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Artist: Peter Kogan

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Peter Kogan:

Just Before Midnight

With Just Before Midnight, his fourth album since 2013, the constantly evolving and very productive drummer-composer Peter Kogan delivers another far- ranging feast of originals (and a knowing arrangement of Cedar Walton’s classic Hindsight). All the qualities that made Kogan’s previous albums attractive — sophisticated-yet-accessible compositions, great players and soloists, and just enough quirkiness to make it interesting and fun — are here again, in abundance.

Kogan is the rare percussionist who has been able to travel back and forth between jazz, rock, and blues idioms and the classical world. He jobbed around New York City with jazz, rock, and blues bands (along the way backing up blues masters Lightnin’ Hopkins, Floyd Jones, and Honeyboy Edwards, and gigging with the Larry Elgart Orchestra) but could also stand behind a set of timpani in a concert hall with a major symphony orchestra. This kind of versatility — and crossover — is quite exceptional for a percussionist.

Peter Kogan:

Some Monsterful Wonderthing

The genesis of Peter Kogan's Some Monsterful Wonderthing was, of all things, the frustrating 2012 lockout of the Minnestota Orchestra. This was Kogan's day gig, and although the timpanist had high hopes for a reasonably quick settlement, he also took this golden opportunity to record his first studio album as leader – Cornucopia - released in 2013. As the orchestra stalemate dragged into its 16th month, Kogan began thinking about a follow up disc which would utilize a septet, some new tunes that reflected on the labor struggle he was involved in, and the strong community support that the orchestra musicians received. Some musical ideas were completely new, and others were fresh takes on older material from Kogan's New York City days. This became Some Monsterful Wonderthing and was finished six months after the orchestra lockout ended.