Dewey Decimal’s Hidden Music Mecca

Good People, you’d never know it but hidden in those rows of books and periodicals is a ripe environment for creative music making. Silence is the mantra and pair that up with adventurous musos and you’ve got a combo that’ll rival any jazz club. Don’t you just miss those clanking glasses and the atonal buzz of the blender? How about the semi bad attitude front door man and the folks at the side table that prefer to talk their way through the set? Oh I’ll miss them dearly as I embark on this week’s Library concert tour detailing it with Dewey Decimal. See below for the lowdown.

I'm on the ground with the cables trying to make sense of the plastic spaghetti. photo by Thomas Westerlin

I’m on the ground looking for the Dewey Decimal code for hooking up cables.
photo by Thomas Westerlin

Last week was a hurricane with the UCSD Jazz Camp running all week mixed in with gigs, rehearsals, and recording. The camp was outstanding and I met up with some great young guitarists. Big fun!

Our concert at the KSDS JazzLive’s Saville Theatre complete with four vocalists harmonizing their way to heaven was a great time for all. Check out the photos…

The whole group! photo by Michael Oletta

The whole group!
photo by Michael Oletta

Kevyn and Peter. photo by Thomas Westerlin

Kevyn and Peter.
photo by Thomas Westerlin

Leonard and Gunnar. photo by Michael Oletta

Leonard and Gunnar.
photo by Michael Oletta

Polyrhythmic Duncan. photo by Michael Oletta

Polyrhythmic Duncan.
photo by Michael Oletta

Peter and the vocalists! photo by Michael Oletta

Peter and the vocalists!
photo by Michael Oletta

Lisa Hightower. photo by Thomas Westerlin

Lisa Hightower.
photo by Thomas Westerlin

Matt Falker. photo by Michael Oletta

Matt Falker.
photo by Michael Oletta

After I finish this email I’ll be making my way to the practice room to warm up my hands for a solo concert at the Julian Library tonight. This is episode one of a week of library concerts. Tomorrow night maestro Benedetti and I stir the sonics in Cardiff at their library concert space. And rounding out the week on Sunday afternoon vocalist Leonard Patton and I share some tunes at the Encinitas Library. All of these events are free to the public and the quiet listening environment makes for some real music magic. Sleight of hand, quick fingers, mentalism, various levitations, modulations, syncopations, it’s all going on at the library!

Fred and Peter with the double rainbow.

Fred and Peter with the double rainbow.

The last gig of the week that doesn’t fit into the library mold is our trio hit on Thursday night at the Westgate Hotel in downtown San Diego. Trumpeter Gilbert Castellanos is curating this music series and I’ll be there with my trio playing jazz by the poolside in the early evening warmth of July. Sounds perfect and I hope you can make it!

That’s it for now folks and thanks for reading along.

happy summer, Peter

2 Responses to “Dewey Decimal’s Hidden Music Mecca”

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  1. Gary Drysdale says:

    Hi Peter;
    I haven’t received any of your updates in about a month. I miss them.
    Sometime ago I told you I interacted with Stan Getz and found him to be a bad guy. You asked me for an example. I sent you an interview from the library of congress, done shortly before his death, where he came clean. Just wondering what you thought.
    Cheers, Gary

    • Hi Gary, thanks for your note and sorry the emails aren’t making it there OK. I just checked and Garydrysdale@charter.net is in my email list and so they are being sent but probably being blocked on your end. Check your spam settings and see if you can modify it to let my emails through. Hope this works!

      And thanks for the Stan Getz stuff and I saw it and wanted to read it closer but after a crash it was gone. Any chance of resending me the link?

      all best, P