Peter Lerner

Contemporary jazz guitarist and composer Peter Lerner was born and raised in the multicultural, musically diverse, Hyde Park area of Chicago. Piano player Ahmad Jamal lived across the street, and members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Music were only a few blocks away. Lerner's earliest musical influence was his mother, Ruth, who played guitar and sang folk songs to him. By the age of eight, he had composed his first original song, and his musical journey had begun.

Peter credits Jimi Hendrix and Carlos Santana for inspiring him early on. In high school, Peter fell in love with jazz after hearing Stanley Turrentine's "Sugar," on which guitarist George Benson played. Peter began listening heavily to and learning from the great jazz masters and continued to study jazz, classical guitar, composition, and improvisation. Lerner earned a bachelor of music degree from Chicago's American Conservatory of Music in 1983, and has been working as a professional musician and composer ever since.

He has toured with Grammy award-winning pianist Ramsey Lewis. He has played with acclaimed trumpeter Orbert Davis and the Chicago Jazz Ensemble at the Jazz Showcase where he performed with such luminaries as Lee Konitz. A versatile performer Peter has also played with Gladys Knight, Funk icon Bootsy Collins, Charlie Wilson of Gap Band, The Fifth Dimension, Tito Puente, Little Anthony and Imperials, Patti LaBelle, and blues harpist Sugar Blue.

Peter Lerner’s Group has played numerous venues, including Taste of Chicago, Pops for Champaign, Jazz Showcase, Chicago Cultural Center, just to mention a few. The group also performed for various special public and private events. He continues his studies today with master jazz educator David Bloom, while he also dedicates himself to raising the next generation of musicians at Columbia College of Chicago. Peter has two CDs out, South Side (Nominated for Chicago Music Award Best Jazz Album/CD) and Six String Christmas. He is currently working on his third release, Cry for Peace.

Lerner Music, Inc. P.O. Box 59, Riverside, IL 60546 / Phone: 708-749-8151 / Fax: 708-749-9151 / lernermusic@sbcglobal.net