By Adam Feibel ralphpetersonmusic.com The final album by Ralph Peterson Jr. will be posthumously released on May 21, one day after what would have been his 59th birthday. Raise Up Off Me is a “powerful closing statement” from the master drummer, bandleader and composer, who died on March 1 following a six-year battle with cancer. The album features pianist Zaccai Curtis and bassist Luques Curtis, Peterson’s longtime bandmates and collaborators, along with special guests Jazzmeia Horn and Eguie Castrillo. Peterson’s 26th recording as a leader, Raise Up Off Me touches on a number of issues that were important to Peterson: drug addiction and recovery; mental health; social issues and the Black Lives Matter movement; and, more broadly, the delicate impermanence of the physical life.