"As a jazz lover, I have sat front row to see greats such as Joe Pass, Joe Diorio, Anthony Wilson, and Pat Metheny. For those of you who don’t realize this already, Peter Sprague has a place right up there with great jazz guitarists of our time. More than just his instrumental and improvisational prowess, Sprague is a writer-composer of positively world-class abilities. Taking It All In, his latest release, is a wonderful and inspiring snapshot of the essence of Peter Sprague, the composer, musician, and human being".
Craig Yerkes
San Diego Troubadour
November, 2005

Here is a collection of tunes designed to spin acoustically, with low production and executed in real-time. I have my own recording studio and along with this comes the possibility of creating multi-layered music sounding a bit larger than life. I love this setup but for a change I felt inspired to make a recording of music that captures the way we sound when we play live. I’ve enlisted my favorite players and we brought our long list of experiences both musical and humanistic into the studio. In the span of two days we documented this experience into the digital realm. And now, Taking It All In is complete and it joins the family of jazz CD’s that I’ve created over the years. The early recordings (Dance Of The Universe, The Path, Bird Raga, Message Sent On The Wind, Musica Del Mar, and Na Pali Coast) set the stage and mapped out the roots, and now Taking It All In sheds the light of the new millennium onto my view of an acoustic jazz quartet digging into some improvisation. I hope it sounds good to you…

Peter Sprague, August 2005

The musicians on the CD are:
Peter Sprague — guitar
Tripp Sprague — saxophone and flute
Bob Magnusson — bass
Duncan Moore — drums

More information

Hurry Home/Hall Sprague Quartet • SBECD026 • Available on CD New! November 2004

"Hall Sprague is in a sense the patriarch of San Diego's jazz scene, for his sons Peter and Tripp are among the best known of the areas jazz musicians. “Hurry Home” is the sound of four friends having the time of their lives. Running through standards like "My Funny Valentine" (stunningly gorgeous acoustic intro by Peter followed by heartbreakingly beautiful solo by Tripp on tenor sax), it’s the sound of love—of life and of the music."
Jim Trageser
North County Times
December, 2004

My brother Tripp and I grew up in a house with jazz as the main event on the family turntable. Miles, Bennie Carter, and Stan Getz filled the air and our father Hall was playing the bongos along with these classic jazz sides. Tripp and I first played rock and roll but in high school we morphed our direction into jazz and it came to us naturally. It was in our blood, thanks to our Pop.

Over the years our father has been part of our various bands and in Blurring The Edges he is an integral component of the group. He's recorded on the groups 2 CD's and has played on all of the gigs. Tripp and I got to thinking how he's never had the opportunity to be the main cat on any of these projects so we set out to create a CD where he is the band leader, the composer, the whistler, and the visionary of the group.

Hurry Home is Hall Sprague's first recording under his own name and he explores the classic tunes from the Great American Songbook. I suggested he compose some tunes for the project and he came up with 3 cool pieces that make remarkable sense, especially coming from someone with no formal composing training. He's a natural! His tunes have sweet melodies and are fun to improvise on too.

The band consists of Tripp on sax, Hall on drums, myself on guitar, and bassist Bob Magnusson. Bob has been our favorite for years and is like a family member to us. Dad was thrilled to play with Bob and his trademark swing. We had a couple of good days recording and we captured Hall's classic groove on the drums and his unique whistling improvisation on“Just You, Just Me”. This cat has good ears!

So we're leaning into 2005 and feeling good about the state of jazz in the Sprague Family sphere. We're hoping you like this new recording.

Peter Sprague
November, 2004

More information

Friends For Life • SBECD025 • Available on CD
April 2004

"A" CD Rating
"Sprague and Benedetti are both top-notch guitarists, and the various incarnations of their bands (along with that of Villas-Boas) feature some fantastic players who improvise solos that are imaginative and virtuosic."
Jim Trageser
North County Times
May, 2004

In the tail end of 2003 I received a call from a cat loving friend of mine named Brendan Dozier. He was calling with an idea of a fundraising CD that would help raise money for the Escondido Animal Shelter. The whole idea rode close to his heart because his beloved cat named "Benny" had passed on after a long battle with kidney disease. Fortunately though, through the help and knowledge of his vet, Brendan and his wife were able to extend Benny's life for two more years of rolling in the gravel, taking sunbathes, and chasing lizards!

