Peter Giger

Peter Giger — Family of Percussion, B&W Music and the Rhythm Legacy

Swiss percussionist Peter Giger has been one of Europe’s most distinctive rhythmic voices for more than fifty years. As founder of the Family of Percussion, he helped define a unique language where European improvisation meets African and global rhythmic traditions. His work stands at the crossroads of jazz, ensemble percussion, and contemporary world music.

The B&W Music Connection - Two of Peter Giger’s most important recordings were released under B&W Music in the early 1990s, forming part of the foundation that later evolved into MELT 2000:

Mozambique Meets Europe — Family of Percussion with Mozambican timbila players, recorded with a focus on dialogue between Southern African rhythmic tradition and European experimental percussion.

jazzz… — A stripped-down trio exploration with Gerd Dudek and Vitold Rek, showing Giger’s jazz vocabulary in its purest form.

The albumMozambique Meets Europe  reflects the Robert and the label’s early interest in authentic cross-cultural musicianship long before “world music” became a marketing term.

The Book — Die Kunst der Quintole - Giger’s rhythmic research culminated in his instructional work Die Kunst der Quintole (Schott Music). The book examines the quintuple subdivision (“quintole”) through compositions, exercises, and more than 80 audio examples. It bridges theory and practice and demonstrates how irregular groupings can become expressive tools for improvisation and ensemble performance.
This publication confirms what Giger represents: not only a performer but a lifelong rhythmic thinker.

A Personal Lineage — Peter Giger & Robert Trunz

For Robert Trunz, cousin Peter Giger is not just a respected musician — he is  bloodline family. Growing up listening to the Family of Percussion and Giger’s collaborations left an imprint that shaped Robert’s own path. Much of the label’s later commitment to African rhythm, improvisation, and cross-cultural dialogue can be traced back to Giger’s example. His influence is a direct thread running through the MELT ethos.

"  By hanging out with cousin Peter at a very young age I discovered and learned to enjoy a spectrum of exiting music from different continents. Guys like Trilok Gurtu, Dom Um Romão and Nana Vasconcelos shape shifted my curious brain the most. But closer to home Pierre Favre and across the border Albert Mangelsdorff, Eberhard Weber, and Wolfgang Dauner who were my European favourites topped by American Archie Shepp. Forever grateful Cousin Peter!" Robert Trunz

Through the Family of Percussion, his B&W Music recordings, and his theoretical writing, Peter Giger stands as one of the rhythmic architects whose work quietly prepared the ground for what MELT 2000 would later amplify: deep listening, global collaboration, MEROPA & rhythm as a Universal language.