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3/3/01
Blurring The Edges
We’re taking the band up the mountain to play a concert in a wonderful listening environment. This place is an art gallery with great acoustics. And if you need a hit of clean air and big time trees, join us for the potentially magic moment number 356!
3/7/01
Jazz In The Park
Family Jazz
Here is an interesting angle—an evening of jazz with family members only. Tripp, Hall and I will play an intimate set of our music and here are the other families on the bill:
Joe Azarello/Tom Azarello
Joe Marillo/Tony Marillo
Bob Weller/Ellen Weller/Daniel Weller/Charlie Weller
4/29/01
Peter Sprague Quartet
We’re assembling the tribe for the summer hang at the Coyote. This is a great spot featuring outdoor fire rings, a tolerant and music loving management, and a kicking band. Note the early Sunday eve time slot is good for those who are responsible for “higher thinking” chores on Monday morning.
5/11/01
Blurring The Edges
The band is back! This summer we’re regaining consciousness with our recording project. Too much life got in the way but you all know that story. This is a great venue for music and this band cooks!
6/16/01
Blurring The Edges In The Mountains
Picture this, a gentle summer moment in the hills of Julian, listening to jazz concert at a secluded house. That’s what’s up on this one. We’re taking the Blur to Julian and some folks are sponsoring a house concert. I hope you can make it and we’ll watch the starts afterwards. We’re taking our families up for the overnight version!
6/17/01
Sprague and Kujala Group
Steve Kujala is coming down again to play in the land and time of the June Gloom. You watch, he’ll lift the coastal cloud cover right off! Here are some words from folks that heard our last gig at the Carlsbad Library back in May.
“Man, you weren't kidding... and cook you did! Your solos smoked tonight! Lots of arpeggios and variety. Really enjoyed it! You have such a musical soul. Really enjoyed the Corea stuff, too, especially the 1st tune right after the break. Steve's techniques are amazing (dug the piccolo stroll) and you guys are so good together! I sincerely hope you can release the video. Great camera work. All the best & thanks for a great evening.”J…..
“Your concert tonight was major surgery for my Sunday time of evening rest....best I've heard you.... in a very creative venue. Very Bluesy,very Samba-ish....picolo in back was living stereo. Soundman (your bro?) said if I asked real nice you might let me get a copy...just the second set would appease my appetite for more listening pleasure ....aural grat.....” S….
“Peter, it was lovely. Kujala is unbelievable. You, of course, outdo yourself in the presence of folks you love to play with. The hi-hat-less percussionist is flawless, both in time and in taste. (I have never heard a group lock in better than this--and with the massive understatement of the "drummer", that's amazing.) And Hennessy was, as expected, marvelous. (And lyrical at times!) To hear amplification without any decibel-competition (God, the old folks didn't even complain). To hear so many styles and ideas. And, most of all, to hear guys REALLY swinging as well as interacting at that musical level... It can only happen when they have MASSIVE chops ... and souls to match. Thanks for bringing this to the area, Peter! D…….
7/14/01
Bob Mover Group
Bob Mover is one of the most incredible saxophonists I’ve ever come across. I met him when I was a young player and he was in San Diego for a spell taking a break from Chet Baker’s group. We played and it was magical. I traveled in a VW bus from Del Mar to New York City with him and Rob Schneiderman and gathered a lot about life and bebop from this masterful musician. He’s coming to town and we’re playing one night at Dizzy’s. This fellow can play!
8/11/01
Peter and the Strummers
A couple of months back I put together a special group for a benefit concert at the Seaside Church. The group featured Sean and Sarah Watkins, my brother Tripp, and Kevin Hennessy on bass. It was on fire. Flying fast, acoustic guitars laying down the groove, Sarah and her fiddle playing melodies on top, Tripp weaving on the soprano sax, bro’ Kev and the acoustic bass. So went one of the styles and then Sarah sang a few and that presented a whole new color. All in all it was an inspiring evening for everyone there. The modern bluegrassers loved hanging with the jazzer’s and we loved the influence of the acoustic steel guitars and the fiddle. And let me tell you these aren’t ordinary nineteen year olds playing bluesgrass, this is the real deal, worldclass musicians making a short lay over before they jump back out on the road.
