Foolish Hearts: Peter Eldridge and Matt Aronoff

Vocalist and composer Peter Eldridge, who will be performing at the Jazzschool with bassist Matt Aronoff. Photo: Alex Fischer

January 23, 2014 11:30 am by Andrew Gilbert

As a vocalist and composer who has forged an intoxicating jazz-steeped sound that draws on R&B, pop and Brazilian music, Peter Eldridge is best known for keeping company with other singers.

A founding member of the vocal quartet New York Voices, he’s also a part of the all-star vocal ensemble Moss, which features Luciana Souza, Kate McGarry, Theo Bleckmann, and Lauren Kinhan (a fellow New York Voice). For his performance Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool, Eldridge changes gears, performing in a stripped down duoFoolish Hearts with bassist Matt Aronoff that couldn’t be more different from his cooperative vocal ventures.

“That’s one of the reasons I’m enjoying this so much.” Eldridge says. “In Moss and New York Voices you get to be a kid in a candy store with all these people offering all these colors. What’s fun about the duo is how intimate it is. It’s all about seeing how little you can get away with and still have the music be transcendent, having all that space and seeing how effective that can be.” 

A highly esteemed songwriter, Eldridge has composed tunes covered by stars like Nancy Wilson, Paquito D’Rivera, Jane Monheit, and Ivan Lins (an ultimate compliment from one of Brazil’s most celebrated and prolific songwriters). Possessing a lithe warm tenor, he’s recorded several solo albums too, most recently 2011’s Mad Heaven (Palmetto Records), though he’s yet to document Foolish Hearts. The project came together several years ago when he was on faculty at the Manhattan School of Music, and in need of an apartment mate for his place in Queens.

Foolish Hearts: Peter Eldridge (left) and Matt Aronoff

Aronoff was a grad student at the time. “I had heard him at school and really liked his playing,” Eldridge says. “He has a wonderful sound, with great intonation. He’s almost hybrid jazz and classical player, and just a really good guy.”

Quite naturally they started playing tunes together at home for fun, and the musical connection was so good Eldridge started arranging jazz and pop tunes for the duo. They both embraced the less-is-more challenge, and after a while they developed a group sound with Aronoff adding vocals and percussion parts on the bass.

“I’m so used to a full rhythm section, it was wonderfully challenging,” Eldridge says. “One day it just felt like enough, that this is all this needs, and we started performing.”

Foolish Hearts has continued to thrive long distance, as Aronoff now lives in Brooklyn and Eldridge relocated to Boston to teach at Berklee College of Music last fall. Building on a repertoire of standards, Foolish Hearts continues to make savvy musical choices.

“It’s definitely evolving,” Eldridge says. “We’re doing more original stuff and mixing it up more. I think we’re trying to go into different worlds, take those singer/songwriter, Brazilian, and esoteric elements and shoot them off to different worlds.”

Read more: http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/01/23/foolish-hearts-peter-eldridge-and-matt-aronoff/

Peter Eldridge, vocalist/composer/pianist....

Peter Eldridge has been called “perennially classy” (JazzTimes) and ranked “in the celebrated tradition of melodic poets, most famously represented by such disparate voices as Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison and Steely Dan – singer/songwriters who create catchy, beautiful tunes with insightful lyrics that are both personal and universal” (allmusicguide.com). Mr. Eldridge continues to draw on his many-faceted talent as he pursues an eclectic mix of activities, including composing, performing, arranging, recording, as well as teaching (Manhattan School of Music, jazz voice faculty since 1993).

He has released three solo recordings: Stranger in Town, characterized by its bittersweet swing and called the Best Jazz CD of 2001 by Boston radio station WICN; Fool No More, full of Peter’s original compositions in a sophisticated pop style, released in the same year (both on the independent label Rosebud Records); and Decorum, a 2005 release of originals. Downbeat said of his latest CD, “If musical intelligence and artistry were prompters to marketplace success, Decorum would grant him stardom. . . .strong, far-ranging voice . . .hauntingly wistful”.

Peter is also a member of the double-Grammy winning New York Voices, a vocal group he co-founded with Darmon Meader, which has recorded six studio albums (including A Day Like This released on MCG Jazz in September 2007), made numerous guest appearances, and toured internationally for more than a decade, with appearances at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, and the Kennedy Center, among many others. In addition, compositions by Mr. Eldridge have been included on albums by other artists: 'Minds of Their Own', written with Brazilian composer-performer Ivan Lins, was included on Nancy Wilson's R.S.V.P. (Rare Songs, Very Personal) on the MCG Jazz Label, which won the 2004 Grammy award for Best Jazz Vocal Album; 'Difficult' was recorded by Cuban saxophonist-clarinetist Paquito D'Rivera for his The Jazz Chamber Trio, a 2005 release on Chesky Records; and Jane Monheit, who was at one time one of Mr. Eldridge's many talented students, features Peter's song 'Surrender' as the title track on her acclaimed 2007 CD and also features the Eldridge duet 'Around Us', based on a James Thurber quote, on her 2003 Encoded Music DVD, Live from the Rainbow Room.

One of his many choral pieces, simply entitled 'Prayer', was recently recorded by New York City's own Marble Collegiate Sanctuary Choir, on its recording With Many Voices. In spring 2006, Peter was invited to join Kurt Elling, Jon Hendricks, and Mark Murphy for a ‘concept concert’, the Four Brothers. He is also a member of the vocal group Moss, which combines the talents of Luciana Souza, Kate McGarry, Theo Bleckmann, and Lauren Kinhan. Moss released its first CD on Sunnyside in the Spring of 2008. Downbeat called the recording ‘a hushed masterpiece’.

Peter also continues to perform with his own band in venues all over New York and beyond, including Joe’s Pub, Birdland and the Jazz Standard. He has also worked with Bobby McFerrin, Michael Brecker, Meredith Monk, George Benson, David Byrne, Jim Hall, the Roches, Jonatha Brooke, Bill Charlap, Betty Buckley, Joshua Redman, and many others. He is regularly asked to lead master classes and workshops around the world and, when time allows, teaches privately at his home in New York City.

Peter Eldridge combines all facets of his musical talents into an eclectic mix of performing...

Peter Eldridge combines all facets of his musical talents into an eclectic mix of performing, recording, composing and producing. He has released three solo recordings - his latest album, 'Decorum', the sophisticated pop of 'Fool No More', a collection of his original music produced by Peter and the multitalented Ben Wittman (Patty Larkin, The Story, Lucy Kaplansky), as well as the bittersweet standards found in Stranger in Town, produced by Peter and Jean Charles Lignel, featuring an all-star cast of jazz luminaries such as Michael Brecker, Lewis Nash, Claudio Roditi and Romero Lubambo.

Reaction to Peter's solo projects has been very strong. The internet music service allmusicguide.com said of 'Fool No More', "Eldridge belongs in the celebrated tradition of melodic poets, most famously represented by such disparate voices as Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Van Morrison: singer/songwriters who create catchy, beautiful tunes with insightful lyrics that are both personal and universal. Peter is also a member of the Grammy award-winning vocal group New York Voices, which Peter co-founded with Darmon Meader.

Peter has worked with a diverse and legendary group of artists, among them Bobby McFerrin, Nancy Wilson, David Byrne, Jonatha Brooke, George Benson, Patti Austin, the Roches, Betty Buckley, Joshua Redman, Ivan Lins, Michael Brecker, Eddie Gomez, Christian McBride, Jon Hendricks, Linda Eder, and Bill Charlap. Peter is currently writing English lyrics for one of his heroes, Brazilian composer Ivan Lins, and adding his voice to Bobby McFerrin's newest recording project.