Pete Jacobsen (16 May 1950 – 29 April 2002),
Retrieved 5 December 2011. also known as Peter Jacobsen, was an English

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 ...

pianist.

Early life and education

He was born Peter Paul George Jacobsen in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

. Having lost his sight as a baby, due to a growth behind the

Optic nerve In neuroanatomy, the optic nerve, also known as the second cranial nerve, cranial nerve II, or simply CN II, is a paired cranial nerve that transmits visual system, visual information from the retina to the brain. In humans, the optic nerve i ...

, he studied at the Worcester School for the Blind (now New College Worcester) and then formed his own trio, which was good enough to attract local television coverage. In 1969, he moved to London to study at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...

. With a keen memory and perfect pitch (

Absolute pitch Absolute pitch (AP), often called perfect pitch, is the ability to identify or re-create a given musical note without the benefit of a reference tone. AP may be demonstrated using linguistic labelling ("naming" a note), associating mental image ...

), Jacobsen's lack of sight was no obstacle.

Career

In London, Jacobsen began to play with saxophonists Barbara Thompson,

Isotope Isotopes are distinct nuclear species (or ''nuclides'') of the same chemical element. They have the same atomic number (number of protons in their Atomic nucleus, nuclei) and position in the periodic table (and hence belong to the same chemica ...

's Gary Boyle, and Don Weller. He became a member of the jazz-fusion band

Morrissey–Mullen Morrissey–Mullen were a British jazz-funk/fusion group of the 1970s and 1980s. Considered one of the most popular jazz groups in London, the band was led by Dick Morrissey on tenor and soprano saxes and flute, and Jim Mullen on guitar, who ...

, but it was not until the 1980s that he recorded with them--''This Must Be The Place'' was released in 1985 and ''Happy Hour'' in 1988. Trumpeter

Kenny Wheeler Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, Order of Canada, OC (14 January 1930 – 18 September 2014) was a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. from the 1950s onwards. Most of his performances were rooted in jazz, but he w ...

recommended Jacobsen for the piano chair with the Bobby Wellins Quartet. Jacobsen would perform on four of Wellins' albums: ''Live... Jubilation'' (1978), ''Dreams are Free'' (1979), ''ERCO Makes Light Work'' (1983) and ''Birds of Brazil'' (1989). One of Jacobsen's most regular collaborators was Chris Biscoe, with whom he recorded the 1986 album ''The Chris Biscoe Sextet'' and ''Modern Alarms'' (1990). Jacobsen and Biscoe would often perform as a duet and recorded several BBC Jazz Club performances. When Jacobsen died, he and Biscoe were planning on forming a band featuring the songs of

Lee Konitz Leon "Lee" Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist and composer. He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's ass ...

. He also played with American trombonist Jimmy Knepper, recording the 1980 album ''Primrose Path'' with Knepper, Dave Green and drummer Ron Parry. For this album, Jacobsen wrote the "Song for Keith". He would also write the song "Black Book" for the album ''Highly Committed Media Players'' which he recorded in 2000 with

Larry Coryell Larry Coryell (born Lorenz Albert Van DeLinder III; April 2, 1943 – February 19, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist, widely considered the "godfather of fusion". Alongside Gábor Szabó, he was a pioneer in melding jazz, country and rock ...

, Steve Clarke,

Jack Bruce John Symon Asher Bruce (14 May 1943 – 25 October 2014) was a Scottish musician. He gained popularity as the primary lead vocalist and ‍bassist ‍of Rock music, rock band Cream (band), Cream. After the group disbanded in 1968, he pursued a ...

, Chris Laurence,

Laurence Cottle Laurence Cottle (born 16 December 1961) is a Welsh bass guitarist and composer. Career His solo recordings have been mostly in jazz and jazz fusion. He was a member of the fusion quartet The Fents and appeared on their second album, ''The O ...

, Wolfgang Schmid and Ted Emmett. During this time, Jacobsen, drummer Dave Barry and bassist Mick Hutton were the resident rhythm section at the Cambridge Modern Jazz Club. In 1988, Jacobsen recorded the album ''Eleven Years From Yesterday'' with the Ugandan jazz violinist Philipp Wachsmann, percussionist Trevor Taylor, the Brazilian bassist and cellist Marcio Mattos, and the guitarist Ian Brighton. Jacobsen also regularly played with the saxophonists

Robin Kenyatta Robin Kenyatta (March 6, 1942 – October 26, 2004) was an American jazz alto saxophone, alto saxophonist. Early life Born Robert Prince Haynes in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, Kenyatta grew up in New York City and began playing the saxophone a ...

