At age six, Peter Kogan began musical studies on the violin, added piano at age eight, and drums at age ten. A year later he began serious study with Saul Goodman, timpanist of New York Philharmonic, who would continue to mentor him through high school and undergraduate study at Juilliard. He completed studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music under the tutelage of Cloyd Duff of the Cleveland Orchestra. He joined the Cleveland Orchestra under George Szell in 1969 as Section Percussion. Three years later he was appointed Principal Percussion and Associate Principal Timpani of the Pittsburgh Symphony.
In 1977 his passion for jazz blues and rock got the better of him, and he left the Pittsburgh Symphony to spend six years in New York City as a drum set player and composer. He backed up Blues legends Lightnin’ Hopkins, Honey-Boy Edwards, and Jimmy Whitherspoon, groups such as the Drifters and the Crystals, and Rock and Roll legend Bo Diddley.
His CD of original jazz compositions – “Peter Kogan, CORNUCOPIA” – was released in 2013. another CD of his tunes” Some Monsterful Wonderthing” was released in July 2015 and was named one of the “Top 10 Jazz Albums of the Year” in the Minneapolis Star Tribune annual critics poll. Kogan’s albums are available online at peterkoganmusic.com and on amazon.com and cdbaby.com and on many streaming services. The Green Album was released on November 26th, 2018. His new one will be released on June 24th, 2022.
We currently live in trying times: an epidemic, violence, isolation, rage, despair, numbness, and exhaustion. What role can music play in these dark surroundings? The music on his latest album ‘Just Before Midnight’ emerged during the lockdown. Much of it was rehearsed and performed outdoors, to the delight of homebound neighbors, when indoor gatherings were impossible. It offers us a range of reactions, from protest and resistance to reassurance and compassion, and even a musical escape to the tropics. That checks all of my boxes.
For further information, visit www.peterkoganmusic.com
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