Peru is an original composition by guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg, structured as a thirty-four-bar form. It first appeared on his 2005 album New for Now, released on Criss Cross Jazz, performed by a trio with Gary Versace on organ and Mark Ferber on drums. Kreisberg subsequently recorded the tune with a quintet on his album Unearth, also from 2005, released on Mel Bay Records, featuring Scott Wendholt on trumpet, Aaron Goldberg on Fender Rhodes, Matt Penman on bass, and Anthony Pinciotti on drums. The composition is characteristic of Kreisberg's writing style, which emphasizes lyrical melodic themes set against an open-ended harmonic framework. In the trio setting, the piece invites contrapuntal interplay between guitar and organ, with the two instruments weaving independent melodic lines around the theme. The thirty-four-bar form gives the tune an asymmetric quality that distinguishes it from standard thirty-two-bar structures, creating a slightly unexpected phrasing arc for soloists to navigate. Kreisberg's compositional approach on Peru reflects his broader aesthetic, which draws on post-bop melodic sophistication while maintaining accessibility within a mainstream jazz context. The tune has not been widely performed outside of Kreisberg's own projects and remains a deep cut in his catalog of original works.
