Album Notes

Reviews:

"This guitar-vibes-bass-drums quartet initially reminds one of the Red Norvo-Tal Farlow-Charles Mingus vibes-guitar-bass trio of 1950. However Peter Curtis' group is more modern than that and not derivative of any past models. Curtis sometimes sounds a bit like Django Reinhardt while, for contrast, he occasionally adopts a rockish style, as on a humorous rendition of Thelonious Monk's "Four in One." Vibraphonist Eldad Tarmu is closer to Bobby Hutcherson than to Norvo while bassist Jiro Platscow and drummer Richard Weller are swinging and supportive of the lead voices. The fluency, constant creativity, and versatility of Curtis and Tarmu are quite impressive as is the range of compositions, which includes a jam on "What Is This Thing Called Love" ("The Thing"), a tango, an introspective ballad reading by Curtis on "My Foolish Heart," and some eccentric bebop. While the music is often boppish, it is full of surprises and unexpected left turns. Highly recommended." ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

"Peter Curtis puts a lot of thought and a lot of heart into his playing and writing. He has a beautiful sound, particularly on the acoustic guitar where his classical training comes through even in this jazz context. Also, the rhythm section supports the music tastefully and soulfully. I really enjoyed this CD."    Mike Stern

"Peter's songs and playing jump right out at you. Each tune has a unique personality of its own and with the use of a beautifully recorded classical guitar and some electric (with occasional devices) playing, the improvising is equally strong and creative and a joy; the whole band is great!" Gene Bertoncini

Biography
Peter Curtis is a guitarist, composer and singer. He has performed or recorded jazz with notable musicians including Claudia Acuna, Lynn Arriale, Seamus Blake, Don Braden, James Carter, Freddy Cole, Barbra Morrison and Ron Westray. He resides in Southern California and is an active figure in the jazz scene there. He has appeared in European jazz clubs and festivals in Berlin, Brussels, Budapest, The Hague, Paris, Prague, Scaerding (Austria) and Zurich. In addition he has performed jazz in Carnegie Hall and on BET.

As a classical guitarist he has given recitals in the U.S. and Canada and was awarded the Andres Segovia memorial scholarship from the Banff Centre for the Arts. Some of his arrangements for classical guitar have been performed by guitarists as far abroad as Australia.

In his teenage years, Peter sang, wrote songs and played guitar in an alternative rock band called Stubborn Blood that performed in the Vancouver, B.C. area.

He is a tenured faculty member at Riverside Community College where he teaches applied jazz and classical guitar, jazz improvisation and directs the guitar ensemble.

Dr. Curtis received his Bachelor of Music degree Magna Cum Laude from the Berklee College of Music, a Masters of Music degree from Yale University, and a Doctor of Music degree in Classical Guitar Performance and Literature with minor fields in Ethnomusicology and Music History from Indiana University.