Peter had an interest and technical skills in a wide range of music.

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Bass was not the first instrument he learnt. His father was teaching his sister the piano and he was having violin lessons.

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But he was self taught on the piano and that was his first instrument in local and then dance bands. He paid for lessons on the bass at Trinity – but that was in classical music.

That stood him in good stead as a jazz musician when he moved to New York. He knew Mingus in those early 50s and both he and Percy Heath came for classical bass lessons .

In fact when he met Mingus much later, Peter recalled Mingus saying “You know this and I know this. You were the first cat to play all that high shit on the bass.”

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Peter was experimenting and innovating in the jam sessions as part of that loft scene in New York  - most famously photographed in his early 20s by W Eugene Smith at his loft.

Living in Big Sur Peter  pioneered the  first bass solo concert in Berkeley – so unusual that the compere’s introduction was “you may find this strange but I can assure you it is good.”

His classical skills stood him in good stead when returning to UK – jazz work was scarce and he played in classical orchestras and for such musicals as Fiddler on the Roof.

Back in the UK he set up with Bernie Cash the first Jazz Course at Leeds, based on the Lennie Tristano teaching approach.

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He kept that commitment to teaching and mentoring – Masterclasses, jazz support for future generations such as Yamaha Youth and Tomorrow’s Warriors and putting out a vinyl - Time for Improvisation - to practice jazz with.

He did session work  in the UK in the 70s . He played the bass for a renowned Hamlet ad.

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In New York he had played Oriental  improvised music with an Armenian band. In the UK  he hosted and recorded  Latin and African music nights at the Bass Clef - even held a Latin American music concert at the re-opened Hoxton Music Hall in Shoreditch.