Peter Sprague — guitar
Sean Watkins — guitar
Sarah Watkins — fiddle, vocals
Tripp Sprague— sax, flute
Kevin Hennessy — bass
8 to 11PM
DIZZY'S
8/16/01
Mark O’Connor Group
On this one, we’re talking about one of the world’s most accomplished fiddle players that ever walked the earth. Mark moved here from Nashville and whenever he plays locally, look out! He’s off the charts.
Mark O’Connor — violin
Peter Sprague – guitar
Art Johnson — guitar
Bob Magnusson — bass
7 PM
Mandeville Auditorium
9500 Gilman Drive, 0345 UCSD Campus
La Jolla, CA
9/16/01
Peter Sprague Quartet
The Coyote gig is still one of our favorites. Nothing like the warmth of summer combined with the free liberty to shred without club owners putting their two cents in. This place lets it happen.
9/25/01
Sprague Family Band
Tripp, father Hall, and I are letting Kevin Hennessy in on the party. We’re aiming the cars east and loading the gear into Cal State San Marcos. Come listen to a free concert in the Sprague Family tradition of jazz, samba, and Metheny, the holy trilogy of truth!
10/9/01
Peter Sprague Quartet
Last year I won the award for the Best Jazz Musician at the San Diego Music Awards. I received a cool trophy, gave an acceptance speech, and took in the insanity down at Humphrey’s on the Bay. Sort of a Grammy’s Awards night, the “Southern” version. Well, the event is circling in again and this year they’ve asked the group and I to play a tune. It should be cool to sprinkle some jazz over the mostly Pop / Rock circus setup. I think I’m nominated again this year and if you want to be part of the movement to vote me in and experience me delivering a nonsensical, beatnik influenced, Keroackian, run on sentence, acceptance speech, fire away friends. Put an X by name and watch the smoke start to rise.
10/14/01
Peter Sprague Quartet
This is the last Coyote hit in the season for us. The club continues throughout the year but for us, it just gets too cold. How can I play all my fast stuff if my fingers are flailing in the December chill? And to abide by the eternal musician truth, “fast is next to Godliness”, I would hopelessly fail. Can’t have this. Hope you can make it out for our last waltz.
10/21/01
Blurring The Edges
My current project right now is working on finishing the Blur CD that we began last year. It takes us so long! With Fred and my schedule put together one can easily see why this is so. But now we are close to finishing and our hope is to be completed by the end of November 2001. My days of late have been immersed in the notes of the Blur and their cool pitches with complicated twists and turns and gentle floating episodes of space. It’s gonna rock folks!
So here is a concert with an ace band and we’ll try out some of the new music. Hope you can find your way to hang with us in this beautiful environment for music.
11/18/01
Jennifer Lee
I love technology when all of the cables work correctly and I love jazz! The other day I got a call from a San Francisco vocalist named Jennifer Lee. She wondered if I would play jazz with her at an upcoming Dizzy’s hit. I said yes and then wondered how well we’d do. How does she sing? Are we all going to be gathered at Dizzy’s and have a rough moment? She directed me to her website complete with MP3 samples and folks, let me tell you, this gal SINGS! She leans into the jazz classics as well as some Brazilian tunes and it sounds GOOD! I’m thrilled to be doing this. We called Bob Magnusson and he’ll join in with his low end magic. I hope you all make it out to hear this spirited gal from San Francisco.
Jennifer Lee — vocals
Peter Sprague — guitar
Bob Magnusson— bass
Downbeat at 7 PM
DIZZY'S
12/24/01
Monday, December 24th
Annual Street Corner Jazz Christmas Concert
We have a yearly tradition of playing a noon free concert on the street corner of Del Mar. I'd say a good three fourths of our jazz gang grew up in there and our first performances were actually on this same section of real estate. We'd put out the guitar case, tune it up, and let the sounds begin. Kevyn Lettau was seventeen years old then (she doesn't look much older now, weird). What you could or could not do in alignment with the law was less defined. Why not let a jazz group take over a sidewalk and play a concert? Now, in this last breath of two thousand one we've procured the proper city permits and we're planning on taking it over again. This year there will be more reharmonized Christmas music than ever. For those who didn't make it through music school, reharmonized means we've taken the typical batch of Christmas music and put new chords and twists to the melodies and, we think, improved it a great deal. With this camouflage, we as improvisers then feel inspired to blow a solo over, say, "Jingle Bells", one of the planets least challenged harmonic adventures.
