For nearly thirty years, Ricky Peterson has been leading a quiet revolution, injecting an undeniable groove into the often-reserved role of keyboard sideman. “What I try to do,” he says during a rare break from his hectic touring schedule, “is enhance the music of the person I’m playing with. That’s my whole point — to add something to what they are doing.”
Ricky’s credits, both live and on record, read like a “who’s who” of modern music: John Mayer, Billy Joel, Bonnie Raitt, Steve Miller, James Taylor, Sheryl Crow — and the list goes on. Then add his longtime associations with people like David Sanborn and George Benson, and you begin to understand the depth of the music he has created during his half century on the planet.
I first heard Peterson alongside longtime bandmate David Sanborn in Antibes, France in 1999. As a member of the opening band, I planned on returning to my hotel immediately following our performance. But ten bars into headliner Sanborn’s electrifying set, I decided to stick around for the entire show. “Whoever that keyboard player is,” I told the trumpet player in he band I was performing with, “he just sent me back to the practice room!”
Peterson played like his life depended on it, grabbing horn stabs, ripping ferocious B-3 lines, and playing grooving synth parts, all in perfect, synchronized time. While most guys seemed to do one thing well, Peterson did everything well. From vintage organ and Rhodes textures, to morphing, futuristic sounds, and from jazz to funk and beyond — there wasn’t anything he couldn’t play.
Nearly ten years later, Peterson is still turning heads and ears, with a performance schedule that never lets up. In 2007 alone, Peterson toured with John Mayer, Stevie Nicks, David Sanborn, and Kirk Whalum. He also began work on Sanborn’s upcoming record, produced numerous projects in his Minneapolis-based Master Mix studios, and still found time to organize a two-week Christmas tour with the entire Peterson family, all highly regarded musicians in their own right. (Mother and pianist/vocalist Jeanne, singer/songwriter sisters Linda and Patty, brothers Billy on bass and Paul on guitar, and nephews Jason on saxophone, vocals and keyboards, and Isaac on drums).
Peterson is one of the best-kept secrets in the keyboard world, a consummate sideman who makes bandleaders shine, and a world-class composer, arranger and vocalist in his own right. He’s a triple plus threat, and a musical chameleon who is as comfortable playing soul-tinged pop with John Mayer as he is ripping bebop lines on his organ with saxophonist Sanborn. Whatever the musical situation may be, Ricky fits seamlessly into it, making it groove harder, swing better, and soar to new heights.
IT’S A FAMILY AFFAIR
While many session and touring players seem to come out of a defined school of musical influence, Peterson draws as easily from pop and funk as he does from jazz. He credits his musical family with laying the foundation and inspiration that set him on his way.
“When I was growing up, my parents both played jazz,” Peterson says. “My mom’s a great jazz singer and piano player, and my father was as well. He had a big band, and they would have rehearsals in our house, so we were surrounded by music all the time. We thought everybody else had that going on!”
Peterson’s siblings would strike out on their own musically, as well, with brother Billy nailing down gigs with Bob Dylan and Steve Miller, and brother Paul landing spots in the bands of Prince and Kenny Loggins. “We grew up listening to all sorts of different music,” he continues. “I listened to everything from ‘Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head,’ to John Coltrane.”
Peterson also credits his early classical training with instilling in him a sense of discipline, and an understanding of music theory. “I was a classical guy growing up,” he says. “I took nine years of classical piano from nuns at [Minneapolis-based Catholic high school, Academy of] Holy Angels, which was a trip. They were very good teachers of theory, and I really got into that, because my ears were a lot better than my reading. That helped me out a lot.”
Besides his musical family, who does Peterson cite as early and continuing influences? “Herbie Hancock, Joe Zawinul, Chick Corea, Bill Evans, Jimmy Smith, Larry Young, Oscar Peterson, Bud Powell, George Duke, and Wynton Kelly . . . but I could go on forever,” he tells me.
MUSICAL ROYALTY
Some of Peterson’s first sideman gigs would turn into lifelong associations for the Minneapolis, Minnesota native: Prince and David Sanborn.