I'm into pets and in our family we have Hanna the big cat and the Magnificent Rocky, our little Chihuahua dog. So with the thought of bringing together music and mans best friends we launched the Friends For Life project, kick-started with a most generous donation from Cindy Waasdorp. I compiled some existing tracks from our Blurring The Edges recording Sombra, added a few Brazilian gems from Andy Villas-Boas' CD Aire, stirred in three of my favorites from Nikki's Rose , and then unveiled four never released tracks of my own. This cool and flowing program is set into the Brazilian jazz flavor and I'm thinking both humans and pets alike will dig the ride. And finally, the money generated from sales goes towards both the pets and the musos alike.

More information

Road Work Ahead • SBECD024 • Available on CD
April 2004

"A+" CD Rating
"The result is a collection of seven new songs by the band members and four covers that show off both their remarkable virtuosity and the kind of empathetic interplay that only comes with time. Sprague's playing is always pleasant and this new CD shows a side to his playing we do not always get to hear. The new songs are gorgeous and complex enough to challenge the musicians and also hold the listener's interest."
Jim Trageser
North County Times
May, 2004

Road Work Ahead is a jazz group featuring Peter Sprague on guitar, New York City pianist Bill Mays, Bob Magnusson on bass, and Jim Plank on drums. In the early 1980's we formed the band and recorded two albums for Albert Marx's Discovery Records label. We also recorded on each other's solo records and played many gigs together. Our vision was that of a life of extensive touring. Why else would you name your band Road Work Ahead? After several successful years we eventually made some changes and then the group sat dormant, until now. With a couple of recent shows behind us and now this new recording, we've rediscovered the nuances of what makes this group so special. Each member brings their own world of influences into the group, composing tunes or making arrangements. What eventually comes out is music with a wide palette of color, music that lives elegantly in the balance of improvisation versus arrangement, and music made by four individuals sharing a long time friendship.

More information

Pass The Drum • SBECD021 • Available on CD

"North County guitarist-producer Peter Sprague boldly borrows Brazilian rhythms to revitalize a diverse collection of songs on his BEST ALBUM YET."
Marcia Manna
San Diego Union-Tribune
July, 2003

From way back when I was a kid, the music of Brazil had a pull on me. Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto filled a good portion of the air in our house and ever since then I've been listening and learning from Brazil's many incredible musicians. The way they bend the rules both harmonically and melodically and then spin this whole creation over an infectious groove makes perfect sense to me. Here's hoping that it makes sense to you too... Check out the video: The Making of Pass The Drum

More information

Blurring The Edges - Sombra • SBECD017 • Available on CD

"Sombra is a tasteful blend of melodies and rhythms dished up by musician's sharing the same interest in and enthusiasm for a program that opens with a samba, Samba Assad, and ending with the lilting La Gente Feliz."
Cam Miller
North County Times
December, 2002

Sombra means shade in Spanish. In the early stages of preparation for this recording we assembled the core group under shade of a sycamore tree, sheltered from the heat of the California sun. For a week we passed around ideas and phrases and came up with the arrangements. This collection of tunes represents the continuing story from our debut CD, Blurring The Edges. Following the band's original vision, musical styles and boundaries are blurred into a palette of sound that celebrates the music of the world - Flamenco, jazz, Celtic, samba, pop, East Indian, and Latin. These are places we love and these are places we let our sound travel. Thanks for making this voyage with us...Peter Sprague August 2002.

More information

"Peter Sprague - the award winning, highly acclaimed, world-renowned and, yes local jazz musician - recently finished one of his most moving and touching recordings to date - Nikki's Rose."
Paul Parks
Peninsula Beacon
December, 2001

I took poems written by a creative seventeen year old girl and made them into songs set in the Brazilian jazz music style. This recording features some brilliant vocalists and musicians including Kevyn Lettau, Amber Whitlock, Nando Lauria, Maureen Fleming, Tony Lasley, Dani Carroll, Steve Kujala, Rob Whitlock, Kevin Hennessy, Duncan Moore, Tom Aros, Tripp Sprague, Steve Dillard, and Mary Lindbloom. Recorded at SpragueLand over a three year period, this just happens to be my current favorite.

