Died On This Date (November 21, 2012) Austin Peralta / Jazz Piano Prodigy and Composer
themusicsover Austin Peralta
October 25, 1990 – November 21, 2012
Austin Peralta was a respected young jazz pianist and composer. Just six when he began taking piano lessons, Peralta was quickly realized to have a gift most musicians his age don’t have. He went on to study with the likes of Alan Pasqua and Buddy Collette. At 15, Peralta performed at the renowned Tokyo Jazz Festival. Besides performing with his own trio at the festival, he played alongside the likes of Sadao Watanabe and Chick Corea. By age 16, Peralta had already released two albums, Maiden Voyage and Mantra, for Sony in Japan – both in 2006. He followed that in 2011 with Endless Planets. In 2004, Peralta contributed music to the soundtrack of Riding Giants, a surfing documentary directed by his father, Stacy Peralta, of Dogtown and Z-Boys fame. During the year leading up to his passing, Peralta performed regularly with Allan Holdsworth and appeared on Flying Lotus’ Until The Quiet Comes. Austin Peralta was 22 when he died on November 21, 2012. Cause of death was not immediately released.
What You Should Own
Buddy Collette was an influential jazz musician who was equally adept at the clarinet, flute and tenor saxophone. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Collette was a respected figure of the West Coast jazz movement of the 1950s and a regular performer throughout the storied Central Avenue clubs. His most celebrated works were his collaborations with