When he left Minneapolis to study jazz in New York and New Jersey in the mid-1980s, Peter Schimke happily discovered he "could hang with serious musicians." By the time he wound up back home a decade later, the pianist and drummer became one of those musicians sought out by other players around the Twin Cities.
"He raised the bar for everyone he played with," said singer Patty Peterson, who has been mourning Schimke's death this past week along with much of the Twin Cities jazz community. "He would dig so deeply when he played, it was like you were communicating with him spiritually."
Schimke, 59, took his own life on Feb. 24 after many years of struggling with mental illness. A memorial for him is scheduled for March 22 at the Dakota Jazz Club led by his longtime bandmate and ex-girlfriend, Estaire Godinez.
The accomplished performer and arranger was a regular at the Dakota, often playing in a duo with veteran saxophonist Irv Williams, who died in December at age 100.
"Peter and Irv were perfect together, both very accomplished but also both very natural," said trumpeter Steve Kenny.
The Dakota's co-owner, Lowell Pickett, echoed that praise: "Irv liked playing with people who could push him, and Peter was one of the best at it," he said.
Schimke also played with Billy Preston, Sam Moore, Pete Escovedo (Sheila E's dad), Peruvian guitarist Andres Prado, Mark Murphy, the Petersons, such groups as How Birds Work and What Would Monk Do, as well as Godinez.
He often performed locally with his own ensembles, too, including regular gigs at the Artists' Quarter, Jazz Central, Black Dog Cafe and the Lexington in St. Paul, where he pioneered the Jazz at the Lexington series and was still playing up until last year with trumpeter Omar Abdulkarim.