So, here in one corner, you’ll take in these jazzbo's playing music on the corner, but you'll also absorb, if you can pull away from home or bring with you all of your holiday commitments, little kids, (our kids), dancing and singing their own versions of the aforementioned "Jingle Bells". And then there is Virginia Igonda's unending beautiful spirit of Christmas (she's the gal who owns the Ocean Song store and has been a supporter of our music since the beginning), and the "only in California" occurrence of seeing a dripping surfer in a wetsuit walking by barefoot on the day before Christmas. Hallelujah, let the music begin!
Peter Sprague - guitar
Fred Benedetti - guitar
Tripp Sprague - sax, flute, percussion
Hall Sprague - percussion and compounded wisdom
John Leftwich - bass
Kevin Koch - drums
and many other guests that we aren't sure of yet...
1 — 4PM
On the Street Corner of Del Mar
15th St. and El Camino Real
12/27/01
Thursday, December 27th
Peter Sprague Samba
Am I crazy or is colder than ever? The other day when I went surfing was ridiculous. My hands had to literally get numbed to be able to withstand the freezing water inflicted pain of the big blue. Of course I could avoid the ocean and its 57 degree reality but that my friends is not a topic of negotiation. My thought here is to counter this coldness with some Brazilian heat. I’m bringing together the Samba group for a show that strategically sits between the two big holiday icons. After you’ve taken in an ample dose of chestnuts, open fires, snowflakes, and eggnog; and then are heading towards resolutions, alcoholic libations, party favors, and staying up to a wickedly late hour; why not come and pay us a visit? We’ll pull together the warmth of the Brazilian soul and place it at one of my favorite downtown music spots for an evening of minor six chords and the poetic elegance of the Portuguese lyric.
Peter Sprague – guitar
Tripp Sprague — sax, flute
Gunnar Biggs — bass
Tom Aros — percussion
Monette Marino — percussion
And special guest: vocalist Coral McPharland-Thuet
8 to 11PM
DIZZY'S
12/31/01
Monday, December 31st
Brasilia / Peter Sprague Quartet
I’m fortunate that I’ll blast out of 2001 playing creative music with my favorite musos. On a night that for musicians is typically a nuts and bolts survival dance, we’ve got the good fortune of doing a hit that embraces creativity and really asks the audience to sit down dig in. This event is also a family oriented alternative to the Eve of the New Year and the worship of debauchery and lightheadedness. Do what you gotta do friends, it all makes sense in the end!
Brasilia
Holly Hofman — flute
Mike Wofford — piano
Peter Sprague — guitar
Kevin Hennessy — bass
Tom Aros — percussion
Duncan Moore — drums
7:15 to 8PM
Concert Hall
First Night Escondido
1/9/02
Wednesday, January 9th
Peter Sprague Solo Concert
In the process of preparing for the Nikki’s Rose Concert, I had the instinct to begin the show with a solo guitar offering. The whole concert was planned to showcase the wonderful vocalists and I thought it would be nice to have a simple meditative moment before the fireworks entered stage left. For the weeks proceeding the concert I practiced away at my solo piece and it was a tremendous reward to finally play it and explore the freedom that just me and the guitar can stir up. This is a place I used to live and I miss the solo world. Freedom, but also thechallenge of making the guitar into an orchestra. I’m practicing now for this upcoming show and it’ll be fun to see what comes out.
Peter Sprague — guitars
1/12/02
Saturday, January 12th
John Opferkuch Group
John has been my main man on the keyboards for the last eight years. This fellow is amazing and plays scorching bebop in one moment and then Zens his way into Lyle May’s vision in the next. He’s hardcore and he’s written some new tunes for this show. It’ll rock, believe me!
