Podcast 700: A Conversation with Peter Eldridge

For years Peter Eldridge has remained at the forefront of both the singer-songwriter and jazz realms as a vocalist, pianist, composer, and arranger. Head of the Manhattan School of Music's jazz voice department for eighteen years, he is now Professor of Voice at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Peter and iconic jazz pianist and composer Kenny Werner have joined forces on Somewhere, a collection of lush ballads for voice, string orchestra and jazz trio. The album, dominated by original compositions with a timeless feel, has a late-night vibe that is accentuated by Eldridge's striking baritone and Werner's outstanding arrangements. Eldridge is never short of work: his quartet featuring Ulysses Owens on drums, Jesse Lewis on guitar and Matt Aronoff, bass; is currently on tour and he also plays live with Foolish Hearts, a duo with Aronoff. Eldridge is also a founding member of internationally acclaimed vocal group, New York Voices. The group continues to be among the top jazz vocal groups in the world, and has just released a new album, Reminiscing in Tempo   . On the more contemporary side, Peter is also a member of the vocal group MOSS, alongside Kate McGarry, Theo Bleckmann, Lauren Kinhan and Luciana Souza (and now vocalist Jo Lawry). Podcast 702 is my conversation with Peter, as we discuss the long road Somewhere took to completion,  the challenges of singing new tunes with an orchestra, and what he teaches (and learns from) his students at Berklee. Musical selections from Somewhere include "Autumn in Three", "Day is Done (Diego's Waltz" and the classic  "You Don't Know Me" plus "Round, Round, Round (Blue Rondo a La Turk)" from New York Voice's latest, Reminiscing in Tempo.