“I started out singing and playing in bands all over the Twin Cities,” Peterson recalls. “Most of the stuff we did was pop-oriented R&B covers. Prince was putting together a band for his For You tour. A friend of mine and I went over to where Prince and his band were rehearsing. Little did I know that the guys in his band had been coming out to see me play and had been sitting in. This was a with few R&B funk bands I was in at the time, like the TC Jammers, and the Doug Maynard Band.
“I met Prince at his house. We’d go downstairs and jam in his basement. At that time, I was playing all these Oberheims and Minimoogs — mostly analog synth stuff. Finally, it got to the point where he asked me to play in the band. I ended up turning him down, only because I knew I needed more freedom that the gig allowed. I knew it wasn’t for me, but I knew he was gonna be a huge star. There was no doubt about it. Musically, the guy’s a genius.”
That initial refusal to tour with Prince would not be the end of their working relationship. Peterson would go on to collaborate with the pop icon for years to come. “I produced ‘The Most Beautiful Girl In The World’ for Prince,” Peterson says. “I got a tape of him playing the line from that song. The chords weren’t all that clear, so I helped make it into a song for him. He really dug it, and we’ve been pals ever since. ”
Another career-defining gig that continues to this day is his longtime association with iconic saxophonist David Sanborn. “I had been doing records with [singer/songwriter and keyboardist] Ben Sidran, who really dug the kind of funk thing I was doing,” he continues. “He was actually a little ahead of his time, trying to get a hip, funky version of smooth jazz off the ground, before the genre became popular. Ben ended-up bringing [producer] Tommy LiPuma out to see me in Minneapolis, about the time that Sanborn had done the Double Vision record with Bob James. LiPuma liked what I was doing, and asked if I’d be interested in putting a band together for him. So I met with David in 1984, and the rest, as they say, is history. I’ve been with him for nearly 25 years.”
That early meeting with LiPuma would also prove fruitful for Peterson’s solo career, with the veteran producer signing him to Warner Brothers for the release of 1991’s Night Watch. “That was pretty cool,” Peterson remarks.
NO PRESETS ALLOWED
Peterson approaches all his keyboard work like a mad scientist, coaxing organic timbres from unlikely sources. His ability to make electronic instruments sing out like acoustic ones is a testament to his innate musicality. “I’ve always wanted my sound to be a surrounding sound, and a realistic sound, whether it’s a DX7 part, or whatever,” Peterson says. “One thing I did for many years was to layer sounds together. When MIDI first came out, I experimented with that to get a realistic sound that I liked. That became a sort of signature sound for me, that synth pad. I’d layer different sounds together: D-50, DX7, Akai S900, Super Jupiter. I just got into the programming, manipulating sounds, like I had done when I worked on the Sequential Circuits Prophet 5, and the Minimoog.”
Peterson also shapes his work on vintage instruments like the Hammond B-3 in the same, explorative way, creating his own sonic imprint. “I try to approach it as expressively as I possibly can,” he continues, “using the pedals, and the volume pedal, trying to different sounds. Especially when I’m playing on other people’s records, I like to get weird sounds, stuff that you don’t normally hear, approaching the B-3 as an actual breathing instrument, instead of just playing it normally.
“You can go right to the enchanted forest with that organ, man,” Peterson says. “You can get the weirdest sounds out of it. I love it. Ever since I was a kid, listening to Emerson, Lake and Palmer, just experimenting with the different settings on the drawbars. I never really used any of the presets because I like to make up my own sounds. There are a couple of drawbars, numbers three and four, and they’re in fifths. And you can make chords — when you’re playing triads, it’s very hip because each note has fifths on it. It’s the coolest thing, you’re like ‘what the hell is that?’ when you hear it back!”
Regardless of the instrument he’s playing, Peterson chooses projects based on their musical merit, not on their financial return. “I hope that most of the stuff I’ve done will live on,” he says. “That’s the bottom line for me. It’s about making your own history.”
