''Colors of Brooklyn'' with Brooklyn Jazz Machine (Alfa, 1993) * ''It's You or No One'' (Mons, 1996) * ''Live!'' (Jazz4Ever, 1995) * ''Mellow Soul'' (Metropolitan, 1998) * ''How Long Has This Been Going On?'' (Jazzed Media, 2008)

As sideman

With

* ''Hamp Stamps'' (Glad-Hamp, 1981) * ''Top Jazz'' (Sarpe, 1990) * ''Hamp's Boogie'' (LaserLight, 1998) * ''We Are the Levitt's'' (esp-disk, 1968) With

* '' In Pursuit of Blackness'' (Milestone, 1971) * ''Big Band'' (Verve, 1996) * ''In Pursuit of Blackness & Black Is the Color'' (Milestone, 1998) With

* ''Incredible Journey'' (DMP, 1985) * ''Camouflage'' (DMP, 1986) * ''Art of the Big Band'' (DMP, 1991) * ''Departure'' (DMP, 1993) * ''Only in New York'' (DMP, 1994) * ''Big Band Trane'' (DMP, 1996) * ''Live at the Berlin Jazz Festival'' (Basic, 1996) * ''Latin from Manhattan'' (DMP, 1998) * ''Papa Lips'' (CBS/Sony, 1983) * ''Spectrum'' (DMP, 1988) * ''Urban Contours'' (DMP, 1989) * ''Homage to Count Basie'' (DMP, 2000) * ''Gently'' (DMP, 2002) * ''Live at MCG with Special Guest Kurt Elling'' (MCG, 2004) * ''Old School New Lessons'' (MCG, 2006) * ''Swing Out'' (MCG, 2008) With

* ''The Mambo King: 100th LP'' (RMM, 1991) * ''Live at Birdland: Dancemania '99'' (RMM, 1998) * ''Mambo Birdland'' (RMM, 1999) * ''Masterpiece & Obra Maestra'' (Universal, 2000) With

* ''Swingin' New Big Band'' (Pacific Jazz, 1966) * ''Big Band Machine'' (Groove Merchant, 1975) * ''Ease On Down the Road'' (Denon, 1987) * ''Two Big Bands Play Selections from West Side Story & Other Delights'' (LRC, 1991) With others *

Mario Bauza Mario (; ) is a character created by the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the star of the '' Mario'' franchise, a recurring character in the '' Donkey Kong'' franchise, and the mascot of the Japanese video game company Nintend ...

, ''944 Columbus'' (Messido, 1994) * Sam Jones, '' Something New'' (Interplay, 1979) *

, ''Vamonos Pa'l Monte'' (Tico, 1971) * Sadao Watanabe &

Terumasa Hino is a Japanese jazz trumpeter. He is considered one of Japan's finest jazz musicians. His instruments include the trumpet, cornet, and flügelhorn. Early life He was born in Tokyo, Japan, and his father was a trumpeter and tap dancer. Hino start ...

, ''Sadao Watanabe vs Terumasa Hino'' (Canyon, 1980)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yellin, Pete 1941 births 2016 deaths American jazz educators American jazz flautists American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists Musicians from New York (state) Mainstream Records artists American male jazz musicians Brooklyn College alumni 20th-century American saxophonists 20th-century American flautists