1/19/02
Saturday, January 19th
Peter and the Strummers
The bluegrass group Nickel Creek is just amazing! Made up of mandolinist Chris Thiele (whose father Scott was one of the bass players in our Dance of the Universe Orchestra), Sarah and Sean Watkins (a Vista brother and sister team of guitar and fiddle and vocals), and a revolving Nashville bass player person. Sean and Sarah would come to our shows at the Coyote and in their most humble way, would take in our music. We’d talk and they’d tell me about their world of playing their unique version of bluegrass music. When I heard their band for the first time I was completely blown away! Here is the La Paloma, totally sold out and packed to the rafters, and them, shredding to the hilt, fast as lightning intricate lines, and then in the next moment, pure folk ballad bliss. It was as good as it gets ladies and gentlemen! And these kids are just getting started.
So we asked them to sit in with us and some magic started to brew. It’s a cool sound, the mix of their tradition with ours. I broke out my Taylor acoustic guitar and started strumming. Yeah, I remember this world from way back.
For this evening we’ll explore some new territory with the sound of steel strings mixed with the cry of the fiddle. Soprano sax, the low wave forms of the upright bass, and the groove of the percussion stirring it up. Jazz and grass, new songs with a new point of reference. This one is gonna be good…
Peter Sprague – guitar
Sean Watkins — guitar, vocals
Sarah Watkins — fiddle, vocals
Tripp Sprague — sax, flute
Kevin Hennessy — bass
Duncan Moore — drums
7 PM
Jazz at the MiraCosta College Theater
Oceanside Campus
2/15/02
Friday, February 15th
Andy Villas Boas Group
Celebrating Antonios Carlos Jobim
Jobim’s music is some of my favorite and who else in this town could bring it so beautifully to life other than Andy? His passion and spirit will enliven Jobim’s incredible melodies and stories. We’re going to play some of Jobim’s classic tunes, some of them wildly rearranged—“Wave” with an Coltrane lean to it, “One Note Samba” with new found pedal points and Eddie Harris like funk sections, and a thoroughly disguised “Meditation”. Balanced with these Jobim standards are some obscure beauties. Take for example “Passarim”, from Jobim’s last recording. This is one perfect tune if you ask me. And then we come to Jobim’s semi-operatic “Modinha”. I just learned this one and Andy’s view of this song is pretty wicked. So friends, I sure hope you can make it out to this evening of samba and celebration of one of Brazil’s most cherished composers.
Andy Villas Boas — vocals
Peter Sprague – guitar
John Opferkuch — piano
Tripp Sprague — sax, flute
Kevin Hennessy — bass
Duncan Moore — drums
Monette Marino — percussion
8 to 11PM
DIZZY'S
3/8/02
Friday, March 8
Peter Sprague Trio
In the center of Del Mar, the exact same area as where Tripp and I used to shortcut to surf 15th street back in the 70’s, lies a cool hotel that sponsors jazz on Friday eves. We’re setting up in the lobby and it’s a gorgeous one at that. After the music is over we’re all thinking of heading down to the pacific and jumping in. Del Mar is wild!
3/9/02
Saturday, March 9
Kay Etheridge and Friends in Concert
Pianist and singer Kay Etheridge has recorded two CD’s at my studio. She rocks, or actually sometimes she classics! She lives in two worlds. One, her main one, is the world of Dr. Kay Etheridge, piano and music instructor at USD College. The other world is Kay the folk singer, not even playing the piano but just singing the folk tinged blues. Wild! Well on this concert Kay is taking on yet a third world, that of semi jazz, samba, flamenco, Chick Corea like, interpreter of SpragueNotes planet piano… The first half of the concert is Kay playing some classic stuff, chamber music style, Brahm’s Piano Trio and Poulenc’s Sonata for Clarinet and Piano. The second half of the show I’ll join her and we’ll play one of my earlier duet pieces called “John’s View of the Mountain”. Next I’ll play a solo guitar song. For the final piece we’ll add William Skeen on cello and some burning fiddle player and play one of my earlier epics, “The Poet”. Loads of notes and tricky rhythms, flamenco illegal harmonies, and a pretty complicated piano part. I’ve been practicing every day just to get this one backi into my fingers. What was I thinking ten years back?
Peter Sprague — guitar
Kay Etheridge — piano
William Skeen — cello
The Unknown Shredding Violinist — shredding violin
8 PM
$8
University of San Diego
3/13/02
Wednesday, March 13
Sprague Family Band
Tripp, father Hall, and I are letting Kevin Hennessy in on the party. We’re aiming the cars east and loading the gear into the badlands. The desolate elegance of the Joshua Tree. Come listen to a concert in the Sprague Family tradition of jazz, samba, and Metheny; the holy trilogy of truth!
