Best-known as the leader of the Hieroglyphics Ensemble, Peter Apfelbaum is most comfortable when playing with musicians who mix avant-garde explorations with folk music from other cultures. He began playing drums when he was three and switched to piano and saxophone when he was nine. He played locally in Berkeley as a teenager, formed the Berkeley Arts Company (a quartet) in 1975, and played with the Berkeley High Jazz Ensemble. Apfelbaum formed the Hieroglyphics Ensemble for the first time in 1977. He was in New York during 1979-1981, working with Eddie Jefferson, Carla Bley, and Karl Berger. He returned to the Bay Area in 1981 and during the late '80s, often played with Don Cherry in various ensembles. Apfelbaum, who made several records with his 1990s version of the Hieroglyphics Ensemble (for Antilles and Gramavision), has also worked with (among others) Cecil Taylor, Nana Vasconcelos, and Jim Pepper. ~ Scott Yanow