Peter Sprague

Peter Tripp Sprague (born October 11, 1955) is an American guitarist, record producer, and audio engineer. He owns SpragueLand Studios and the label SBE Records. He invented a twin-neck guitar with one neck from a classical guitar and one from a steel-string acoustic guitar.

Sprague studied with guitarist Pat Metheny, Madame Chaloff, and classical guitarist Albin Czak, and has played with Chick Corea, Hubert Laws, Larry Coryell, David Benoit, and Sergio Mendes. He has produced or played on more than 190 recordings. He has published music books, several of which are his transcriptions of his music, and has transcribed songbooks for Chick Corea.

He composed and performed a guitar concerto with the Grossmont Symphony Orchestra in May 2000 and with the San Diego Symphony in May 2002,

Sprague has taught at the Musicians Institute, California Institute of the Arts, and the jazz camp of University of California, San Diego.

In a 1984 review for the Los Angeles Times, jazz critic Leonard Feather called Sprague, "One of the emergent great guitarists."

Biography Early years Peter Sprague was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1955. His family moved frequently, settling in 1961 in Del Mar, California, where he fell in love with surfing. Although his parents were jazz fans, he was more interested in the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash when he picked up the guitar at age 12. Three years later, he paid more attention to his parents' jazz collection and began taking guitar lessons. He formed the Minor Jazz Quintet with his brother Tripp and three other musicians. He attended San Dieguito High School in Encinitas and Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan.

Career

In 1976, he moved to Boston to study with classical guitarist Albin Czak. He received some lessons from Pat Metheny, The same critic gave the album the top spot in the Top 10 SD Jazz Releases of 2013. His album Dream Walkin' (2015) with vocalist Leonard Patton was nominated for 2015 Best Jazz Album by San Diego Music Awards.

Teaching and writing In 1985 Sprague accepted teaching positions at both the Musicians Institute (Hollywood) and the California Institute of the Arts (Los Angeles) and for three years taught students from all over the world. Connections at those schools landed him a two-year job where he would fly to Buenos Aires, Argentina, play concerts for a couple of weeks, then teach at a music camp in Las Lenas. Compiling the material he'd created and accumulated for his teaching, he published a theory book, The Sprague Technique. He then drew on the many transcriptions he'd made for himself over the years to publish several songbooks of both his own solos and the solos of some of his favorite other jazz musicians.

Awards and honors Year Award Organization 2024 Inducted into the San Diego Music Hall of Fame San Diego Music Hall of Fame 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award San Diego Music Awards 2007 Best Jazz Artist San Diego Music Awards 2004 Best Jazz Artist San Diego Music Awards 2003 Best Jazz Artist of 2003 (poll) San Diego Reader 2000 Best Mainstream Jazz Artist San Diego Music Awards 2000 Best Jazz Artist of 2000 (poll) San Diego Reader 1994 Best Pop Jazz Group (Blurring the Edges) San Diego Music Awards 1988 Best of 1988—Musicians' Choice San Diego Entertainer 1988 Best of 1988—Best Local Musician San Diego Reader 1986 Best of 1986—Best Jazz Act San Diego Entertainer 1984 Best of 1984 San Diego Newsline

Discography As leader Dance of the Universe (Xanadu, 1979) The Path (Xanadu, 1980) Bird Raga (Xanadu, 1983) Musica del Mar (Concord Jazz, 1984) Na Pali Coast (Concord Jazz, 1985) Soliloquy (SBE, 1997) The Light Dance (SBE, 2001) Pass the Drum (SBE, 2003) Friends for Life (SBE, 2004) Taking It All In (SBE, 2005) Plays Solo (SBE, 2008) The Wild Blue (SBE, 2009) Free Floating (SBE, 2010) Mill Creek Road with Geoffrey Keezer (SBE, 2011) Calling Me Home (SBE, 2011) Dr. Einstein's Spin (SBE, 2013) Ocean in Your Eyes (SBE, 2014) Dream Walkin (SBE, 2015) Planet Cole Porter (SBE, 2017) Lucy in the Sky (SBE, 2017) Samba Andaluza (SBE, 2018) Sparks and Seeds (SBE, 2018)

As sideman With Checkfield Spirit (Pausa, 1983) Water, Wind, and Stone (American Gramaphone, 1986) A View from the Edge (American Gramaphone, 1988)

With Denise Donatelli What Lies Within (Savant, 2008) When Lights Are Low (Savant, 2010) Soul Shadows (Savant, 2012)

With Kevyn Lettau Kevyn Lettau (Nova, 1989) Brazil Jazz (JVC, 1990) Another Season (JVC, 1993)

With Bob Magnusson Road Work Ahead (Discovery, 1980) Two Generations of Music (Discovery, 1982) Song for Janet Lee (Discovery, 1984) Liquid Lines (SBE, 2006)

With Charlie Shoemake Crossroads (Discovery, 1982) Plays the Music of David Raksin (Discovery, 1983) I Think We're Almost There (Discovery, 1986)

With others Fred Benedetti & George Svoboda, Scirocco (SBE, 1995) Fred Benedetti & George Svoboda, Zephyr (SBE, 1996) David Benoit, Letter to Evan (GRP, 1992) David Benoit, Shaken Not Stirred (GRP, 1994) Billy Childs, I've Known Rivers (Stretch, 1994) Mike Garson, Serendipity (Reference, 1986) Diane Hubka, West Coast Strings (SSG, 2013) Geoffrey Keezer, Aurea (ArtistShare, 2009) Matthew Lien, Bleeding Wolves (Whispering Willow, 1995) Manzanita, Pirate Lady (Award, 1979) Eric Marienthal, One Touch (GRP, 1992) Bill Mays, Kaleidoscope (Jazz Alliance, 1992) Charles McPherson, Free Bop! (Xanadu, 1979) Dan Siegel, Future Prospect (Optimism, 1987) Warren Wiebe, Sings the Songs of Terry Sannita (SBE, 1992)