Peter Sprague — guitar
Tripp Sprague — sax and flute
Coral Thuet — vocals
Hall Sprague - percussion
Kevin Hennessy — bass
7:30 to 10:30PM
29 Palms Inn
73950 Inn Ave.
Twenty Palms, CA
3/28/02
Thursday, March 28
Art Johnson’s Jazz Lecture Series
The History of Jazz Guitar featuring Peter Sprague
Art Johnson is a cooking guitarist and a good friend. The two of us (along with bassist Bob Magnusson) team up and are the backup force behind Mark O’Connor’s jazz quartet. We’ve had plenty of good times passing stories, chord voicings, and spur of the moment jam sessions while waiting for the luggage to arrive at airports on our way to play gigs with Mark. Art has a gift with the guitar as well as a wonderful ability articulating how we all pull this off. I went to the first installment of his series that featured Brazilian guitarist Oscar Castro-Neves. It was a beautiful event complete with live music, videos, storytelling, and musical secrets. Tonights gig hopes to follow along in the same way but this time with me and the gang in the center seat…
Peter Sprague – guitar
Kevin Hennessy — bass
Duncan Moore — drums
7PM
San Diego Museum of Art
3/29/02
Friday, March 29
Bob Marley Birthday Tribute
Leonard Patton Group
Brother Leonard sings up a storm. He’s been part of our circle for some years now and the both of us share a devotion to Pat Metheny’s music as well as Brazilian music. For this concert we’re saluting Bob Marley whose reggae music has influenced all of us. I remember as a kid practicing Coltrane licks in my bedroom and overhearing my brother Tripp’s stereo in the next room with Marley on the box. What a cool groove this stuff possessed! Sort of calypso-like but the kick drum lived on a different beat. And Marley’s voice, down to the soul grabbing me and filling me in on his vision. Years later we pulled the Marley tune Is This Love into our repertoire and even though our jazz angle of it isn’t exactly like the original, it works. For this concert we’re following in the same direction. We’ll play Natural Mystic, Waiting In Vain, No Woman No Cry, and others and put our jazz spin on it. We’ll fill out the night with a few of our originals and Brazilian classics. It should be a special evening.
Leonard Patton — vocals
Peter Sprague — guitar
John Opferkuch —piano
Kevin Koch — drums
Ken Dow — bass
8 to 11PM
DIZZY'S
4/11/02
Thursday, April 11
Mesa College Big Band
Featuring Kevyn Lettau
Bob Magnusson is part of the jazz teaching faculty over at Mesa College and he’s organized this evening of jazz music. Kevyn will sing some tunes with the big band, Tripp will take some sax solos, and for the second half of the show, Bob, along with percussionist Mike Shapiro, and I will join Kevyn and Tripp for a set of small group music. Should be a cool reunion of sorts.
Mesa College Big Band
Kevyn Lettau — vocals
Tripp Sprague — sax
Peter Sprague — guitar
Bob Magnusson — bass
Mike Shapiro — percussion
7:30 PM
Juke Joint Cafe
327 4th Ave.
San Diego
Gaslamp
4/20/02
Saturday, April 20th
Kay Etheridge and Friends in Concert
This is a repeat performance moment! The show a month back was so much fun we decided to do it again, this time in North County. Pianist and singer Kay Etheridge has recorded two CD’s at my studio. She rocks, or actually she classics! She lives in two worlds. One, her main one, is the world of Dr. Kay Etheridge, piano and music instructor at USD College. The other world is Kay the folk singer, not even playing the piano but just singing the folk tinged blues. Wild! On this concert Kay is taking on yet a third world, that of semi jazz, samba, flamenco, Chick Corea like, interpreter of SpragueNotes planet piano…
The first half of the concert is Kay playing some classic stuff, chamber music style, Brahm’s Piano Trio and Poulenc’s Sonata for Clarinet and Piano featuring Jay Easton on clarinet and contrabass saxophone. Speaking of contrabass saxophone, this is the biggest, most humorous instrument I’ve ever seen and heard — this alone is worth the price of admission. What a kick!