THE FUTURE SOUNDS FUNKY
Peterson’s upcoming record Prepostrophy, (expected in 2008), finds the usually synth-clad keyboardist honing a decidedly retro sound. Tunes like “Oh Da Manitee,” “Sluggo,” and the title track feature Peterson’s funkified organ playing, infused with that rare blend of soul comping, bebop lines, and funk figures that have become his trademark.
“The whole point of going in this direction was to have a fun record to play live,” he says. “I didn’t want it to get too cerebral for the guys up there playing. I wanted to have fun with it.
While the jazz organ format has at times become almost expected, Peterson’s B-3 work convincingly blends Larry Young’s harmonic adventures with Tower of Power’s hip-shaking grooves.
“The approach on it was from a pure funk category, that’s where I feel most comfortable,” he continues. “I’ve got guys like (drummers) Vinnie Colaiuta and Joe Finger, (Late Show With David Letterman bassist) Will Lee, and some young L.A. horn guys doing background stuff — it’s been really fun to do it.”
On tunes like “Oh Da Manitee,” Peterson dials up a more traditional sound on the B-3. “On that tune I have the first three drawbars out, “ he comments, “with the chorus 3 vibrato and percussion on either the 2nd or 3rd, depending on where I put it.”
Peterson will release Prepostrophy in 2008 on his own Celebration label. “It’s a family label that we’ve had since 1972,” he says. “We just finished putting a couple of Christmas records out on it with our family, and then we’ve done a bunch of jazz stuff — there’s a [tenor saxophonist] Jerry Bergonzi record coming out with my brother Billy on it. It’s kind of a new thing because I think this is the way things are gonna go; everybody will put out their own stuff.”
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Almost as remarkable as Peterson’s 30-year-plus career is the fact that he’s done it all while remaining a proud resident of the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. “This is my home, always has been,” he says. “I’ve been here since I was born in ’58.”
And like the music that shaped his youth, Peterson says it’s all still about family. “My family is the most important thing in my life,” Peterson continues. “My wife Luanne, who I’ve been with for 20 years, she’s a rock. I come home to my family and it’s the greatest thing. I just got through doing my last Peterson Family Christmas Concert today, and that’s everybody, all five siblings plus my eighty-six year old mother who’s burning on piano, my two cousins from L.A., my sisters and their kids who all play — it’s been amazing. Chaos, but amazing.”
And what’s next for the always-on-the-go Peterson? If he has a say in it, more work with his talented relatives. “I want my family to go out and do a tour because of the amazing talent that’s there. There’s so much music in the Peterson Family. We’d be able to play all the genres. We’re planning a residency in Las Vegas this year. I would love to be able to do that. Because family is everything to me.”
RICKY’S RIG
With John Mayer, Peterson’s touring rig consisted of a vintage Hammond B-3 organ along with a Roland JV-80 synthesizer for the “bell-y parts.” Also, Ricky plays a Nord Electro and a Yamaha S90ES. “I’m a Yammy guy,” says Ricky. “The S90ES feels great to me for piano parts.”
For his new project, Ricky says he will definitely have a real B-3 on-stage. What about the newest crop of digital organ simulators? “The new Hammonds sound great,” he replies. “I’ve also been digging the new Nord C1.”
RICKY PETERSON A Selected Discography
As a Leader
Souvenir (Windham Hill)
Night Watch (Warner Bros.)
Smile Blue (Rhino)
Tear Can Tell (Go Jazz)
Prepostrophy (Celebration)
With David Sanborn
Close-Up (Reprise)
Upfront (Elektra)
Hearsay (Elektra)
Songs From the Night Before (Elektra)
Time Again (GRP)
With Prince
I Hate U/Us #2 (NPG)
Come (Paisley Park)
Emancipation (NPG)
Crystal Ball (NPG)
With George Benson
Best of George Benson: The Instrumentals (Warner Bros.)
That’s Right (GRP)
Standing Together (GRP)
Absolute Benson (GRP)
With John Mayer
Continuum (Sony)
Village Sessions (Sony)