Peter Leitch
Peter Leitch, the respected New York-based jazz guitarist , has worked and recorded with such luminaries as Oscar Peterson, Milt Jackson, Woody Shaw, and Jaki Byard and has 15 recordings under his own name. He has in recent years built a solid reputation as a black-and-white photographer, capturing street scenes, landscapes, architecture, and fellow musicians from New York to Mississippi. Although he has had a life-long interest in photography, the native Montrealer remembers one seminal moment when a love for the medium took hold: “Many years ago I went to an Andre Kertesz exhibit and it was like hearing Charlie Parker for the first time!” he said. Since then, he has come to love and appreciate the work of “all the great photographers,” in particular Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans , Robert Frank, and Roy DeCarava. Although basically self taught, he has been fortunate to have the personal guidance and mentorship of photographers Robert Walker and the late Paul Hoeffler. Of the parallels between jazz music and photography, Peter says: “Both are arts of the moment. Taking a photograph is akin to improvising in real time, and the darkroom process is in a way similar to the recording, mixing and mastering processes."
Peter has had solo exhibitions in New York, Newark, St. Louis and Starkville, Mississippi; and shared shows in Cincinnati, Montreal and Newark. His work appears on several CD covers, and has been published in Jazz Times and Cuadernos de Jazz (Spain). In addition, his collaborations with video artist Pamela Timmins have been screened at New York area film festivals and can be seen on YouTube.
Exhibitions:
1999: Kavahaz Gallery, New York
Maison de Culture Frontenac, Montreal (group show)
2000: Kavehaz Gallery, New York
Roho Photo Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
2001: Kavehaz Gallery, New York
Sweet Basil, New York
2002: WBGO Gallery, Newark, NJ
2003: Kavehaz Gallery, New York
2005: Living Room Gallery, St. Peter’s Church, New York
2007: WBGO Gallery, Newark, NJ
2009: May Gallery, St. Louis, MO
Hudson Guild Gallery, New York (group show)
Soho Photo Gallery, New York
2010: Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS
2011: Hudson Guild Gallery, New York. (Group exhibit - two photographs.)
2012: WBGO Gallery, Newark, NJ
Peter Leitch photograph by Lew Schwartz
Slideshow music © Peter Leitch, courtesy of Reservoir Music and Jazz House Productions.
Peter Leitch, the respected New York-based jazz guitarist , has worked and recorded with such luminaries as Oscar Peterson, Milt Jackson, Woody Shaw, and Jaki Byard and has 15 recordings under his own name. He has in recent years built a solid reputation as a black-and-white photographer, capturing street scenes, landscapes, architecture, and fellow musicians from New York to Mississippi. Although he has had a life-long interest in photography, the native Montrealer remembers one seminal moment when a love for the medium took hold: “Many years ago I went to an Andre Kertesz exhibit and it was like hearing Charlie Parker for the first time!” he said. Since then, he has come to love and appreciate the work of “all the great photographers,” in particular Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans , Robert Frank, and Roy DeCarava. Although basically self taught, he has been fortunate to have the personal guidance and mentorship of photographers Robert Walker and the late Paul Hoeffler. Of the parallels between jazz music and photography, Peter says: “Both are arts of the moment. Taking a photograph is akin to improvising in real time, and the darkroom process is in a way similar to the recording, mixing and mastering processes."
Peter has had solo exhibitions in New York, Newark, St. Louis and Starkville, Mississippi; and shared shows in Cincinnati, Montreal and Newark. His work appears on several CD covers, and has been published in Jazz Times and Cuadernos de Jazz (Spain). In addition, his collaborations with video artist Pamela Timmins have been screened at New York area film festivals and can be seen on YouTube.
Exhibitions:
1999: Kavahaz Gallery, New York
Maison de Culture Frontenac, Montreal (group show)
2000: Kavehaz Gallery, New York
Roho Photo Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
2001: Kavehaz Gallery, New York
Sweet Basil, New York
2002: WBGO Gallery, Newark, NJ
2003: Kavehaz Gallery, New York
2005: Living Room Gallery, St. Peter’s Church, New York
2007: WBGO Gallery, Newark, NJ
2009: May Gallery, St. Louis, MO
Hudson Guild Gallery, New York (group show)
Soho Photo Gallery, New York
2010: Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS
2011: Hudson Guild Gallery, New York. (Group exhibit - two photographs.)
2012: WBGO Gallery, Newark, NJ
Peter Leitch photograph by Lew Schwartz
Slideshow music © Peter Leitch, courtesy of Reservoir Music and Jazz House Productions.
© Peter Leitch