For the second half of the show I’ll join her and we’ll play one of my earlier duet pieces called “John’s View of the Mountain”. Next I’ll play a solo guitar song. For the final piece we’ll add William Skeen on cello and David Ryther on violin, both fantastic musos, and play one of my earlier epics, “The Poet”. Loads of notes and tricky rhythms, flamenco illegal harmonies, and a pretty complicated piano part. I’ve been practicing every day just to get this one back into my fingers.
4/27/02
Saturday, April 27th
Peter Sprague Solo Concert
It’s just me hanging with the guitar and stirring it up solo style. I did a similar program six months ago and fell in love with the freedom and challenge of the lone experience of a man and his guitar. Also a few digital gadgets to bring on some variations.
Saturday, May 11
The Na Pali Coast Trio
That’s at least what they once called us. We joined forces right around the time my Na Pali Coast recording on Concord Records was released. Steve Kujala was touring with Chick Corea and I called him out of the blue and said, “man, I like the way you bend notes on the flute”. I went to L.A. and did some playing with him and we’ve been at it ever since. This cat is a musician who improvises up a storm and has more unique sounds in his vocabulary than most. He’s something! Bring into the loop the low end guru Bob Magnusson and we’re talking some potential great music. Hope you can make it out. And Dizzy’s, I love this place.
Peter Sprague — guitar
Steve Kujala — flute
Bob Magnusson — bass
5/25/02
Saturday, May 25th Counting Down!
San Diego Symphony Lightbulb Series
Featuring Peter Sprague and Mark O’Connor
I’ve composed a guitar concerto for 2 guitars, rhythm section, and orchestra and with the conductorship of Jung-Ho Pak we’ll leave planet earth on May 25th. Also on the same program is the brilliant composer and violinist Mark O’Connor who will perform his San Diego premiers of Fanfare For The Volunteer (Sony Classical) and his Double Concerto for two violins and orchestra featuring violinist Joanna Maurer.
San Diego Symphony
Peter Sprague — guitar
Fred Benedetti — guitar
Kevin Hennessy — bass
Duncan Moore — drums
and Mark O’Connor — violin
5/26/02
Peter Sprague Group
The season of the Coyote begins! It’s warm enough for us to assemble the tribe at one of my favorite outdoor hangs in North County. Sit around the fire ring, kids too, and dig on our schooled chaos theories manifested in real time. Streaming!!!!
2/16/02
Saturday, February 16
Peter Sprague Samba
This time were trying out a new spot where we can spread the good word of samba. In North County, down the road from my house, right next to the romantic railroad tracks, lives a soulful spot called the 101 Artist Colony. High ceilings, open wood beams, art work covering all of the walls, this performance space is just right. Beatniks rejoice! I attended a show there that my sister Terry and her group “Drought Buoy” put on. Not only was the group hitting hard, the space just spoke volumes along the lines of creativity. Focused and cozy, coffee and free parking, chairs and the floor, young ticket takers and old audience members, barefeet and birkenstocks, the whole yin and yang experience of Encinitas. Put this together with a spirited samba group and there’s a good chance that liftoff will occur…
6/18/02
Saturday, June 22
Blurring The Edges
After the most ridiculously long haul, Tripp and I are finally getting around to the last details of the Blur’s second CD, “SOMBRA”. It’s a good one and this is a cool band. All of us compose the music and it spans the edges of Flamenco, samba, folk, jazz, fusion, and classical.
6/23/02
Sunday, June 23
Peter Sprague Group
We did our first Coyote hit of the season last month and it was one of our great moments. The whole crew was present and scorched to level 42. Our last tune was a more than usual up version of “Seattle Stomp” and somehow this morphed into a vamp than transformed into Stevie’s “I Wish”. Opferkuch and Tripp had the horn line going and people were fainting into the fire rings left and right. The waitresses started pocketing the cash and the management announced that the world was finally a safe place. All of this ‘cuz the groove was so steep! Well it was good, but it didn’t really happen exactly like this…
7/12/02
Friday, July 12
Peter and the Strummers
For this night of music we’re gathering together and agreeing to strum fearlessly on our stringed instruments. That’s the launching point but from there we’ll visit the enchanted world of acoustic folk ballads, Irish Celtic rollercoasters, blistering bop jazzers, original songs of varying influences, and I think even a gem of a Beatles tune too. This promises to be a collection of great moments all linked together and swirled towards you at the soulful environs of Dizzy’s. The band is comprised of the young and spirited Sean and Sarah Watkins who live in the world of the traveling “up and coming” superstars combined with the settled but fully inspired semi-oldsters (us). I think this is going to be a wonderful eve!
