{{short description|American jazz guitarist}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2015}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Peter Sprague | image = Peter_Sprague_(w-twin-neck,_by_Rick_Sokol).jpg | caption = Peter Sprague, December 2011<br />Photo by Rick Sokol | birth_name = Peter Tripp Sprague | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1955|10|11}} | birth_place = Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | genre = Jazz rock, rock, folk jazz, folk rock | occupation = Musician, composer, audio engineer, record producer, author | instrument = Guitar | years_active = 1976–present | label = Xanadu, Concord, SBE | associated_acts = Blurring the Edges, Dance of the Universe, David Benoit, Chick Corea, Larry Coryell, Dianne Reeves, Geoffrey Keezer, Sergio Mendes | website = {{URL|petersprague.com}} }}
'''Peter Tripp Sprague''' (born October 11, 1955) is an American guitarist, record producer, and audio engineer. He owns SpragueLand Studios and the label SBE Records. He invented a twin-neck guitar with one neck from a classical guitar and one from a steel-string acoustic guitar.
Sprague studied with guitarist Pat Metheny, Madame Chaloff, and classical guitarist Albin Czak, and has played with Chick Corea, Hubert Laws, Larry Coryell, David Benoit, and Sergio Mendes. He has produced or played on more than 190 recordings.<ref name="AAJ">{{cite web|title=Peter Sprague|url=https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/petersprague| website=All About Jazz|date=July 29, 2013 |accessdate=26 September 2017}}</ref> He has published music books, several of which are his transcriptions of his music, and has transcribed songbooks for Chick Corea.
He composed and performed a guitar concerto with the Grossmont Symphony Orchestra in May 2000 and with the San Diego Symphony in May 2002,<ref name="AAJ" /> and performed a number of times at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. He has toured in Europe and Japan with vocalist Dianne Reeves.<ref name="new">{{cite web|title=New Jazz Works: Commissioning and Ensemble Development|url=http://www.chamber-music.org/programs/recipients.html#new_works|website=Chamber Music America|accessdate=November 28, 2011|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090418120207/http://www.chamber-music.org/programs/recipients.html#new_works|archivedate=April 18, 2009|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
Sprague has taught at the Musicians Institute, California Institute of the Arts, and the jazz camp of University of California, San Diego.<ref name="camp">{{cite web|title=Jazz Camp – UC San Diego Extension|url=http://jazzcamp.ucsd.edu/index.cfm?vAction=profileSprague| website=jazzcamp.ucsd.edu|accessdate=December 8, 2011}}</ref>
In a 1984 review for the ''Los Angeles Times'', jazz critic Leonard Feather called Sprague, "One of the emergent great guitarists."<ref name="Feather">{{cite news|last1=Feather|first1=Leonard|title=Tabackins Test N.Y. Touch At Disneyland's 'All That Jazz'|work=Los Angeles Times|date=28 May 1984}}</ref>
== Biography == ===Early years=== Peter Sprague was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1955. His family moved frequently, settling in 1961 in Del Mar, California, where he fell in love with surfing. Although his parents were jazz fans, he was more interested in the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash when he picked up the guitar at age 12. Three years later, he paid more attention to his parents' jazz collection and began taking guitar lessons. He formed the Minor Jazz Quintet with his brother Tripp and three other musicians. He attended San Dieguito High School in Encinitas and Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan.<ref name="Wald">{{cite magazine |last=Wald |first=Robert |date= May–June 2008|title=Peter Sprague: Soaring Strings |pages=12–13|magazine=The Ocean}}</ref>
=== Career === <!-- Deleted image removed: thumb|right | In his studio<br />Photo by Bob Bretell --> In 1976, he moved to Boston to study with classical guitarist Albin Czak. He received some lessons from Pat Metheny,<ref name="Yanow" /> who he considers his hero.<ref name="Wald" /> He returned home to Del Mar in 1978 and formed the Dance of the Universe Orchestra with Tripp, John Leftwich, Kelly Jacoy, and Kevyn Lettau.<ref name="Yanow" /> They recorded the album ''You Make Me Want to Sing''.
