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Good People, Bobby McFerrin is singing through my speakers this morning, the clouds have parted for a second and I write to you with a few Euro stories and images.
My trip to Germany was a hoot! Super long flight with minus zero leg room—really what are those airplane engineers thinking? Here’s what ought to happen, lets cram all of those designers into one of their planes and then fly them up for 12 hours. Do you think they’ll consider rethinking the space parameters?
I arrived in one piece and then slept until dinner. Next all of the musos and concert organizers gathered for a good meal and this morphed into a late night rehearsal in the hotel. We eventually had to move ‘cuz other folks we’re trying to sleep. Our time schedules were still calibrated on the U.S. time zones.
The next day found us sound-checking with a young pink haired mixing engineer gal flirting with her equally young handsome assistant boy. They were texting and having fun and the sound check / rehearsal went into a semi haywire mode. It became apparent that we were going to have to wing or cut a bunch of tunes. No worries, more excitement for the concert and improvising situations is what we do best. We'll lose the tricky tunes and kick start El Jam Mode!
Indian food greeted us right before the concert and this perked up the vibe—the curry basmati mango railroad was fueling this circus!
Jacques Stotzem from Belgium started off the concert with a great solo steel string guitar set. The totally packed audience took it all in and demanded a few encores.
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Jacques playing acoustic steel string.
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Next up, from Brasil, guitarist Diego Figueiredo and percussionist Gilson de Assis played a set of energetic samba and bossa nova tunes. Diego is amazing and has a ton of fire in his playing. I loved it! And this cat is a warm fellow and I’m really hoping he passes by San Diego sometime because I would love to set up a show so you could meet and hear him. The best!
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Diego ripping a G minor 6 chord!
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After Diego’s set Larry Coryell and I played together. Larry has a rich harmonic knowledge and my favorite moments were his beautiful solos on “My One and Only Love” and “Georgia”. Gorgeous lines and textures!
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Larry on the left playing his custom Martin guitar with me on my trusty nylon guitar.
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The last set of the night (and we’re into the 5th hour of this long concert) was Indian percussionist Vaidyanathan Suresh along with Carola Grey, a drummer from Germany. They played 2 intricate percussion pieces that were amazing! Next, all of us joined them and we played a couple of worked out pieces and then just started making things up as the audience kept wanting more. Jam mode on! Can you imagine 5 hours into the concert and pretty much everyone in the audience is still there? Only a few left. They love jazz in Reichenberg! Finally the night ended at around 1PM and it was a happy crew in Germany.
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Vaidyanathan playing ghatam.
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The big turnout for the music. They stayed all the way until the last notes were played!
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The whole band from left to right, Dave King on bass, Gilson on percussion, Diego on guitar, Larry on guitar, Vaidyanathan on percussion, Carola on drums and Peter on guitar.
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The last jam with Dave on bass, Larry on guitar, Carola on drums and me on guitar.
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The next night I played solo guitar at a concert also featuring an Italian duo that played all Brasilian songs. It was set up in a smaller venue and again a full and enthusiastic audience was on hand. It was a fun night of music and afterwards we all went to Pizza Bob’s for a late night hang. Early the next morning I drove 2 hours to the airport to head back home. Whirlwind tornado back and forth, all super worth it even in spite of the mega airplane cramp factor. Maybe next time I can at least morph into business class. Hah…
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The after concert hang at Pizza Bob's! From left to right, Reinhold Hubner (friend and good guy), Flavio Brio - guitarist with the Brazilian group, Sabine - Reinhold's wife, Diego - guitarist, Helmut Kandert - percussion, Elizabetta Prodon - vocalist, Peter and Reinhold Liebich-Deinhardt- the concert promoter and general all around good guy.
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Back home for a day and then Bob Magnusson and I darted over to Yuma, Arizona for an enjoyable outdoor concert. It was really warm over there and the drive through the mountains was spectacular. Big fun!
This brings us up to date and tonight we’re looking forward to playing trio style at The Calypso in Leucadia. It’s a good hang there and great food too. We start at 7PM but if you place your order before 7PM, happy hour prices are in place and this is good. Hope to see you there.
Next up, on Thursday the Road Work Ahead gang (Bill Mays, Jim Plank, Bob Magnusson and me) all board the rental van and drive up to the Bay area for a week of concerts. If you don’t know about our band story and past recordings, click here for a little info. It’s a cool group with creative music and a great vibe. We’ve written and arranged new music for this tour and the plan is to record it in the middle of next month after road testing it on all of these gigs. Also, we will be playing some shows in the San Diego area next month so look below for the details. Hope to see you out there.
