Bernard Peiffer

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bernard Peiffer (pay-fair) was a French jazz pianist, composer, and teacher. A prodigy from childhood, he was soon recognized to have a technical mastery of his instrument, which to some was rivaled only by Art Tatum. However, his legacy and accomplishments have largely gone unnoticed and forgotten. The disruption caused by the Nazi Occupation of France combined with his constant desire for musical independence and a fierce creativity that continued until his death all contributed to his inability to achieve much notoriety or even recording time during his lifetime. But as in the case of any great musician and teacher, his legacy was imparted to his many students, among them Uri Caine, Sumi Tonooka, Tom Lawton, and Don Glandon.

Born on Oct 23, 1922 in Epinal, France, Peiffer was raised in a musical family, with his father and uncle playing the violin and the organ, respectively. Starting piano at age 9, he studied under Pierre Maire, a student of Nadia Boulanger, and quickly demonstrated his brilliance by being able to play back long sections of classical music by ear. After winning the esteemed 1st Prize in Piano at the Paris Conservatory, Peiffer soon began his professional career at the age of 20, playing with Andre Ekyan and Django Reinhardt, the latter immediately recognizing Bernard's talent. During World War II, Peiffer joined the French Resistance Movement after he witnessed the execution of a friend by the Gestapo in the streets of Paris. Soon afterward he was captured and was incarcerated for over a year. In the early 50's he began a successful career, playing with Django, leading his own quintet, composing film soundtracks, and essentially achieving celebrity status among the clubs of Paris, Monte Carlo, and Nice, and eventually becoming nationally renowned. Jazz critic Barry Ulanov said of him, "Nobody I’ve heard matches his skills as an improviser and his thorough knowledge of his instrument." After moving to Philadelphia in 1954 with his wife Corine and daughter Rebecca, he began a new era in his life, leaving his ghosts behind him in France. However, the subsequent loss of his 3rd daughter (his first was from a previous marriage with singer Monique Dozo) profoundly affected him, resulting in the beautiful "Poem for a Lonely Child". In 1962 came his first son and final child, Stephen. During his first several years in the US, he achieved considerable success, performing at Carnegie Hall, Birdland, and the Newport Jazz Festival, to name a few, and was lauded by critics. According to Leonard Feather, “Peiffer is amazing. I can’t recall any jazz pianist except Art Tatum blessed with such mastery," essentially believing that Peiffer was indeed the greatest living jazz pianist. He released his final commercial album in 1965 and after having kidney surgery a few years later, he restricted himself to performing and teaching mainly in Philadelphia. His last major appearance at the 1974 New York/Newport Festival at Carnegie completely floored the audience, demonstrating that even at 51 Peiffer displayed an unmatched command of his instrument. However, his distaste for working with record labels combined with his own independent nature has led him to be mostly forgotten, as he never achieved the fame in the United States that he had known in France. In his own words,“The musician must be free to exercise his own will. If he allows himself to be limited or permits others to restrain him to any great extent, he is denying these obligations and closeting himself off from his own possibilities.”

Peiffer's distinct mastery of the piano has been likened to Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, and Phineas Newborn, but there is an utter uniqueness behind his intense passion and flare, which was dazzlingly reflected in his abilities as a musician and teacher. A posthumous release, entitled "Formidable...!", that spans 20 years of his career was released in 2006, produced by his student Don Glanden and son Stephen.

1. Glandon, Don; "Bernard Peiffer: Formidable"

2. Schermer, Victor L; "The Bernard Peiffer Legacy"