While recording with Charles McPherson on his album ''Free Bop!'' (Xanadu, 1978), Sprague caught the attention of Xanadu Records, which offered him a four-album contract.<ref name="Yanow">{{cite book| last1=Yanow| first1=Scott|title=The Great Jazz Guitarists|date=2013|publisher=Backbeat|location =San Francisco |isbn=978-1-61713-023-6| page=186}}</ref><ref name="Wald" />
Chick Corea invited him to play for a concert series during a holiday weekend at Disneyland.<ref name="Feather" /> Corea praised Sprague's transcriptions of his Elektric Band.<ref name="Wald" />
Sprague's affinity for Latin music led to a reunion with Kevyn Lettau and her husband, jazz percussionist Michael Shapiro.<ref name="Yanow" /><ref name="Wald" /> That led to Sprague's playing with Sergio Mendes.<ref name="Wald" /> In the late 1980s he joined pianist David Benoit's group, with whom over a three-year period he recorded two albums and toured extensively throughout the United States, the Philippines, and Japan.
He married Stefanie Flory in 1991. When their daughter was born two years later, he left the Benoit band to stay closer to home. For some time he had been interested in composing, recording, and producing, and—inspired by Jimi Hendrix's (another of his heroes) Electric Lady Land Studios in Greenwich Village, New York—he created SpragueLand Studios, a recording and production studio at his home. Aside from his work, he records, engineers, and produces albums for musicians in several genres.
In the Spring 2008 issue of ''The Ocean'' magazine, he said, "My wife and daughter keep me grounded. I wouldn't have that connection if I was constantly on the road or living in another city. Leucadia is my home. I love it here. I can walk down the street and in a matter of minutes be surfing excellent waves, come back home, shower, record excellent music, all the while fully enjoying my family, not missing a beat. How much does a person need? This does it for me."<ref name="Wald" /> thumb|left |Photo by Michael Oletta He plays in the band Blurring the Edges with his brother Tripp on saxophone and flute, and his father, Hall Sprague, on percussion. He has worked with pianist Geoffrey Keezer and vocalist Dianne Reeves; with the San Diego Symphony he performed his guitar concerto. He started the record label SBE, an acronym for "striving to break even".<ref name="Yanow" />
"'Our philosophy,' Sprague explains, 'goes like this: most of the time, people want to make a financial killing on their artistic endeavors. Most of the time, especially if it's "artistic", this won't ever happen. Just doing the project is loads of fun and our idea is to make enough dough to do it again. Aim low enough to break even and then free the mind of its turmoil so you can experience the process. Zen and the art of the record business.'"<ref name="Wald" />
The Peter Sprague String Consort combines four string players (Bridgette Dolkas and Jeanne Skrocki on violin, Pam Jacobson on viola, and Lars Hoefs on cello) with himself on guitar along with frequent longtime collaborators Duncan Moore (drums) and Bob Magnusson (bass). For this group he has composed fusion pieces which combine elements of classical, jazz, and American folk, and released the album ''The Wild Blue'' (2009).
In 2010 he won a Chamber Music America grant to compose a new major piece; he chose to compose it for the String Consort and completed it in 2011, titling it "Dr. Einstein's Spin." On December 2, 2011, the group gave its premiere performance in San Diego where local jazz critic Robert Bush rated it third among his top fifteen favorite concerts of the year.<ref name="Bush15">{{cite web|last1=Bush|first1=Robert|title=Top 15 SD Jazz Concerts for 2011|url=https://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/jam-session/2011/dec/20/top-15-sd-jazz-concerts-for-2011/|website=San Diego Reader|accessdate=21 December 2011|date=20 December 2011}}</ref> The same critic gave the album the top spot in the Top 10 SD Jazz Releases of 2013.<ref name="Bush10">{{cite web|last1=Bush|first1=Robert|title=Top 10 SD Jazz Releases of 2013|url=http://www.nbcsandiego.com/blogs/sounddiego/Top-Ten-San-Diego-Jazz-Releases-of-2013-238640591.html|website=NBC 7 San Diego|accessdate=14 January 2014|date=4 January 2014}}</ref> His album ''Dream Walkin' '' (2015) with vocalist Leonard Patton was nominated for 2015 Best Jazz Album by San Diego Music Awards.<ref name="Varga">{{cite news|last1=Varga|first1=George|title=Sprague Given Lifetime Achievement Honor|work=San Diego Union-Tribune|date=6 October 2015}}</ref>
===Teaching and writing=== In 1985 Sprague accepted teaching positions at both the Musicians Institute (Hollywood) and the California Institute of the Arts (Los Angeles) and for three years taught students from all over the world. Connections at those schools landed him a two-year job where he would fly to Buenos Aires, Argentina, play concerts for a couple of weeks, then teach at a music camp in Las Lenas. Compiling the material he'd created and accumulated for his teaching, he published a theory book, ''The Sprague Technique''. He then drew on the many transcriptions he'd made for himself over the years to publish several songbooks of both his own solos and the solos of some of his favorite other jazz musicians.
