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Celebrate the finale of the 2023 Coronado Community READ with guitarist Peter Sprague as he leads his quintet on a magical mystery tour of Beatles classics along with Sprague’s unique jazzified arrangements, which start with the familiar and then sonically travel to new frontiers of jazz and improvisation. Melt when the intro guitar figure for “And I Love Her” kicks in, tap your toe to the funky vibe that “Norwegian Wood” takes, and sing along to the chorus of psychedelicized "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds." The Liverpool Four goes polytonal! It’ll be a special afternoon!
Project Hail Mary author Andy Weir is a huge Beatles fan; in fact, he dedicated the book to The Beatles! The band also plays a small but significant role in the book.
About Peter Sprague
Peter Sprague was born in Cleveland, Ohio and was raised in Del Mar, California. He studied at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan. At the age of 20 he started recording his own albums on the Concord Jazz and Xanadu record labels. From 1990 to 1993 Sprague taught music at both California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles and the Musicians Institute in Hollywood. He has received many awards including the 2015 San Diego Music Awards Lifetime Achievement and the 2018 award for Best Jazz Album ("Planet Cole Porter"). Pat Metheny was quoted in the San Diego Troubadour newspaper as saying, “Peter is amazing. I have known him for years and have always thought of him as one of the best. A great musician who also happens to be a great guitar player. With Peter I always hear the music first. His amazing touch on the instrument is always present whether on electric or acoustic. The level of precision and discipline he brings to his music is something that he makes seem easy, but is in fact one of the most difficult things a guitarist can be asked to do. He is absolutely masterful at it.”
About the other band members:
Allison Adams Tucker
Born in San Diego, multilingual jazz vocalist Allison Adams Tucker began singing before she could speak. She was raised by classically trained musical parents, and began performing in front of audiences at age five. She studied piano, flute, violin, dance and voice from elementary school onward and holds a BA in Linguistics / Music Vocal Performance and an AA in Italian. Her vocal palette has been colored by her experience in a variety of musical genres throughout her life, from folk and pop to a cappella Elizabethan madrigals to punk rock to country to commercial jingles. In 2005 she "discovered jazz” and fell in love with its freedom of expression, intellectual tilt, and inclusion of all international music cultures. Growing up on the border with Mexico, Tucker was exposed to intermingling cultures and her love for languages and world cultures also began at an early age. She has studied and sings in six languages besides her own, has lived in Japan and Spain, and has traveled to over 15 countries. This "wanderlust" is present in the music she chooses today, with rhythms, melodies, and lyrics of Brazil, Italy, France, Latin America, Japan, and the US. Her debut album "Come With Me" (Allegato Music 2008), co-produced by jazz guitarist Peter Sprague and arranged by Grammy winner Kamau Kenyatta received international acclaim, was nominated for Best Jazz Album 2009 by the San Diego Music Awards, and continues to receive airplay on radio stations in 18 countries. Musicians include Kamau Kenyatta on piano, Evona Wascinski on bass, Dylan Savage on drums, Fabio Oliveira on percussion, Louisa West on flute, Reiko Obata on Japanese koto harp, Ray Suen on violin, Derek Cannon on trumpet, Patrick Berrogain on French guitar, and Danny Green Brazilian on piano.
Tripp Sprague
Tripp Sprague's first professional gig came at the young age of 13 when he and his brother Peter and three friends put together a quartet to play at the Golden Rollin’ Belly in Del Mar. From that beginning. his repertoire has expanded. From bebop; through Brazilian, blues and standards, to fusion and pop, Tripp and his sax are fluent in all. He is one of the top players on the San Diego music scene and performs regularly with groups led by Peter Sprague, Jaime Valle, Shep Myers, and others. His versatility has led to performances with such internationally renowned acts as jazz singer Mose Allison, singer Kenny Loggins, The Little River Band; and Motown legends Smokey Robinson, The Four Tops, and The Temptations.
Mackenzie Leighton
Bassist Mackenzie Leighton has been performing since a young age. While primarily a jazz musician, his musical experience extends to other styles including blues, rock, Afro-Cuban, and folk music. From 2011 to 2014, he traveled the world performing on cruise ships. He has performed with Sammy Figueroa, Nestor Torres, Sugar Blue, Geoffrey Keezer, and the San Diego Symphony. Currently, Leighton maintains an active performance schedule while pursuing a Master’s Degree in Jazz Studies at San Diego State University.
Duncan Moore
Oceanside drummer Duncan Moore was born in Des Moines, Iowa and began drumming at age eight. Percussion studies continued through high school and led him to the University of Iowa, where he majored in music and played with local jazz groups before moving to San Diego in 1977. Since that move, Moore has become the first-call drummer for dozens of artists including saxophonists Art Pepper, Joe Farrell, Gerald Albright, pianists Billy Childs, Mike Garson, and Geoffrey Keezer. He’s a prolific studio musician and has appeared on over 130 albums.
John Opferkuch
Born and raised in Massachusetts, Opferkuch attended Yale, graduating in 1985 with a degree in Music. While in college he studied privately with pianists Anthony Davis and Harold Danko. He also attended New England Conservatory where he studied with Fred Hersch and Jaki Byard, among others.Opferkuch has performed with a wide range of jazz and popular artists including Teddy Charles (vibraphonist with Charles Mingus), Peter Sprague, Jeff Berlin, Kenny Rankin, and Charles MacPherson. John’s solo CD “The Kennedy Files" features his original compositions performed with guitarist Peter Sprague, drummer Duncan Moore, bassist Dave Enos, and percussionist Tommy Aros.
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