Honoring Peter Yarrow— 1938-2025

A lot more than Peter Paul and Mary

Peter Yarrow, of the folk group, Peter Paul and Mary, died yesterday at the age of 86. Peter was one of the most decent, giving, smart, generous people to walk the earth. I met him a number of times, played guitar with him on several occasions, and was delighted to see him in the audience at Lincoln Center when I performed with my big band a few years ago. After we were done with a piece I heard a voice from the back calling, “Yeah!” It happened several times. “Who is that guy,” I wondered. What a delight to find out afterwards that it was him. I played a piece called “March on Washington.” Well, he was there performing in 1963!

Peter Paul and Mary were an important group. Their clean, detailed arrangements of American folk music were on millions of record players in the 60s. They were one of many white ensembles of that era to sing traditional songs, some of them African-American, and lead people like me back to the source. PPM was part of the general raising of consciousness that took place in that decade. There was more to the band than music. They were determined to make any community they sang for a better place, peace and justice were the order of the day. The guitar arrangements were unusual and well thought out, the harmonies too, and always gorgeous.

This was the rare music that parents and kids could like at the same time. Simon and Garfunkel were similar in that way. I can’t tell you how many times my family might be sitting around playing cards, I guess I must’ve been nine or 10 years old, and there was Peter’s reedy voice— no matter what tale he was spinning, the music always made you feel better. My mom would sing along to the tunes as she laid an ace on the table.

But Peter was way more than a musician. He was one of the most dogged activists of all time. His life was one long spate of progressive advocacy. This is a man who took an entire delegation of friends and associates to Vietnam 15 or so years ago to apologize to the Vietnamese people for the war. Everyone he met was his “brother” or “sister.” Once I was invited to a fundraiser at his spacious apartment on the Upper West Side. I suspect there were hundreds of them over decades. He was always trying to raise money for a good cause. In fact I have a rather funny story about that.

His scheme to get people to put money in the pot was picking up the guitar and singing his most beloved song, “Puff, the Magic Dragon.” He would sing one verse, and then as he played the chords, he would proselytize for the cause. Then he’d sing another verse— and hector the crowd some more. As you may know there are many verses to that song. It went on forever. After about 15 minutes I found myself thinking I never wanted to hear the song again— I was about to run out the door! But he got the job done.

I once asked Peter about the famed moment at the Newport Jazz festival when Dylan went electric. This event is now ever more notorious because of this new Dylan biopic, “A Complete Unkown.” Peter confirmed that he was behind the soundboard preventing the old guard from turning Dylan down. And that he vehemently argued with Pete Seeger about cutting the electricity to the group. He thought the whole thing was ridiculous. Why the hell shouldn’t you let Dylan do what he wants? He was no fuddy-duddy, no Puritan. He said the sound was absolutely horrible. Newport was entirely unprepared for what hit them. You couldn’t really hear a thing. Awful. But the point was, let the man be. He thought it was all blown way out of proportion and was a bit miffed that people were still talking about it.

Let me riff on that. I cannot believe how much talk I’ve heard of this new Dylan movie. I have no desire to see it. Why do we need to know more about a man that we already know so much about? Furthermore, the man himself, Dylan, couldn’t care less about what we know about him. This moment in American music has been talked about, dissected, and fetishized beyond belief. There was a lot going on in 1964. How about a movie about John Coltrane? Or Mike Bloomfield? Or Sun Ra who was a real unknown? Or Dave Von Ronk? Is it so important that we get into the weeds about who Bob Dylan slept with? I’m sure Peter would agree.

One fine week a few years ago I got to play Dylan’s masterpiece “The Times They are a-Changin’” with Peter. A few days earlier I’d played it with Bill Frisell. I don’t need a movie about Dylan, the music tells me everything I need to know. These tunes were part and parcel with Peter Yarrow’s gift to the world. Peter Paul and Mary actually had a hit with “Blowing in the Wind” before Dylan did! They helped bring a lot of great music to a broad swath of American people. It would’ve been hard to sit around a campfire, or an Episcopalian church meeting, without hearing these songs back then.

In today’s New York Times, John Pareles describes PPM’s music as ultimately “pallid” compared to what came after. I’m not sure I agree. Certainly it was of its time, and could be overly earnest and quite polite. But this is music for the ages. Music that any sentient human being can listen to and enjoy. If the implication was that people like Peter Yarrow are a bit too good hearted and tidy, and we need some electricity, rawness, some cynicism to leaven their purity… well, I just don’t think that’s the case. By the way when asked about the brilliant folk music spoof “A Mighty Wind” Peter remarked that they didn’t go far enough! The folk scene was even more precious than portrayed. Ol’ Pete loved all kinds of music, loved jazz, he was the hippest hepcat around. Not much precious about the guy.

The world could use more people like Peter Yarrow. People who use their fame and resources to help others. He was there at a pivotal moment in American history. Allies with Dr. King, Harry Belafonte, Pete Seeger, Eugene McCarthy, Dylan and so many others. He had a mission, and he never stopped fighting for his ideals.

I’ll miss hearing him say, “How are you, my brother?” We’re a lesser nation without him.