Peter White’s latest CD, “Good Day,” offers a bright, sunny outlook from the opening Peggy Lee classic to the guitarist’s final melodic riffs in “Say Goodnight.” As a special holiday treat for Birchmere and Ramshead Stage fans, the versatile acoustic guitarist heads back-to-back White Christmas gigs featuring his own innovative arrangements with solo turns by trumpeter Rick Braun and saxophonist Mindi Abair.
“I thought sharing the stage with Rick and Mindi would add great music and glamour to the show,” White said. “We’ll do our own thing and also play together on some numbers. All of us like to surprise people by doing things they haven’t heard. Although we improvise a lot, jazz is a small part of the show. We’ll play music that’s accessible to everyone, and since both of them know how to put on a show and leave people wanting more, folks are sure to have a good time.”
| IF YOU GO |
| A Peter White Christmas |
| Where: The Birchmere |
| When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday |
| Info: $49.50; 703-549-7500; birchmere.com |
| Second show: Ramshead On Stage, 6 and 9 p.m. Thursday; $49.50; 410-295-9761 |
White has forged a career playing just the right balance of jazz, pop and classical guitar. Growing up north of London, he admired the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton, but his purchase of an electric guitar turned to disaster when it was destroyed in a fire. That pushed him to the acoustic guitar, but no matter how he craved a music career, the times dictated otherwise.
At age 19, he was working without any prospects in a warehouse driving a forklift truck to move upright pianos. Then one day a guy came in and mentioned that a guitar player was needed for a gig at a holiday resort. Without an audition or even a rehearsal, he was hired to spend the summer in Cornwall. This first real job was a welcome change from the warehouse, but he did not enjoy playing “Tie A Yellow Ribbon” every night instead of his favorite Led Zeppelin rock numbers.
Back home in the fall without even a telephone for contact, he discovered Melody Maker, a music publication containing want ads for musicians. He answered one and was promptly hired to play in London. The band soon broke up, but White was ecstatic. He was actually living in London with a phone and a connection with Al Stewart’s manager. Like the proverbial happy ending, Stewart hired White to play keyboard on a tour of England, Scotland and the United States. That was the start of a career during which he worked with Stewart on “Year of the Cat” and later on “Time Passages.”
By the 1980s, both White and Stewart had settled in Los Angeles. A decade later, White went on his own, releasing his first album, which included several songs he had written earlier that Stewart had not used. Twelve successful albums later, he has produced a recording that enhances all his guitar’s capabilities. At the same time, his lovely melodies and startling originality dominate all 10 tracks, none more inventive than “Mission 2 Mars.”
“Looking back on my career, my greatest pleasure has come from playing my own songs on stage and having people recognize me and my music,” White said. “I always invite folks to stay afterward. It’s a special joy to hear someone say it gives them a thrill to hear me play such and such piece. They know us well at the Birchmere and Ramshead and can expect a fun-filled, funny and action-packed show with lots of audience participation.”