Peter Sprague — guitar
Sean Watkins — guitar
Sarah Watkins — fiddle, vocals
Tripp Sprague— sax, flute
Kevin Hennessy — bass
Duncan Moore — drums
7/19/02
Friday, July 19
Peter Sprague Samba
With the weather heating up the thermometer it seems only natural that we gather the group that celebrates Brazil’s samba music. This blend of complex yet earthy rhythms, mixed up with big time heart wrenching harmony, makes for a sound that sends me over the top. We play music by Brazil’s most gifted composers— Jobim, Guinga, Caetano, Djavan, and Ivan Linns to name a few. We also mix it up with some of our own stuff and because we have Leonard on the gig, we’ll throw in a Marley tune as well. Have you ever heard the Djavan tune called “Alagoas?” This alone is worth the price of admission.
7/28/02
Sunday, July 28
Peter Sprague Group
Mid summer version—perfect weather, happy bar owners, sun drenched audience members, the band’s hands are warm, they’re full of outrageous music ideas, the sound is crystal, the kids are screaming for more…(ice cream that is), the feeling one gets is again, yes, the planet is rotating in it’s proper arc contrary to what most believe, and finally, life is good. Please be with us and experience hopefully some of this…
9/13/02
Friday, September 13
Blurring the Edges
Our new CD might be in our hands by this date but no promises. (Pressing plant politics.) We are however rehearsing the new music and have plans to send some cools notes up in the air. This is a wonderful blend of sounds from Fred and his magic right hand, Tripp and his multi—edged approach, myself doing what I do, and usually my Dad stirring up the grooves on his bongos. He and his wife are heading for France a couple of days prior so we’ll miss him on this one. Alas, we’ll march forth with guitars in hand to deliver the gospel according to flamenco. Hope to see you there!
10/6/02
Sunday, October 6
Peter Sprague and Bob Magnusson
A bunch of wild musos are gathering at the 101 Artist’s Colony in Encinitas to throw a benefit show for the Encinitas Elementary School Arts Program. This should be fun and I know this is a wonderful space for music and creativity. Bob and I will be sure to include our version of “You Don’t Know What Love Is” which features Bob’s arco bass solo and the magic of the low E string. Can’t wait…
Also on the program are Ann Chase, Erica Sharp, Miles Anderson, Harkins and Larson (THE), and the North Coast Singers. Hope to see ya….
10/13/02
Sunday, October 13
Peter Sprague Group
This is the last Coyote hit for my season. They continue the live music through the year but because the venue is outdoors, the full on San Diego winter curtails the warmth of my fingers. I like it hot! Hope you all can venture out to hear the band celebrate the end of summer and welcome in the fall…
1/19/03
Sunday, January 19th Afternoon Show
Road Work Ahead
Pianist Bill Mays is zipping through town and we felt like this was a great opportunity to get the gang back together for an afternoon show at Dizzy’s. The four of us made a bunch of records and did some touring back in the late 80’s. Our dream was to be on the road spreading the word of jazz so hence, the bands name. We’ll sphere into bop and ballads and full on jazz explorations.
Bill Mays — piano
Peter Sprague — guitar
Bob Magnusson — bass
Jim Plank — drums
2PM
DIZZY'S
2/7/03
Friday, February 7
Blurring The Edges
The band gathers for some scorching guitar music spanning the globe, busting through the sound barriers, and trying to keep the crazy instrument in tune. Especially the G string on a nylon guitar. Transcendence please!
