Peter John Leitch (born on August 19, 1944) was a Canadian jazz guitarist, journalist, and photographer from Montreal, Quebec. Leitch began playing guitar in his teens and performed in Montreal nightclubs before recording with Sadik Hakim in 1973. He worked in Toronto between 1977 and 1981, collaborating with Milt Jackson and Kenny Wheeler. In 1980, he recorded the album The Personal Touch with Oscar Peterson. Leitch moved to New York City in 1983. He collaborated with Woody Shaw on the album Solid (1987) and worked with Gary Bartz and Jaki Byard. His solo discography included Jump Street (1982), Exhilaration (1985), and Autobiography (2004). He published the autobiography Off the Books: A Jazz Life in 2013. Leitch retired from guitar in 2015 due to health issues but founded the Peter Leitch New Life Orchestra, which debuted in 2018 and released the album New Life in 2020. Leitch died from lung cancer in New York City on December 30, 2024.
