Clockwise: The Music of Cedar Walton - Release Countdown Day 4, Trumpet Section: Peter Olstad

When I take a moment to think about the careers of the members in the trumpet section for this recording, I'm floored. It all starts with world-class lead trumpet player Peter Olstad. Peter went to school at Berklee and finished up at the University of Northern Colorado. In 1981 he joined Buddy Rich's band and spent most of the decade touring with Buddy Morrow and the Tommy Dorsey band, Glenn Miller for a brief tour of Japan, and the Russ Morgan Band under the direction of Jack Morgan. In the late 80s he was part of the trumpet section that toured for Maynard Ferguson's 60th birthday. The other section members included Wayne Bergeron and Roger Ingram (WOW!). From there Maynard asked Peter to join his Big-Bop Noveau band - a gig that lasted two and half years. Peter has also worked for extended periods with Tom Jones and Latin pop star Luis Miguel. 

I first got to play with Peter at Ace Gillett's in Fort Collins. While the playing was great, I vividly remember talking with him on the breaks. He was incredibly humble and open to talking about his life in music. Each year there are fewer musicians who actually make their living solely from playing. Peter has been doing it his whole life (a testament to his excellent playing!). Shortly after we played at Ace, Peter called me for a gig. I learned about this great sense of humor on this gig. After the first set, he came up to the band and in complete deadpan says "Uh, hey guys, I've been getting some complaints about your playing." - and then walked away! He let things sit for a few minutes, and finally I caught a glimpse of a smirk. We all had a healthy laugh. It's an honor to play with Pete and I am very grateful he played on the record. While writing these charts, it was very comforting knowing a world-class lead player would be playing. Some highlights of his playing on the record are Cedar's Blues, Fiesta Español and Bolivia. 

http://www.trumpetplayersdirectory.com/trumpetplayerpeterolstad.html 

Clockwise: The Music of Cedar Walton available everywhere Friday, February 17.


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