Since their memorable 2006 tour of Peru, pianist Bill Anschell, bassist Chris Symer, and drummer/percussionist Jeff Busch have been performing regularly as the Peru Reunion trio. Anschell had previously toured South America five times with his Atlanta trio before moving to Seattle in 2002. For all of the tours, Anschell arranged traditional South American songs, building a repertoire that offers a personal take on the beautiful and memorable melodies. The trio’s repertoire has continued to expand, now including songs from Peru, Paraguay, Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina, Chile, and Colombia, as well as many of Anschell's original compositions.
About the Musicians
Bill Anschell
Pianist Bill Anschell’s concert credits include eight European tours with vocalist Nnenna Freelon and seven South American tours leading his own trio. He was featured as pianist, arranger, and composer on Freelon’s CD, Shaking Free, which was Grammy-nominated. He is a prolific composer; his original pieces have been placed more than 90 times on programs including “The West Wing,” “The Wire,” and “Yellowstone.”
Anschell, a Seattle native, returned to the Emerald city in 2002 after a long residency in Atlanta. He received Golden Ear Awards as the “Northwest Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year” in 2005, 2010 and 2011; his trio was named “Northwest Acoustic Jazz Ensemble of the Year” in 2006 and 2022; his CD Figments won “Northwest Jazz Recording of the Year” in 2011; and in 2016 he was inducted into the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame.
Anschell is also well known as a jazz humorist, and in 2014 he was a winner of the inaugural Paul Desmond Award, allaboutjazz.com’s celebration of the funniest jazz artists.
Chris Symer
Bassist Chris Symer moved to Seattle in 2002 from Los Angeles, where he was an in-demand player for live gigs and studio work. Feeling at home playing almost any type of music, he has been busy working in a wide variety of musical situations. He has performed in groups ranging from the unclassifiable Southern California based band "Headless Household"; to sideman work with Bennie Maupin, Charlie Byrd, Tierney Sutton, Roger Kellaway and Robben Ford; to orchestral playing for film scores. Symer's consistent sound and reliable sense of direction have not only helped him find work, but to get there on time as well.
Since moving to Seattle from Los Angeles in 2002, Symer has become an integral part of the city's jazz scene, freelancing as a bass-for-hire and playing regularly in the bands of Bill Anschell, Johnaye Kendrick and Nelda Swiggett.
Jeff Busch
Jeff Busch is an exuberant drummer/percussionist, vocalist, and composer who has been active on the Seattle jazz, gospel, and Latin jazz scenes for the past 13 years. He is a member of the Jovino Santos Neto Quinteto, whose 2004 recording ‘Canto do Rio’ was nominated for a Latin Jazz Grammy. In 2007, one of Jeff’s original compositions entitled ‘the Struggle’ from his album ‘Song for the Ninth Ward, was selected as a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition’s jazz category. He has drummed at Seattle’s First AME church for the past 12 years, and has collaborated with a wide variety of artists.
From 1988-96, Jeff studied fine art, and music in Leeds, England. He studied percussion and drum set with Dave Hassel, calypso with steel drum master Dudley Nesbitt, and later Brazilian percussion with Jesse Bannister. In Leeds he first worked as a percussion accompanist for three of the city’s dance companies. In 1997, Jeff spent six months in Brazil and studied with a variety of percussionists including Edmilson Costa Teixeira, Gilo do Pandeiro, and Mestres Memeu and Lazaro from Olodum; he returned to tour as a performer in 1998. He was the recipient of a King County Arts grant for a recording project entitled “Drums and Voices – A Collage of Negro Spirituals,” with gospel singer Patrinell Wright and Master Senegalese drummer Thione Diop. In addition to performing, Jeff continues his work as a dance accompanist, producer, educator, studio musician and visual artist.