Hello Out There!
I’m glad to tune in with you and it’s been a super cool synchro moment where the gig train left town and the mega ocean south swell bender has remained on the front burner. That’s right — the bender on the burner, offering up time to surf the corners. Hey that might be a new song lyric, step aside ye old Beach Boys…
Also in the work flow, I’ve been recording the new Jobim arrangements and they will show up as an album with videos in a couple of months.
The gig train is pulling back into the station and next week we’re playing at Ki’s Restaurant on 6/19 and a free outdoor concert in Leucadia on 6/20. Look below for the details…
My biggest influences in learning and playing jazz remain Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Joe Pass, and Sonny Rollins. I’ve spent countless hours studying Sonny’s solos and was honored to publish a collection of them in my book, The Jazz Solos of Sonny Rollins.
What I love about Sonny’s playing is that he has everything—bebop vocabulary, masterful phrasing, an incredible sense of time, and a sense of humor that brings a unique freshness to his hard-swinging approach. Sonny Rollins for president!
We recently lost Sonny, and I’m deeply grateful that he left us with so much beautiful music during his 95 years on this earth.
Today’s video features a recent composition of mine. In the final phrase of the second A section, you’ll hear a little Sonny Rollins influence in the melody. Sonny wrote a tune called “Valse Hot;” I decided to call mine “Valse Warm.”
The band:
Peter Sprague — guitar
Danny Green — piano
Mack Leighton — bass
Duncan Moore — drums
This song is on our 2026 Anti AI recording available at all of the streaming services including:
Spotify
Apple Music
PS Online Store
YouTube Music
That’s the story for now and thanks for tuning in, best, Peter