James Peachey, Drums

Washington’s own James Peachey lives a divided life. He grew up in a house which was full of music, eventually choosing drums as his instrument and playing in various local rock bands before joining the infamous (in certain punk circles anyway) “No Trend”, with whom he recorded two albums and toured the U.S. Meanwhile, in school, James pursued his other lifelong interest in science. It was while attending graduate school in physics at the University of Illinois that he began to play jazz, and he subsequently returned to the D.C. area, where he has since tried to balance his two callings. Currently, James works at Goddard Space Flight Center by day and plays music by night with local jazz groups, including the Tom Cunningham Orchestra, and of course, Blue Sky 5.

James’s favorite musicians and groups are: Elvin Jones, Roy Haynes, Tom Waits, Mozart, Wayne Shorter, Duke Ellington, Francesco Cagone, Ella Fitzgerald