Peter White: We here at Café Jazz haven't had a major feature on Peter White since we went more than just a bit overboard with our three hour feature entitled A Peter White New Year back on December 26th, 2004. So now apart from the fact that almost three years have passed, White recently released Playin Favorites, his ninth album overall, and this gave all the reason we need to place Mr. White into our Then & Now spotlight. But, let's begin at the beginning, in the "sleepy little English town of Letchworth Garden City" as White puts it, where he was raised. White's father was British-born while his mother was of French decent, and it seems Peter inherited a deep appreciation for both cultures. He first became interested in music after hearing the Beatles on radio. He received his first guitar, an acoustic one, at around eight years of age, and taught himself how to play. Meanwhile, his dad encouraged Peter to learn other instruments; in short order he could play recorder, piano, and clarinet as well as a few others. After hearing Jimi Hendrix's Purple Haze, White's passion became electric guitar. However, after his amp was accidentally set ablaze by his younger brother Danny, he returned to his "old acoustic guitar, which had been gathering dust in the corner." That proved to be a turning point in White's life as it was during this period that he developed "a love for the instrument, a feeling that continues to this day".

Photo by: Myriam Santos-Kaydas Courtesy: PeterWhite.com

Early on White knew music was his calling and rather than heading off to college like many of his friends, he chose instead to work factory jobs until he landed his first gig at a holiday resort in 1974. Shortly after, he was recommended to Al Stewart, and after an audition on piano, he was hired. This began a 20-year association with Stewart that saw White step into the spotlight on guitar in 1976 on the million-selling The Year of the Cat, while helping co-write the title track for Time Passages in 1978. In 1979 White followed Stewart to America and while continuing his affiliation with Stewart, in 1981, he played in a group called A Shot in the Dark which included fellow Al Stewart alumnus Bryan Savage. He also frequently guested on albums with the LA band Windows which was fronted by his neighbour, Skipper Wise. Meanwhile, Peter's younger brother Danny had connected with the Polish born vocalist Basia in the group Matt Bianco and when they parted company with the band to focus on Basia's solo career, Peter played on her 1987 debut which went on to sell millions worldwide; later he joined them on tour and wrote several compositions that Basia recorded.

Finally, in 1990, after being a sideman for nearly 15 years, and inspired by the work of the English group Acoustic Alchemy, White finally released a cd of his own music called Réveillez-Vous, in honour of his mother, Gilberte. It was an album that White had "been threatening to make for so many years" and provided exactly the sound that smooth jazz audiences were craving. White instantly became a staple of the format and a fan favourite. That brings us more or less full circle, with our Then & Now feature and nine terrific tracks. In order, the selections are Moonlight Montreal from Réveillez-Vous, and continue on to Dreamwalk, Promenade, Wake Up Everybody, City of Lights, San Diego, Pedro Blanco, and Coast Road Drive, while concluding with What Does It Take from Playin Favorites. However, as far as many of us are concerned, regardless of what he's playing, Peter White is invariably a favourite!

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