Randy Peterson

Randy Peterson is a drummer known for a singular approach to rhythm rooted in New York's free jazz and improvised music scene. He worked closely over many years with the microtonal saxophonist Joe Maneri, frequently in a quartet alongside Maneri's son, violist Mat Maneri, a collaboration documented on labels including Leo, hatHUT, and ECM. Out of that work he developed what he calls the Rhythmic Continuum, translating microtonal ideas from melody into rhythm and favoring phrase lengths and interaction over steady time. He appeared on the Joe Maneri Quartet's ECM recording In Full Cry, and his partnership with Mat Maneri carried into later projects. He remained active on the New York improvised-music scene, performing with players such as Craig Taborn, Brandon Seabrook, and bassist Jeong Lim Yang.