Alan Skidmore Alan Richard James Skidmore (born 21 April 1942) is an English jazz tenor saxophonist, and the son of saxophonist Jimmy Skidmore. Career He was born in London, England. Skidmore began his professional career in his teens, and early in his care ...

, Peter King, bassists

Eberhard Weber Eberhard Weber is a German double bassist and composer. As a bass player, he is known for his highly distinctive tone and phrasing. Weber's compositions blend chamber jazz, European classical music, minimalism and ambient music, and are regarded ...

and Paul Carmichael, and with the percussionist Chris Fletcher. He gave memorable solo recitals at the Sherborne Abbey Festival, and at the Brighton Jazz Club, where he was a regular performer. He toured with the Celtic-jazz band Cármina, and played on three of their albums--''Still Between the Sun and the Moon'' (1993), ''Weather in the Heart'' (1995), and ''Love Like Angels'' (2000). In 1994, Jacobsen released his only solo album ''Ever Onward''. In 2001, with drummer Nic France and bassist Simon Woolf, he formed the Peter Jacobsen Trio; their only recording, ''On Your Marks'' (2001), was a live album, recorded at the Peterborough Jazz Club. Through the 1990s, Jacobsen worked with Tim Whitehead's quartet and trio; he played on two of Whitehead's albums--''Authentic'' (1991), and ''Silence Between Waves'' (1994). It was Whitehead who noted that Jacobsen spent much of his time in the East End of London, playing with unknown and/or struggling musicians and, as a result, never got the press attention he deserved.

Death

It was also Whitehead with whom Jacobsen went on his final tour, a series of gigs at rural English arts centres. Their last show was at Althorpe, Lincolnshire, on Sunday 14 April 2002. By the time they returned to London, Jacobsen was clearly ill and Whitehead insisted that he see a doctor; Jacobsen died a few days later, at age 51. In 2012, FMR Records released the compilation ''For Pete's Sake Volume 1''. The album includes the song "1817", which Jacobsen wrote for Kenny Wheeler but had not been recorded. Jacobsen's last recording was on Phil Burdett's ''See You Later, Forever'', which was completed and released in 2003. The title refers to Jacobsen, and Burdett dedicated the album to him, with the notation "In Memoriam: Pete Jacobsen 1950-2002 A beautiful man & musician of exalted versatility & soul."

Discography

* 1978 – ''Live... Jubilation'' ( Bobby Wellins Quartet) * 1979 – ''Dreams Are Free'' ( Bobby Wellins Quartet) * 1980 – '' Primrose Path'' ( Jimmy Knepper) * 1982 - ''

The Pursuit of Accidents ''The Pursuit of Accidents'' is the third studio album released by the jazz/funk British musical group Level 42, in 1982. It was issued on CD in 1985. It was re-issued on CD in 2000 as part of a two disc set with the album "Standing In The Light" ...

'' ( Level 42) * 1983 - ''ERCO Makes Light Work'' ( Bobby Wellins Quartet) * 1984 – ''Hi-Fly'' ( Peter King with the Philippe Briand Trio) * 1985 – '' This Must Be the Place'' (

) * 1986 – ''Chris Biscoe Sextet'' ( Chris Bisoe Sextet) * 1988 – ''Happy Hour'' (

) * 1988 – ''Eleven Years From Yesterday'' ( Phil Wachsmann, Peter Jacobsen, Ian Brighton, Marcio Mattos and Trevor Taylor) * 1989 – ''Birds of Brazil'' (Bobby Wellins Quintet with the Delmé Quartet) * 1990 - * ''Modern Alarms'' ( Chris Biscoe) * 1991 – ''Authentic'' ( Tim Whitehead Quartet) * 1993 - ''Still Between the Sun and the Moon'' (with Cármina) * 1994 – ''Silence Between Waves'' (Tim Whitehead Quartet) * 1994 – ''Ever Onward'' (solo) * 1995 - ''Weather in the Heart'' (with Cármina) * 2000 – ''Highly Committed Media Players'' (Network) * 2000 - ''Love Like Angels'' (with Cármina) * 2001 - ''On Your Marks'', Peter Jacobsen Trio (with Simon Woolf and Nic France) * 2003 – ''See You Later, Forever'' – Phil Burdett (featured on organ and piano) * 2012 - ''For Pete's Sake Volume 1'' (Compilation), FMR Records * 2024 - ''Homage To Caledonia'' ( Bobby Wellins Sextet) (recorded live in the Autumn of 1979 - released September 13, 2024), Jazz In Britain

References

External links

* * * * * Staff (2002).
"Undervalued Pianist on the British Jazz Scene"
''

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