2/14/03
Friday, February 14
Peter Sprague Trio
This is Valentines Day and I’ve gathered two of my favorite musos to play a collection of gorgeous, gentle tunes. Amber has a stellar voice and she was one of the main vocalists on my Nikki’s Rose recording. Bob Magnusson plays the low end like no one else around. This concert will be held at Founders Hall, which in my opinion has some of the best acoustics around. All of this and with the added element of SILENCE, in other words, no clinking glasses and espresso machines grinding, hopes to make this a most memorable moment. I’ve been told that tickets are selling well so if you want to go, please call the number below and secure your space. Hope to see you there….
4/25/03
Friday, April 25
The Sprague Trio
We are part of the Poetry Fair Event taking place at SDSU. There’ll be poets weaving their words like notes from a flute. And then we’ll do our own weave of sound on air. Traverse the globe in sound…
5/9/03
Friday, May 9
Peter Plays the Roxy
We’re celebrating 20 years of hanging with the Roxy Boys and their cool Encinitas health food restaurant by gathering up the band and doing a hit in the heart of Surf Town. We played there twenty years ago and we’re still at it…
5/10/03
Saturday, May 10
Blurring The Edges Blur Meets the Beatles
We’re playing a night of our take on some of the Liverpool Four’s greatest hits. Tripp’s working on “Across the Universe” and “For Know One”, Fred’s looking into “I Am The Walrus” and “Elenor Rigby”, and I’ve thrown a spin on “And I Love Her” and “Gotta To Get You Into My Life.” We’ll add others and we’ll even introduce the tunes with an English accent…
6/19/03
Thursday, June 19
Jennifer Lee
Jennifer Lee is a wonderfully inventive jazz vocalist. I first met her last year when we did a gig together at Dizzy's. She flew down from San Francisco (this is where she lives) and we rehearsed before the show. From her first note I knew we were into something special and the show only confirmed this. She sings at one moment, wonderfully slow, uncluttered ballads, and then jets off into a bop tune with just her and bass, spinning in the empty world of new textures.
Later in the year Jennifer came down and spent sometime in my recording studio with Bob,Tripp, Tom Aros, and myself. We had a great time working out her ideas and captured them on disk. Her first recording for SBE Records has just come out and is titled "Jaywalkin'." Her collection of songs is unique and she has a great vibe in her voice. I'm really proud of this CD and we'll be doing the music from it on this Dizzy's show.
6/20/03
Friday, June 20
Samadhi Trio
Bassist Dave Hilton likes his music full on and he’s recruited Duncan and I to join in on his fusion jazz journeys. We made a CD that is just now surfacing and it contains some cooking, high energy excursions into the land of Sri Shrednoy. Dave has chops and humor and picks some interesting places to view the world. This should be a fun show.
7/10/03
Thursday, July 10
Road Work Ahead
Pianist Bill Mays is zipping through town and we felt like this was a great opportunity to get the gang back together for a concert at the Athenaeum. The four of us made a bunch of records and did some touring back in the late 80’s. Our dream was to be on the road spreading the word of jazz so hence, the bands name. We’ll sphere into bop and ballads and full on jazz explorations.
8/29/03
Friday, August 29
Peter Sprague Trio
This is a cool combination to play in. No bass opens the door to some harmonic freedom. All this happens while I look out from Ki’s window to the big blue pacific. If this hurricane humidity continues on, I may jump in for a swim after the gig. Any takers?
Peter Sprague — guitar
Tripp Sprague — sax and flute
Roy Gonzales — percussion
2/08/04
Sunday, February 8th
Passing The Drum in Joshua Tree
We’re taking the band into the outback and offering up some samba to the stoic Joshua trees. Come out and hear the music and then we’ll take a walk into some of the most beautiful high desert scenery ever.
12/24/05
Saturday, December 24th
Annual Del Mar Jazz Christmas Concert
We have a yearly tradition of playing a free afternoon concert on the street corner of Del Mar. I'd say a good three fourths of our jazz gang grew up there and our first performances were actually on this same section of real estate. We'd put out the guitar case, tune it up, and let the sounds begin. As the years have moved on through we’ve moved our locale to the cute little amphitheater next to the Inn L’Auberge. It’s a better spot really—a cozy place for the audience to sit and a soulful stage for the music to launch from. This year we’ve got an unreal cast of musos all prepped for some modern holiday music and jazz. I hope you can come out and share in this warm environment. I think the weather will be good too…
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