Live
PETER WHITE: 30/04/08 PIZZA EXPRESS dean st w1
You know you have to be pretty special if you are the recent winner of the National Smooth Jazz Awards 'Best Guitar' for the third time. So who is this special one? Move over Jose Mourinho allow me to introduce Peter White.
Exuding boyish charm, like some mischievous public school boy, PW wastes no time in joshing with the audience and band alike. With his all round bonhomie and effortless geniality the mood has been set for some highly polished and entertaining smooth (as a baby’s bottom) Jazz. Grover Washington’s 'Mr Magic' cleverly morphing into Junior Walker’s 'What Does It Take To Win Your Love' showed exactly how dextrous this outfit could be. The sound system was crisp and clear allowing PW’s concise bluesy funky licks to shine. The interplay between the musicians was second to none.
Alto sax fiend Jaarad Arosemena proved an able sparring partner with his darting runs and taut fragmented funkiness. It's encouraging to see that both players understand that pauses are as important as notes in shaping a line, and their restraint contrasts with the busy overplaying that can afflict the world of smooth Jazz. Next up was the Isley Brothers 'Whose That Lady', it's exactly at this point Peter really enters the stratosphere and rips the hell out of his nylon electro-acoustic. On comes the fx pedals and out comes some classic rock!! How you segue 'Lady' into 'Oye Como Va' is beyond me but this band are capable of throwing any thing into the mix including the 'James Bond theme'! It's all cleverly designed to keep the listener interested. Peter has learnt that the trick is to keep the variations frequent enough to prevent monotony but small enough to keep the hook and the groove intact. White and co do this as well as anyone. His lines seems to exude sheer melody and Jaared leaps into a phrase and then holds out a climactic note, as if reluctant to let go of something that feels this good.
Praise must be showered on the drummer Marc Parnell’s metronomic but swinging grooves and the highly stylized bass playing of Frank Felix who was occasionally let of the leash for some slap excursions into Marcus Miller territory. Peter’s brother, Danny white provided succinct and plaintive keyboards and just to let of steam the band launched into Matt Bianco’s 'Get Out Of Your Lazy Bed'- jazz pop at it’s finest!
Peter White has come along way since he burst onto the scene in 1976 with Al Stewarts 'Year of the Cat'. He’s very much his own man now and a generous bandleader to boot. I used to have a problem with smooth jazz. To me it was bad pop-instrumental records, full of maudlin themes, robotic rhythms, empty virtuosity and a reliance on the obvious. Fortunately Peter White has debunked that myth and has ably demonstrated how it can be done right. Bravo!
Words Emrys Baird
