Rice and Beans Bebop!

Hi Good Folks, we just got back from a week long trip to Mexico to pursue the finer points of surf etiquette, the hidden protein in rice and beans, and playing jazz in a bebop-free zone. We had daily illuminating discoveries but mostly it was about unplugging from the digital grid of the daily grind. I love the grind mind you, but it’s nice to give it a rest every now and then.

We were graced with a warm south swell and had many days of good surf. One night we had a great jazz show at the Cabo Surf Hotel, met some cool new folks and shared our sonic propaganda freely. We were in San Jose del Cabo and it’ll be magic day when we get to venture there next.

The Three Musoteers of Baja! From left to right, Tripp, Bob Magnusson, and Peter.

The Three Musos of Baja! From left to right, Tripp, Bob Magnusson, and Peter.

April in San Diego was a super busy month of playing for me and it turns out that a lot of press and YouTube noise got stirred up.

Starting with 2 new Bop Moderno videos! Hear Gilbert work the mute on the blues and next Tripp plays a great solo on “Chanting with Charles”!

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ChantingWithCharlesYT2

We played a show at 98 Bottles with Anthony Smith’s group and this positive review surfaced reporting that it all went down with “two sets of highly intricate music before a standing-room-only crowd.”

Live at 98 Bottles with Anthony Smith, Mike Wofford, Danny Weller, Holly Hofman and Duncan Moore.

Live at 98 Bottles with Anthony Smith, Mike Wofford, Danny Weller, Holly Hofman and Duncan Moore.

The next night I returned to 98 Bottles to flow through the world of Ella Fitzgerald with bassist Danny Weller guiding the ship and the amazing, and I mean it, fantastic vocals by Rebecca Jade! Yes indeed she sounded great! And along came this review of which Robert Bush, the reporter exclaimed, “Ms. Jade sings with that rare combination of aggressive power and wistful nuance coupled with distinct enunciation that allowed one to understand every lyric.”

Danny Weller's group at 98 Bottles. Left to right, Peter, Charlie Weller, Rebecca Jade, and Mikan.

Danny Weller’s group at 98 Bottles. Left to right, Peter, Charlie Weller, Rebecca Jade, and Mikan.

And dig the video clip as we cruise through “I Hear Music.”

We took the music to the streets at our Encinitas Street Fair gig a couple weeks back and a lone video guy had the camera right up into our world for pretty much the whole show. The only thing I remember is “why is this guy so close to us?” It turns out that the footage is better for this and I particularly like these 2 vids:

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Americana! “Shenandoa” into “Your Smiling Face”

Stevie Wonder's "As"

Stevie Wonder’s “As”

Tripp's daughter Kate joined us on one tune!

Tripp’s daughter Kate joined us on one tune!

Jazz writer Scott Yanow has put together an extensive examination of jazz guitarists and his book The Great Jazz Guitarists: The Ultimate Guide has just surfaced into the real world. Happily I’m included in the lineup and you can go here to check it out.

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We had a wonderful show at Dizzy’s with the Mesa College Big Band and the highlight for me was to play with the up and coming flutist James Romeo Jr. This dude has the tone and the vibe and brought magic to the stage. I can’t wait to do it again! He also has a brand new baby boy who was hanging horizontal at the gig.

Peter with James Romeo Jr. and his little jazz baby.

Peter with James Romeo Jr. and his little jazz baby.

In the works for this week, I’ll be living at the Roxy in Encinitas. First up on Thursday night I’m playing solo guitar and then on Saturday night I have vocalist Kevyn Lettau joining me. Big fun both nights and hope to see you there!

That’s the word for now and thanks for riding along with me.

all best, Peter

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“Idyllwild’s Secret”
I’ve been thinking about Steve Kujala lately and how much I miss playing music with him. He’s an absolute avatar of the flute and we made several recordings back in the day along with traversing countless hours on the freeway between here and L.A. playing gigs. We’ve been missing each other but I’m thrilled that in July we have a concert in Coronado lined up and I’m counting the days. I just took “Idyllwild’s Secret” for a spin and I’m captivated by Steve’s beautiful sound and spirit in the music. This was a really fun record to make with Luis Conte on percussion along with John Leftwich on bass. The CD is now out of print but you can get the tracks as downloads off of my site. It’s a wonderful recording! Check it out!