RIP Peter Leitch

[David B]

Peter Leitch. 19 August 1944 to 30 December 2024.

I'm so sad to learn that one of my great musical inspirations, Peter Leitch, passed away yesterday at home in his beloved West Village apartment, holding the hand of his wife of 39 years and partner of 44, Sylvia, after a very long and valiant struggle with lung cancer.

Peter had already retired from playing on medical grounds when I first met him in 2016. I reached out online to him to him to express my admiration for his music and his fine writing in his autobiography 'Off the Books'. I asked if he might be interested in meeting for a coffee when I visited NYC in a couple of weeks. To my surprise, Peter and Sylvia graciously invited me to visit them at their home and an afternoon flew by as we talked about New York life, music, politics and more. Peter always had great stories and always told it straight. He signed some of his recordings that I had with me and gifted me his original sheets for one of my favourite tunes of his 'Penumbra'.

I made a point of calling in on Peter and Sylvia during each of my subsequent visits to the US, most recently in May 2024, when we spent a couple of hours listening to Hank Mobley and watching some live Miles Davis.

My heart goes out to Sylvia and my condolences to her and all those whose lives have been touched by Peter and his music.

[David B]

During a trip in March 2023, NYC guitarist Will Sellenraad and I had the pleasure of visiting Peter together. Will had studied with Peter at the New School back in the early 90s.
An afternoon flew by as we discussed the scene around the legendary venue Bradley's (Peter was one of the few guitarists to work there), his recordings made with legendary engineer Rudy Van Gelder and much more. We sat and listened through the live duo recording 'The Montreal Concert' with Gary Bartz. Recorded in 1999 and released in 2001, this was a new album to me and WOW! A stunning recording that more people need to know about! Two masters in full flight. Just incredible playing. Listening to it with Peter, his commentary on all the obscure verses and hip segues he and Bartz were playing, his recollections of the date and that period of his life made for a VERY deep and moving experience.

[Alter]

Glorious musician. His first album as a leader, "Jump Street"

[Stringswinger]

RIP. He was a fantastic jazz guitarist. Where he went, we all shall follow. Play those guitars folks, it is later than you think.

[jmgalich]

Damn. Fine guitarist and, from what I've heard, an all-around great, down-to-earth guy. Gone too soon.

Rest in peace, Peter.

John Galich

[PMB]

Sad news indeed. Peter Leitch was the real deal and his autobiography is a penetrating look at all the highs and lows of pursuing a career in jazz.

I often visited Walker's in NY to catch Peter at his Sunday evening residency. There was a rotating timetable of musical partners and Gary Bartz played on one memorable occasion. Harvie S was the guest bassist on my first visit back in 2008 and Russell Malone (who also left us last year) turned up to offer support along with Charles Davis, a saxophonist who played with Billie Holiday and knew Coltrane! What a great conversation we all had that night. Here's a photo from earlier in the evening:



Thanks for the link to Jump Street, Alter. Peter Leitch never recorded a bad album and it's great to be reminded how fine he sounded back in his early Canadian years.

[Bach5G]

Very sad news. I’ve ordered his bio,Off the Books, from Amazon.

[Cunamara]

Peter's autobiography is a fascinating read. His music is great. And he was a talented photographer. So sorry to hear this and condolences to family and friends. To live a creative life and reach the end with your loved ones- as we all must reach the end- is not a bad thing.

[Bach5G]

I’m 2/3rds the way through Off the Books. An excellent read.

Loved his take on Toronto.

I expect to be listening to his recordings for the next few weeks.

[sgcim]

I met Peter at a Phil Woods Clinic being held at LIU in Brooklyn. Peter was there with his camera taking photos of the event. He was a very friendly guy, and great guitarist. I remember him raving about the album Jim Hall made with Art Farmer, where they played Swedish folk songs. I checked it out, and was surprised to find it was a very dark album, consisting of these songs that were all in minor keys, and very diatonic.
This was right after 9/11, and he invited me to sit in with him at Walker's, a steady gig he had in the Downtown area. I was afraid of the fumes that were still around at the time, so I never went there. I wonder if his cancer had anything to do with being in that area for a long time?
Lawyers are still advertising for anyone who lived or worked in that area to file lawsuits, because of the way Bloomberg mishandled that situation.
RIP, Peter

[KRosser]

Oh no, I'm sorry to just now be hearing this. I really like the records of his I have but regretfully I never saw him play. A big loss to the community for sure.

[JimR56]

I first became aware of Peter via an LP (Choice label; 1985) called "4 On 6 X 5" by The New York Jazz Guitar Ensemble. I thought he stood out amongst his peers in that band, and I proceeded to follow his recording career for quite a few years thereafter. I think his "On A Misty Night" recording was my favorite. He always was great at selecting material and always keeping his work interesting. RIP to a true artist on the guitar.

[wintermoon]

An under the radar player but not among those who know.
I never heard of him until his Criss Cross recordings started coming out in the late 80s and saw them in the record shop. They had great sidemen and tunes, plus he was playing an L-5 on the cover, so I just knew they were gonna be good and I wasn't disappointed.
He had a cool sound/style, I could hear a little Jimmy Raney and Tal in there.
Bought his book last year and looking forward to reading.