The Artist's Journey
Peter Trias has been building an increasingly stellar reputation for himself ever since he moved from his native New York City to South Florida. Pete has been performing his original music with various groups on the Florida music scene for many years. As an eclectic jazz guitarist, he has also had the privilege of performing, recording and playing with many renowned jazz artists such as Wayne Shorter, John Patitucci, “Toots” Thielemans, Jaco Pastorius, Tom Breckline, Dave Weckl, Anthony Jackson, Blues legend Bo Diddley, and vocalist Ben Vareen to name a few.
Pete knew from his early childhood that music was his calling. He was first drawn to the early Motown recordings and the progressive rock of the 60’s. The young Trias devoured the music of his youth and then - like millions of other American teens of the 1960’s - he saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show, thus adding to his growing list of influences. For a young up-and-coming musician, the 60s was a unique time period for gaining great insight and inspiration from a plethora of amazing artists. He said, “As a young guitarist, hearing and seeing the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Cream perform was a real high point for me.” As a youth, while growing up in South Florida, Pete was primarily a self-taught guitarist, stating that “At the time, I didn’t have the privilege of taking private music lessons, so I simply learned how to play by listening and closely observing others play.” Pete’s entire musical perspective dramatically changed when a school counselor took him to see and hear Andre Segovia perform in concert. Seeing and hearing maestro Segovia for the first time was a life-changing event for him. He was taken backstage to meet the master classical guitarist whereupon Segovia shook his hand as he asked, “Do you like playing the guitar? Well then... you must practice, work hard, and follow your dreams.” Upon hearing those words directly from Segovia always resonated in Peter’s persona and had profound lasting effect on his musical quest.
For a brief time after the Segovia encounter, Pete began to explore other classical artists, which include Christopher Parkening, Flamenco guitarist Carlos Montoya and composer Igor Stravinsky, all of whom he saw perform live.
During his sophomore year in high school, Pete was invited to his first jazz concert featuring the Dave Brubeck Quartet. It was at this concert that he came face to face with the art of jazz improvisation, declaring that “I was mesmerized by the ability of the players to communicate to each other with such proficiency and ease, not to mention how they took a tune and stretched it to no end.” Still in the early stages of his musical development, Pete began to explore the vast array of jazz giants. Some of his most influential and inspiring jazz artists were Wes Montgomery, Pat Martino, Jim Hall, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock and Charlie Parker.
After a long season of self-discipline in guitar technique and music theory, Pete decided it was time to enhance his knowledge of jazz harmony. He was introduced to South Florida’s guitar legend Bob Whitlock by close friend Randy Bernsen.“I was very fortunate and privileged to have studied with Bob Whitlock, a master of tunes from the American song book and jazz standards.”
After a couple of years under the wings of his first teacher, Pete signed up for private lessons with Vincent Bredice, author of the renowned Guitar Improvisation book. It was through the counsel of Mr. Bredice that h enrolled as a Jazz Performance Major at Miami Dade College. Peter also minored in Cello, which broadened his musical palette all the more. He acquired a real passion for classical composers and their music after several years of performing as a cellist in the school orchestra and the Broward Community Symphony. He continued his studies with Vince while pursuing his music education and graduated in 1978.
As a passionate leader, player, composer, Pete now stands as one of the elite players in traditional and contemporary jazz. He has absorbed a lifetime of “real-deal” experiences during his musical career.