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Peter Auret

Peter Auret (born 17 August 1976, Johannesburg, Gauteng) is a South African drummer. Peter is a versatile musician who has performed an toured with many of South Africa's great groups and musicians. He also works as a producer, recording engineer and occasional composer at his Sumo Sound recording facility. His distinctive performances and musical ideas can be heard on his, and many others' records.

Peter Auret grew up in Johannesburg listening to his parents' Rock 'n Roll and Folk Music records without much exposure to Jazz and African music, in the then still very segregated and isolated South Africa. Although both his mother and grandfather played musical instruments, a career in music was never encouraged by his parents. The largely self- taught drummer began playing at the age of seventeen. While in high school he played in the Witwatersrand Youth Orchestra and the school marching band under direction of South African Pipe Band Champion Jeff Owen. After high school graduation, Auret attended Park Town College in Johannesburg studying fine arts and design whilst holding down regular club gigs with his own band. He then transferred to the National School of Arts where he studied drums with Garth Farrant. During that time he started performing with other bands and artists as a freelancer, and also played in a student musical theatre production at the Cairo International Arts Festival and the Grahamstown Arts Festival in 1996.

After college, Peter developed an interest in Jazz and improvised music. He was fast building a reputation as a Pop/Rock musician, gaining wider recognition with singer/songwriter Riku Lätti and the then South African Pop sensation Henry Ate (Karma), where he met future collaborator, guitarist Max Mikula. Auret and Mikula went on to record two SAMA (South African Music Awards) nominated albums with their Afro Jazz/World Music group Tsunami. Peter worked with Tsunami from 2001 to 2004, while also working more and more with local jazz outfits. In 2004 Peter's musical horizons expanded, when guitarist Jonathan Crossley booked him to play on a Jazz record featuring local jazz heroes: Marc Duby, Carlo Mombeli, Marcus Wyatt, Kevin Davidson and Sidney Mnisi. Peter continued to work with Crossley from 2004 to 2007, performing and recording on another album and a live DVD. This association led to Peter meeting pianist Roland Moses who would later become part of Auret's trio. In 2007 Peter joined South African Pop/Rock group Watershed, where he was reacquainted with bass player, James Sunney with whom he had occasionally performed over the years.

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Peter Auret: Turning the Tide

Read "Peter Auret: Turning the Tide" reviewed by Seton Hawkins


Johannesburg-based Peter Auret is something of a renaissance man in jazz. A drummer, bandleader, recording engineer, founder of a record label, and entrepreneur, Auret has spearheaded an initiative to organize some of the city's most striking jazz talents into a musical collective centered around his label, Afrisonic Records.Starting his career as a drummer in rock bands, and later earning international acclaim through his work with the Afro-Jazz ensemble Tsunami, Auret ultimately found his life's passion in jazz. Fronting ...

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"... these talented musicians are bursting with passion and flair." - Diane and the RadioIndy.com Reviewer Team

"..What a great album, production quality is amazing, its fantastic to hear a trio sound so full bodied" -Nothemba Madumo, Metro FM

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Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Turn the Tide

Afrisonic Records
2010

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