Gordon with Jazimina MacNeil
Gordon provides piano accompaniment for a wide variety of singers and instrumentalist in many genres of music, including fiddle tunes of Celtic, French Canadian and New England origin, American Songbook, jazz, blues, rock and roll, and folk. He has developed a repertoire of what he calls Contra Cocktail – improvisational arrangements of Celtic tunes suitable as background music for parties or other gatherings.
He generally favors a folk-approach, working by ear or by simple charts, and improvising to suit the moment. His primary goal is to provide rich and innovative textures to provide a colorful and energetic backdrop.
Recently Gordon has become the Orchestra Leader for the New Hampshire Scottish Music Club.
Upcoming Gigs
Influences
Gordon’s current collaborators are perpetually informing his ever-evolving artistry. But special thanks and acknowledgement to the following, past and present:
Bob McQuillen
©Brianna L. Morrissey
No contra dance musician in the world is without debt to Bob, whose life-example was so inspiring. He reigned over New England dance halls for over 60 years, seldom deviating from his simple yet remarkably effective style of playing. A great piano player, composer of tunes, teacher, but perhaps most important - a man who did not pass judgement on others. He was and remains Gordon’s primary mentor.
Kerry Elkin
Kerry, who with Gordon was the core of the band Fresh Fish, lit the fire of discipline and refinement under Gordon. They also enjoyed some wonderful and often ridiculous times together.
Presented by Gordon at the Amos Fortune Forum, August 2, 2024.
This is a 1990 Documentary from NH Crossroads (public television) which recently became available, about the Music of John Taggart, a history and recording project led by Randy Miller, and including Gordon, Rodney Miller, and Skip Gorman.
New Hampshire Fiddle Madness, Bass Hall, November 17, 2023
Gordon and Eve Pierce: Song Sampler
The Cultural Richness of the Monadnock Region
Gordon presented this Zoom program through the Historical Society of Cheshire County, for the Keene State College Center for Lifelong Learning.
Music and Dance in the Nelson Town Hall: The Myth, the Magic the Truth
Gordon Peery and Lisa Sieverts presented this Zoom program through the Olivia Rodham Memorial Library on December 19, 2020. Entertaining and instructive.
The Monadnock Summer Lyceum
Monadnock Summer Lyceum
Archive from Sunday, 08/16/2015
The Sources and Evolution of New England Contra Dance Music: An Annotated Concert with Skip Gorman and Gordon Peery. Click for Audio Archive
This is just the final segment including the procession.
Complete Program: Presented at the Monadnock Summer Lyceum, Unitarian Universalist Church, Peterborough, NH on July 15, 2012. Narrated by Gordon Peery, music by Bob McQuillen and Old New England.
Gordon is one of the few people invited to speak twice at the Monadnock Summer Lyceum, a forum that has been running in Peterborough since 1828. His first program with Skip Gorman (noted above) is available as an audio program. One of the highlights of his life was the opportunity to honor Bob McQuillen - while he was still with us. Gordon narrated between tunes played by Bob, Jane Orzechowski and Deanna Stiles. At the end of the program there was a procession of over forty musicians, ranging from 10 to 80 years old, who (as a surprise) came forward to honor Bob. That final segment is available as a separate video (about 10 minutes) or you can see the entire program, which provides a good picture of Bob, and of New England dance music in general.
Harvey Tolman
Harvey was one of the first fiddlers Gordon played with. Gordon was absorbing more than he realized in those first few months, and he has enjoyed playing with him on many occasions over the years.
Violet Tulloch
Perhaps Shetland’s equivalent to Bob McQuillen, Violet inspired Gordon first through her playing on the Silver Bow, and later, when he got to meet her in person.