More information

I started this recording a long time ago and because of the way life sometimes pours it on, it's taken me to now to complete this adventure. The collection of songs presented here all hold a unique place in my heart. They remind me of people, periods of time, and places. They are my words spoken at the edge of the stage. This is my soliloquy.
Peter Sprague
August, 1996

I gathered the troups and we assembled at SpragueLand and had a couple of years of big fun. I like this CD.

More information

This is a family recording that garnered the 1994 Jazz Recording of the Year award from the San Diego Music Awards organization. This one's a hit!

Some of life's great adventures are born out of simple beginnings. Take, for example Blurring The Edges. I've always imagined that an acoustic group featuring two nylon string guitars would make for a great sound. Even better, what if the two players came from different musical backgrounds? What if we added a sax or a flute to ride over the top and some percussion to ground the ship? And what if we stopped there, keeping the group small for flexibility and freedom? These are nice requests, but I've discovered that surrounding oneself with too many "what if" scenarios usually translates into thin air. So what was needed here was an excuse to put this band into motion.
The "grand excuse" came about in 1989 in the form of a request to compose and perform a piece of music that featured the aforementioned lineup. I was further requested to compose the work (appearing on this album as "Canticle For Richard") in the classical style. My obvious choice for the other guitarist was Fred Benedetti - a fellow who plays beautifully in both the classical and flamenco tradition and also has a deep love for jazz and improvisation. Of course my choices for the sax and percussion positions in this musical experiment went to my closest friends, my brother Tripp Sprague and our father Hall Sprague. A family band indeed! During the rehearsals of "Canticle" it became apparent to me that we ought to take advantage of this instrumentation and talent and see if my "what if" daydream could really hold water. Additional music was written and we tackled the most difficult chore for any new band - coming up with a band name. Blurring The Edges seemed appropriate since our intent is to soften the lines that typically separate and divide various types of music, i.e., "classical", "jazz," "Latin," etc. And so, three years and many spirited concerts later, we offer the recording that you now hold in your hand. The simple beginnings of "what if" have afforded us all a great adventure called Blurring The Edges.
Peter Sprague
December, 1993

More information

This is the recording of a truly wonderful band we had going there for a couple of years. Kevyn Lettau is my favorite singer and Mike Shapiro is very musical percussionist. We were a trio without bass and embraced Brazilian music as well as jazz and Fats Waller's Honeysuckle Rose.

More information

Truth number one, Steve Kujala is one of the most phenomenal musicians to walk this round planet. I first heard about him when he was performing with Chick Corea's band and in those years he recorded on Chick's Touchstone, Joberg Sessions, and Voyage albums. He is an amazing improviser and his tones and effects on flute are like no other. When we play live, Steve is ultra spontaneous and utilizes large doses of humor. He's a unique one! This CD caught us when we were on fire with original tunes and lots of spirit. Truth two, this recording cooks!

More information

"Guitarist Peter Sprague, either at the helm of his six-piece Dance of the Universe Orchestra or on his own, is one of the hottest new talents to come out of San Diego. I bet you his name will be popping up in Downbeat's critics' poll real soon. He's San Diego's premier guitarist, and he's finally getting the national exposure he deserves."
Thomas K. Arnold
San Diego Union Tribune
June, 1977

This recording marks the beginnings of the group Dance of the Universe. We were already playing a lot of gigs around and the thought of making a record seemed almost out of reach. The band's average age was 21 years old. We gathered the money, found a studio and we tracked six of our favorite tunes. This is a collector's item!

More information

This recording is Dance of the Universe's second outing. A wandering hippie named Jamil Soorami came into the gig one night and gave me a poem called Dance of the Universe. I think it was a coincidence, in other words, I think he had written the poem before meeting us and when he heard our band, he figured we ought to have his poem. I put music to it and this along with the epic The Space Between Two Thoughts composition rocketed this group of young musos off into thin air. Collector's item number two!

