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Diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in 2012, Peter Leitch was forced to give up a decades-long career as a guitarist and band leader because of his treatment. Although he is unable to play his instrument, he is still driven to create music. Leitch has re-invented himself as a composer, arranger, and director of a 15-piece orchestra. Celebrating this transformation, he has released “New Life,” the debut recording of the eponymous Peter Leitch New Life Orchestra. The project, which took Leitch two years to complete, is comprised of two discs corresponding to two sets of music in a club or concert.
The Airmen of Note is the premier jazz ensemble of the United States Air Force. As one of today’s few professional touring big bands, it has attracted some of the finest musicians in the country. Twice yearly the Note travels throughout the United States spreading its big band sound to communities from coast to coast. It also has an extensive record of international performing. Appearances in five South American countries, eight European countries and Japan have solidified the ensemble’s reputation as one of the best bands of its kind in the world. Their Jazz Heritage Series began in 1990 and has become an annual tradition that is widely anticipated by jazz lovers in the nation’s capital. Highlights from the 2020 edition feature special guests John Fedchock, Christian McBride and Randy Brecker.
Also this week, the Pete Ellman Big Band, a regular presence in and around the Chicago-land area, debuts a new CD, “For Pete’s Ache”;
Chris Rottmayer, a pianist/vibraphonist/composer out of Madison, Wisconsin, unveils his third CD, “Sunday at Pilars”;
and “Trio in Motion” finds pianist Alan Broadbent, drummer Billy Mintz and bassist Harvie S reuniting in Broadbent’s New York apartment-studio.