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This is Road Work Ahead back in the day. Long hair and owning the world. We're still at it today and still loving the ride! From left to right, Peter, Bill Mays, Jim Plank, and Bob Magnusson.
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That’s it and many thanks for reading, Peter
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Monday March 26, 2012 |
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Peter Sprague Trio
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The Calypso Cafe
576 North Highway 101
Leucadia, CA
760-452-2773
details
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Peter Sprague — guitar
Gunnar Biggs — bass
Duncan Moore — drums |
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7 PM |
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Back years ago I played at the Calypso in Leucadia and it was huge fun. Then they had a restriction that no amps could be used. They redone the place and we can plug in. Hurray! We're gearing up the trio to play every other Monday for hopefully a long stint. |
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Friday March 30, 2012 |
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Road Work Ahead
in Davis
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Bill Mays — piano
Peter Sprague — guitar
Bob Magnusson — bass
Jim Plank — drums |
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7 PM |
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Bill Mays is coming to town for almost a month and we're first starting out in Nor Cal and then working our way down to SD. We've got new music and we're also going to make a new recording. Hope to see you at one of our shows! |
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Saturday March 31, 2012 |
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Road Work Ahead
in SF
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Bill Mays — piano
Peter Sprague — guitar
Bob Magnusson — bass
Jim Plank — drums |
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afternoon concert |
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Bill Mays is coming to town for almost a month and we're first starting out in Nor Cal and then working our way down to SD. We've got new music and we're also going to make a new recording. Hope to see you at one of our shows! |
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Saturday March 31, 2012 |
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Road Work Ahead
in Sebastopol
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Bill Mays — piano
Peter Sprague — guitar
Bob Magnusson — bass
Jim Plank — drums |
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7PM |
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Bill Mays is coming to town for almost a month and we're first starting out in Nor Cal and then working our way down to SD. We've got new music and we're also going to make a new recording. Hope to see you at one of our shows! |
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Sunday April 1, 2012 |
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Road Work Ahead
in Napa
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Bill Mays — piano
Peter Sprague — guitar
Bob Magnusson — bass
Jim Plank — drums |
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7PM |
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Bill Mays is coming to town for almost a month and we're first starting out in Nor Cal and then working our way down to SD. We've got new music and we're also going to make a new recording. Hope to see you at one of our shows! |
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Wednesday April 4, 2012 |
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Peter Sprague Quartet
at the UCSD Loft |
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Peter Sprague — guitar
Tripp Sprague — sax, flute and EWI
Gunnar Biggs — bass
Duncan Moore — drums |
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8PM |
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This will be my first time playing a show at the Loft and I'm told it's a really great place for music. For this special event we're playing an all new program for the quartet including 2 brand new pieces plus an adaptation of my Dr. Einstein's Spin piece orginally set for the string group. Big fun!
The Jeff Kaiser group will open the show. |
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Thursday April 5, 2012 |
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Peter Sprague String Consort
SOLD OUT! |
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Powerhouse in Del Mar |
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Peter Sprague — guitar
Bridget Dolkas — violin
Jeanne Skrocki — violin
Pam Jacobsen — viola
Lars Hoefs — cello
Duncan Moore — drums
Gunnar Biggs — bass
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7 PM |
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Sorry folks but this show is already sold out. We are in the process of organizing another show in May and I'll let you know when the magic date surfaces. |
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Monday April 9, 2012 |
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Road Work Ahead
in LA
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Bill Mays — piano
Peter Sprague — guitar
Bob Magnusson — bass
Jim Plank — drums |
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7PM |
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Bill Mays is coming to town for almost a month and we're first starting out in Nor Cal and then working our way down to SD. We've got new music and we're also going to make a new recording. Hope to see you at one of our shows! |
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Wednesday April 11, 2012 |
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Road Work Ahead
in SD
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Bill Mays — piano
Peter Sprague — guitar
Bob Magnusson — bass
Jim Plank — drums |
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7:30 PM |
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Bill Mays is coming to town for almost a month and we're first starting out in Nor Cal and then working our way down to SD. We've got new music and we're also going to make a new recording. Hope to see you at one of our shows! |
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Thursday April 12, 2012 |
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Road Work Ahead
in Temecula
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Bill Mays — piano
Peter Sprague — guitar
Bob Magnusson — bass
Jim Plank — drums |
