Inspiration lies in chocolate chip cookies
Famed jazz pair first inspired by Chips Ahoy! commercial
The first cool thing about Peter and Will Anderson is that they are identical twins — same mannerisms, facial features, even haircuts.
The second is the impressive path the talented pair set out on together, beginning at a very young age, which has led them to international jazz stardom. All because of a particular chocolate chip cookie.
“We were inspired to play the clarinet after watching a ‘Chips Ahoy!’ cookie commercial on TV with a soundtrack of Benny Goodman's ‘Sing, Sing, Sing!’ when we were 8,” Will Anderson tells the Rappahannock News.
“My brother and I both started playing the clarinet when we were 9 years old, then added the saxophone a year later,” Will recalls. “We started playing professionally a little bit in high school in Bethesda, Maryland, and then more when we moved to New York City at age 18.”
After graduating from Juilliard their careers took off, becoming known for their unique renditions of classic jazz songs and innovative original music:
“Virtuosos on clarinet and saxophone,” the New York Times praised.
“Imaginatively unfolding in ways that consistently bring a fresh perspective to classic pop and jazz tunes,” the Washington Post seconded.
And this from the unparalleled musician and actor Quincy Jones: “These guys flood the room with joy! You dudes are the future. You’ve made my soul smile.”
“We first became friends with Quincy when we led a ‘Tribute to Quincy Jones’ big band concert in 2010 in New York,” Will tells us. “We see him when he comes to New York City, and he’s one of the most
supportive, knowledgeable, hip musicians we know.”
Besides the Blue Note in New York, the Anderson twins have headlined the Kennedy Center, the New Orleans Jazz Festival, and the Arizona Music Festival, performing as All About Jazz opined “with a passion, unpredictability, and sense of discovery.” They have also toured Japan, South America, and Great Britain, among other destinations.
Is there any performance that stands out among the others?
“Our favorite performance of all time was performing at New Orleans Jazz Fest in 2013,” Will answers. “It's such a great city full of culture, jazz lovers — and crawfish!”
By 2014, the pair’s off-Broadway music review was nominated for a Drama Desk Award. Readers might recall hearing them perform live on Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion, and they are featured on the 2014 Grammy Winning Soundtrack of HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” with Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks. Most recently the brothers were 2018 Bistro Award Winners.
And now, of all small pockets of the planet, they are coming to the seat of Rappahannock County.
“We are on a five-week tour around the country and Washington is one of our stops,” Will explains. “We’re going to Michigan, Texas, Arizona, and everywhere in between.”
The performance will take place on Saturday, March 31, at 8 p.m. at the Little Washington Theatre on Gay Street. The theatre will fill up fast, and reservations are recommended in advance either through the website www. littlewashingtontheatre.com or by calling 540-6751253.
The Andersons will be joined be Parisian virtuoso guitarist Felix Lemerle performing American Songbook Gems, New Orleans jazz hits, Brazilian Bossa Novas, and their own original music. They will draw from the songbooks of George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, and Frank Sinatra.