This is the good stuff. Peter Leitch is a jazz guitarist with a pretty incredible resume. I found this LP, Jump Street, at a book/records sale at the National Archives in Ottawa. I managed to get in touch with him, and he gave me a little more information (and permission to post the title track here for your listening pleasure).

According to the liner notes, Peter was one of the young jazz musicians who used to gather at Len Dobbin's place (a noted Montreal Jazz DJ) in the mid 60s to listen to records and learn about the history of the music. Even early on in his career, he managed to get some good gigs with folks like Billy Robinson and Art Ellefson, and even jazz legend Oscar Peterson .

Here's what Peter had to say about the album:

"Jump Street" was actually my first record. I haven't heard it for a long time! I think it was OK for a first (self produced) recording. It was released in Canada in 1981,(green cover) then leased to a U.S company (Pausa) and released in the States a couple of years later (orange cover).

The liner notes say that the album was recorded in a mere two days, on February 9 and 10, 1981 at Puget Sound Recording in Toronto. Peter produced the album himself along with Linda Tremblay, and it was engineered by Don Thompson. I asked him how he managed to create such a good album in only two days. Fans of jazz should not be shocked by his response.

Most jazz recordings on small independent labels are recorded in a couple of days - some in one day. This is possible because of a very high level of musicianship in jazz, and because of a very low level of budget in jazz.

Fair enough. And the musicianship on the entire album is stellar. Have a look at these musicians, and some highlights of their backgrounds:

Art Davis (bass) from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This guy played with Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, and John Coltrane.

Freddie Watts (drums) from Jackson, Mississippi. He has performed with Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Williams, Sonny Rollins, and the list goes on and on.

Neil Swainson (bass) from Victoria, BC. At the time of this recording, he was part of the Moe Koffman Quintet.

Terry Clarke (drums) from Vancouver, BC. A member of Rob McConnell's Boss Brass, his also played with the Fifth Dimension.

George McFetridge (piano) from Edmonton, Alberta. He toured with Buddy Rich, Phil Woods, and Woody Shaw.

Terry Lukiwski (trombone) from Regina, Saskatchewan. He played with Chuck Mangione, and was a member of Nimmons and Nine Plus Six.

I asked Peter if he still plays with any of these guys, and he gave me these updates:

I still work with Terry Clarke and Neil Swainson on occasion. Art Davis and Freddie Waits are unfortunately no longer with us. I believe George McFetridge is in Vancouver.

Peter has been living in New York since the early 80s, and is still releasing albums (his latest came out in 2007). Check out his website for more info .

Now, onto the title track from this LP. "Jump Street" features Peter riffing large throughout the whole track. To quote the album notes, however, "The title comes from an expression used by organist Don Patterson, with whom I worked in Al Grey-Jimmy Forrest Quintet. It means 'the start' or 'the beginning.' Jump Street has an AABA structure with each section separated by two bars of suspended rhythm." Enjoy!

Jump Street