Edward Petersen

Heavily influenced by the seminal John Coltrane, Ed Petersen is a big-toned tenor saxophonist who is capable of playing both post-bop and hard bop. Petersen has never been well-known nationally, although he has managed to keep busy on local jazz scenes -- first in Chicago, later in New Orleans. In the '80s, Petersen was a fixture at the Green Mill, a famous jazz club on Chicago's North side. It was at the Green Mill that Petersen regularly played with such locals as guitarist Fareed Haque and trumpeter Brad Goode. Because Petersen seemed like such a die-hard Chicagoan, it came as a surprise when, in 1994, he left the Windy City and moved to New Orleans to accept a teaching position. Petersen was appointed assistant professor of Jazz Studies at the University of New Orleans, where his colleagues have included Harold Battiste and pianist Ellis Marsalis. As a sideman, he has been employed on albums by Haque and fellow saxman Frank Mantooth, as well as Chicago singers Kurt Elling, Jackie Allen, and Eden Atwood. And as a leader, Petersen has recorded two albums for Delmark: Upward Spiral in 1989 and The Haint in 1994. ~ Alex Henderson