| Greetings Good People!I’m writing today from the perch, which is my office, and I have the good fortune of experiencing this glorious moment from all 360 degrees. My favorite angle is the one looking to the wild blue and it’s reminding me that today would be a good one to escape for a sec and catch a few waves. I sure dig living near the ocean!
Over the weekend Fred Benedetti and I drove to L.A. to play what we thought was a house concert that eventually morphed into a free for all jam session. Wild! Super great characters in attendance and some of the host’s kids jammed with us too. One fellow that completely blew my mind was Nolan Shaheed. He was emanating good vibes and spirited laughter and told me about his world of long distance running (he holds several world records) and his eccentric eating habits of only engaging in one meal a day. Radical! This cat’s way older than he looks and he’s obviously doing something right. It’s amazing how many different ways you can live this life. A few really interesting links have come spiraling into my sphere this week and I want to share them with you. The first up is a great TedTalks vid on the transformative power of classical music. This fellow is an amazing speaker and I love his way of helping folks along with really connecting with music. Check it out!  Super cool TedTalks vid! I also got introduced to a new folk group called Barnaby Bright. I love their unique name and their music is gorgeous. I first dug this YouTube vid (check out the old reel to reel tape player in the background going ‘round and ‘round, capturing the magic in ancient analog) and this led me to buying their latest CD. Great vocals and killer vibe!  Barnaby Bright. This week I’ve still been in the arranging and organizing mode, prepping for next month’s wild ride on the gigananda express. Today I’m working on a vocal arrangement of Pat Metheny’s “Better Days Ahead” for the Metheny Project concert and tonight I’ll be ironing out some of the finer points on “Shushter Rengi”, which is one of the compositions for the upcoming Imamyar Hasanov Ensemble performances. It’s a joy having the music spinning in from so many different directions. So, if your thinking the blendo of solo guitar, great food, and authentic Encinitas positive vibrations is what you need, I’ll see you tomorrow night at The Roxy. Downbeat is at 7pm.
We’ll be in L.A. at the Skirball Cultural Center next Tuesday night for a concert with Imamyar’s group. If you’re in L.A. we’ll see you there and if you’re in San Diego, we’re bringing the same program here next week. Look to the gig calendar for the details.  Azerbaijani muso Imamyar Hasanov playing their version of the violin. That’s it good folks and thanks for tuning in, Peter |
On Friday night I’m joining Gilbert Castellanos and Rob Thorsen for a night of music at the Westgate Hotel as part of his Some of My Best Friends Are Guitar Players series. Can’t wait!
“The Very Thought of You” From Bill’s haunting piano intro we know that this version of the great Ray Noble classic “The Very Thought of You” is going to be a new unique take on the tune. I love the way Bill Mays’ arranges songs and he always seems to keep the integrity of the original tune in there, but through his harmonic magic, shows a new side of the song. This version has a little bit of blues inflection and some nice interplay with the bass and guitar carrying the melody. We tracked this piece at SpragueLand last year and it’s one that we’ll play for sure in our upcoming Road Work Ahead concerts in February. Check it out here…
Peter, unfortunately, I haven’t seen you play in too many years…not since your Dance with the Universe group days. From time to time I try to see how you’re doing on line and through utube. I’m still blown away by your incredible mastery of the guitar and incredible sprirituality. I’ve been living up in the San Francisco bay area for the past 25 years or so. I hope you get up here in the near future to play a gig or two. Stephen ( an old Border Patrol Agent and student of yours from the late 1970s)
Thanks Stephen for having a visit and for your kind words. Yep, hope to see you out in the world in realtime….adios, P