Max Eider obit

Max Eider of Jazz Butcher Conspiracy, RIP

 

He was not on the list.

Sad news today: Max Eider, who played in The Jazz Butcher Conspiracy and was also a solo artist, has died. News came via the official Jazz Butcher Facebook account, though no details were shared.

Real name Peter Millson, Max put the “jazz” in The Jazz Butcher in the 1980s with his fluid style that was indebted to Wes Montgomery and other greats. He sang lead on a few JBC tunes, like the fan-favorite “Drink,” and his 1987 solo debut, The Best Kisser in the World, is a cult classic. Max also played on records by David J and more.

David J wrote, “The very sad news of the passing of my dear dear friend, Peter Millson AKA Max Eider is hitting so hard. Peter was such a beautiful soul & too good for this world. There was a little whiskey left in a glass on the coffee table from last evening’s nightcap & I’m sipping it now in the mid morning, having toasted our fallen soldier. Go gentle, old sport.”

Eider reunited with The Jazz Butcher’s Pat Fish in the late ’90s and they played together regularly up until Fish’s death in 2021, and Eider appeared on Fish’s posthumous album The Highest in the Land. He continued to release solo records, most recently 2024’s All Shall Be Well EP.

Rest easy, Max.