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7:30 PM |
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Bill Mays is coming to town for almost a month and we're first starting out in Nor Cal and then working our way down to SD. We've got new music and we're also going to make a new recording. Hope to see you at one of our shows! |
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Friday April 13, 2012 |
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Ian Tordella Quintet
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98 Bottles
2400 Kettner Blvd
Suite 110
San Diego, CA
details
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Ian Tordella — saxophone
Peter Sprague — guitar
Joey Carano — guitar
Ben Wanicur — bass
Richard Sellars — drums |
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8 PM |
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I'm thrilled to be playing with Ian and the guys and tackling the music from his new record. Big fun! |
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Sunday April 15, 2012 |
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Road Work Ahead
in LA
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Bill Mays — piano
Peter Sprague — guitar
Bob Magnusson — bass
Jim Plank — drums |
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2 PM |
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Bill Mays is coming to town for almost a month and we're first starting out in Nor Cal and then working our way down to SD. We've got new music and we're also going to make a new recording. Hope to see you at one of our shows! |
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Monday April 16, 2012 |
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Road Work Ahead
in Pacific Beach, SD
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Bill Mays — piano
Peter Sprague — guitar
Bob Magnusson — bass
Jim Plank — drums |
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7 PM |
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Bill Mays is coming to town for almost a month and we're first starting out in Nor Cal and then working our way down to SD. We've got new music and we're also going to make a new recording. Hope to see you at one of our shows! |
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Thursday April 19, 2012 |
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Peter Sprague
Plays Solo |
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The Roxy Restaurant
517 S. Coast Highway 101
Encinitas, CA
760-436-5001
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Peter Sprague — guitar
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7 PM |
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Finally I'm back playing a solo hit at my favorite Roxy! |
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Friday April 20, 2012 |
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Peter Sprague
and Friends |
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Ki's Restaurant
2591 South Highway 101
Cardiff, CA
760-436-5236
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Peter Sprague — guitar
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8:30 PM |
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Still working on the lineup for this one. |
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Saturday April 21, 2012 |
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Peter Sprague
trio with
Dirk Sutro
This Is Jazz! |
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Ruby G. Schulman Auditorium
Carlsbad City Library complex
1775 Dove Lane
Carlsbad, CA 92011
details
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Peter Sprague — guitar
Gunnar Biggs — bass
Julien Cantheim — drums |
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4 PM |
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Dirk Sutro wrote the book "Jazz for Dummie's" and he's a good friend. He's put together this series of lectures about jazz and has invited me and the boys to be part of the "Jazz Guitar" lecture. Sounds like a lot of fun. It's also a FREE event. |
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Saturday April 21, 2012 |
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Peter Sprague
and Kevyn Lettau |
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Ki's Restaurant
2591 South Highway 101
Cardiff, CA
760-436-5236
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Peter Sprague — guitar
Kevyn Lettau — vocals
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8:30 PM |
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Thrilled to have Kevyn as my guest for a great night of samba jazz! |
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Monday April 23, 2012 |
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Peter Sprague Trio
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The Calypso Cafe
576 North Highway 101
Leucadia, CA
760-452-2773
details
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Peter Sprague — guitar
Gunnar Biggs — bass
Duncan Moore — drums |
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7 PM |
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Back years ago I played at the Calypso in Leucadia and it was huge fun. Then they had a restriction that no amps could be used. They redone the place and we can plug in. Hurray! We're gearing up the trio to play every other Monday for hopefully a long stint. |
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April 24 through April 29, 2012 |
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Peter Sprague
Cabo San Lucas Tour 2012 |
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Playing Various Clubs
and spending some time in the
Pacific Ocean
Cabo Surf Hotel
The Flora Farms
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Peter Sprague — guitar
Tripp Sprague — sax and flute
Bob Magnusson — bass
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7 PM |
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We're heading south for our yearly visit to the tip of Baja. We've got gigs on a bunch of the nights and of course there will be a ton of ocean time to even out the whitenoise build up of regular life. If you're going to be down there, let me know and I'll give you the details. |
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For my complete performance schedule click here.
To view this email online click here.
Click here to visit my website. It's pretty cool complete with the whole story, recordings and books, and some new videos.
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This is my most recent recording.
Click here for more info and to listen to the tracks.
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