More information

"This album Dance of the Universe is a full-fledged professional affair from beginning to end...thoroughly delightful, with a very charming, lighthearted air to it. Strongly recommended."
Per Husby
Cadence Magazine
October, 1979

I had just finished recording with Charles McPherson on his Freebop record. We recorded it in L.A. with New York record producer Don Schlitten for the Xanadu label . Don liked what I was up to so he signed me to a four album deal. I gathered a group of my jazz heroes, we fought the traffic up to L.A., and spent the day recording a set of my original tunes. On this record check out the song Avenues (sort of a Coltrane Giant Steps kind of thing). Mike Wofford lifts off on his incredible piano solo. This alone is worth the price of admission!

More information

"You will search in vain for a dull or trite moment here. The Latin, African, jazz, vocalese and other elements are perfectly wrought into a fascinating unity. Five Stars."
Leonard Feather
L.A. Times
May 1981

On The Path I teamed up with Bob Magnusson to do a collection of guitar and bass duets. It was happening! We also gathered some of our friends to play on some of the more produced tunes. This quote from Pablo Casals, the great cellist, was an inspiration for one of the songs we recorded.

"To be a musician is a great privilege, but also a very great responsibility. One must think that to be a musician is a gift-a gift from nature. There is no great merit in us except in loving this gift with respect and devotion and doing everything possible to do honor to that gift by work and more work. We must work with conviction and humility-searching for beauty, simplicity-not for effect, but for truth. And it is for us musicians to do all in our power for a better world. Music must carry the message of beauty, of love, and of peace".
Pablo Casals

More information

"This spirited LP Bird Raga features bebop specialist Sprague backed by a swinging ensemble, including veterans Sam Most on flute, Bill Mays on keyboards, and Bob Magnusson on bass. While still in his 20s, Peter possesses an uncanny command of the jazz line."
GUITAR PLAYER RECORD REVIEW
May 1984

I was exploring East Indian music and when those cats get into playing modally they call their Zen sessions Ragas. They'll play for hours on a particular scale or raga, exploring every nuance within the discipline of the form. I got to thinking about how Charlie Parker did the same thing with his form, be-bop. That's how I came up with the title track and also the name of the album. This album was recorded during the same time I recorded the music for The Path. We have the same cast of jazz fugitives with the addition of some of the Dance of the Universe Orchestra pioneers. A personal highlight on this record is the twenty minute, solo guitar, suite of Chick Corea tunes which I sat down and did it on the first take with no editing. Ah yes, the old days...

More information

On The Message Sent On The Wind I traveled to New York City to collaborate with some hard core jazz guys and put some music down on tape at RCA's legendary recording studio. Kenny Barron blew my mind! What a sensitive and at the same time dynamic musician. We recorded some standards and a couple of my originals. The title tune and also the title of the record is a tip of my hat to John Coltrane.

More information

I had fufilled my four albums with Xanadu Records and then I was able to get Concord Records, based in San Francisco, to record two new records. Musica Del Mar is the first one of the two. I met up with pianist George Cables, drummer Eddie Moore, and my long time compadre Bob Magnusson in San Francisco to lay down a set of straight ahead jazz tunes with my tricky arrangements and also a few of my original compositions. High points on this record are George's solo on Musica Del Mar and the cool melding of Bach's Invention in D with a tune I wrote for Charles McPherson called Chanting With Charles. This is one of the tunes that we're still playing today.

More information

"Peter Sprague is one of the most talented young guitarists around, as his second Concord release Na Pali Coast demonstrates."
GUITAR PLAYER RECORD REVIEW
December 1985

The Na Pali Coast record really caught our group at a great time. I had assembled a stellar band, we rehearsed and did a couple of gigs together, and then headed into Chick Corea's Mad Hatter Studio to record. The studio is a great one and we had Chick's engineer Bernie Kirsch running the sound. Drummer Peter Erskine has such an incredible feel, Steve Kujala was scorching on the flute, Magnusson holding down the low end, and we even added my brother Tripp on one tune. Highlights for me on this recording are many. I just love the two Chick pieces that we played. Japanesse Waltz is an obscure gem and the Spanish flavored Children's Song # Six recieves a new treatment. The burning guitar and drum intro to I Could Write A Book is fairly on fire. My tunes Coltrane and Na Pali Coast still sound good to me even today. Magic Mizz Melissa, here in it's original version, has been recorded at least three other times. This is one of my favorite of my original songs and this version is one of the most magical. I hope you include this recording into your collection. I think it's one of my best.

More information