Peter DeVeber is a friend of jazz since attending the very first Newport Jazz Festival in 1954. When Peter mentioned this fact to festival founder George Wein a few years ago, Mr. Wein was happy to know that DeVeber was a paying customer and not one of those who went over the fence. Peter was 15 that summer.
Born in Rockland, Maine, DeVeber grew up and went to schools in Maine and Massachusetts. After graduating from High School, he did a brief tour with the remnants of the Beat Generation. It was then that DeVeber did his first "jazz sketches" in black ink. "I wonder if any of those drawings are still around," he muses.
Peter served in the United States Army from 1961 to 1964. In the 70s and early 80s, he was a Registered Jeweler and Designer for Romm & Co. in Brockton, Massachusetts. From 1985 to September 1999, DeVeber did public relations and scheduling for former middleweight boxing champion of the world Marvelous Marvin Hagler. Now, Peter is publicist for internationally renowned jazz saxophonist Greg Abate. DeVeber has produced two compact discs with Abate as leader, My Buddy released in 1995 and Broken Dreams released in 1997. Both recordings were critically acclaimed.
DeVeber has drawn and painted for more than forty years. His art hangs in homes and offices throughout the country. Peter is currently writing haiku and a piece of "fiction" dealing with boxing, jazz, and celebrity. DeVeber likens haiku writing to boxing and jazz (areas he is familiar with) – the movement the improvisation. He and his wife Jean reside in Stoughton, Massachusetts and Lubec, Maine.
-EastMostComm, 2005