Peter White – Glow
Glow
Peter White
(Columbia – 2001)
by Ray Redmond
It starts off slowly… strings in the back, then a few slow, careful flamenco guitar licks ended by a run… Then the entire band comes in; powerful yet smooth as silk. Peter dances and plays across his guitar, painting a picture of Chasing the Dawn on a summer morning in Spain. My favorite cut is Bueno Funk. Peter slows it down a here, infusing a little latin funk into the mix. The percussion is the base, the guitar the glue and the horns garnish on this south-of-the border treat.
The classic Isley Brothers tune Who’s that lady gets a face lift here, as does the Temptations hit Just My Imagination. Peter carrying the melody on both, accompanied by some of the best smooth jazz musicians around. Life Story is soft and sensitive, again very latin and again very expressive and melodic. Turn It Out is a lively, flamenco-influenced track that feels as if it is moving ever forward; a good choice for the first radio release.
Nine of the eleven tracks were written or co-written by White. The supporting cast Peter assembled for this one reads like THE who’s who of smooth jazz… Rick Braun, Dave Koz, Kirk Whalum, Euge Groove, Jeff Lorber and Steve Cole. In the last ten years Peter White has grown to be one of the most expressive guitarists on the jazz scene, and one of the better composers on the smooth-jazz scene. Combine that with the awesome talent he calls sidemen here and POW! Things begin to Glow…
