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Peter Yellin - Be Bop Alto Master

"Pete Yellin comes to play. The aggressive veteran altoist plunges into the melee and takes no quarter." - David Franklin, JazzTimes

Veteran bebop alto saxman Pete Yellin is a recent addition to the Bay Area jazz scene, having moved to our shores from New York within the past year.

Yellin's resume attests to the quality of his musicianship and the sizzling power of his style. The New York native was a member of the great Joe Henderson sextet in the 60s and 70s, recorded with stars like Tito Puente, Buddy Rich, Lionel Hampton and Eddie Palmieri, and appeared frequently with the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Big Band. His most recent CD, Mellow Soul, featured pianist Chick Corea and saxophonist Vincent Herring.

As a new member of the San Francisco community, Yellin may be unfamiliar to many local jazz fans, but with his October appearance at Pearl's, that ought to change in a big way.

Pete Yellin started playing music seriously in the late 1950s after hearing the great altoist Art Pepper. On a basketball scholarship at Denver University at the time, Pete was so impressed with the music he had just heard that he borrowed an alto saxophone from the University's music department and went to work. Yellin first studied privately with Julliard's clarinet specialist Augustine Duques, then at Julliard in saxophone under the tutelage of the great Joseph Allard. In 1984, Yellin founded the jazz program at Long Island University -- New York's first serious full-time degree program in jazz.

For years, Yellin was a fixture on the sharp-edged New York City jazz scene. Now we're lucky enough to have him in San Francisco. Come help us welcome Pete Yellin and his hard-charging alto sax to the Bay Area. Pete Yellin and Pearl's is a natural fit.