== Awards and honors == {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year !! Award !! Organization |- | 2024 || Inducted into the San Diego Music Hall of Fame || San Diego Music Hall of Fame <ref>{{Cite web |title=Peter Sprague {{!}} San Diego Music Hall Of Fame |url=https://sdmusichalloffame.com/peter-sprague/ |access-date=2024-08-05 |language=en-US}}</ref> |- | 2015 || Lifetime Achievement Award || San Diego Music Awards<ref name="Varga" /> |- | 2013 || Top 10 SD Jazz Releases of 2013 || ''NBC 7 San Diego''<ref name="Bush10" /> |- | 2011 || International Top Ten Jazz Releases 2011 || ''San Diego Reader''<ref name="BushInter">{{cite web|last1=Bush|first1=Robert|title=The International Top Ten Jazz Releases 2011|url=https://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/jam-session/2011/dec/27/the-international-top-ten-jazz-releases-2011/|website=San Diego Reader|accessdate=3 January 2012|date=27 December 2011}}</ref> |- | 2007 || Best Jazz Artist || San Diego Music Awards |- | 2004 || Best Jazz Artist || San Diego Music Awards |- | 2003 || Best Jazz Artist of 2003 (poll) || ''San Diego Reader'' |- | 2000 || Best Mainstream Jazz Artist || San Diego Music Awards |- | 2000 || Best Jazz Artist of 2000 (poll) || ''San Diego Reader'' |- | 1994 || Best Pop Jazz Group (Blurring the Edges) || San Diego Music Awards |- | 1988 || Best of 1988—Musicians' Choice || ''San Diego Entertainer'' |- | 1988 || Best of 1988—Best Local Musician || ''San Diego Reader'' |- | 1986 || Best of 1986—Best Jazz Act || ''San Diego Entertainer'' |- | 1984 || Best of 1984 || ''San Diego Newsline'' |}
==Discography== ===As leader=== * ''Dance of the Universe'' (Xanadu, 1979)<ref name="AM">{{cite web |title=Peter Sprague {{!}} Album Discography |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/peter-sprague-mn0000325676/discography |website=AllMusic |accessdate=3 September 2020}}</ref> * ''The Path'' (Xanadu, 1980)<ref name="AM" /> * ''The Message Sent On the Wind'' (Xanadu, 1982)<ref name="AM" /> * ''A Space Between Two Thoughts'' (SBE, 1982)<ref name="official">{{cite web |title=Peter Sprague {{!}} Discography |url=http://petersprague.com/discography/ |website=petersprague.com |accessdate=3 September 2020}}</ref> * ''Bird Raga'' (Xanadu, 1983)<ref name="official" /> * ''Musica del Mar'' (Concord Jazz, 1984)<ref name="official" /> * ''Na Pali Coast'' (Concord Jazz, 1985)<ref name="AM" /> * ''Soliloquy'' (SBE, 1997)<ref name="official" /> * ''The Light Dance'' (SBE, 2001)<ref name="official" /> * ''Pass the Drum'' (SBE, 2003)<ref name="AM" /> * ''Friends for Life'' (SBE, 2004)<ref name="official" /> * ''Taking It All In'' (SBE, 2005)<ref name="AM" /> * ''Plays Solo'' (SBE, 2008)<ref name="official" /> * ''The Wild Blue'' (SBE, 2009)<ref name="official" /> * ''Free Floating'' (SBE, 2010)<ref name="official" /> * ''Mill Creek Road'' with Geoffrey Keezer (SBE, 2011)<ref name="official" /> * ''Calling Me Home'' (SBE, 2011)<ref name="official" /> * ''Dr. Einstein's Spin'' (SBE, 2013)<ref name="official" /> * ''Ocean in Your Eyes'' (SBE, 2014)<ref name="official" /> * ''Dream Walkin'' (SBE, 2015)<ref name="official" /> * ''Planet Cole Porter'' (SBE, 2017)<ref name="official" /> * ''Lucy in the Sky'' (SBE, 2017)<ref name="official" /> * ''Samba Andaluza'' (SBE, 2018)<ref name="official" /> * ''Sparks and Seeds'' (SBE, 2018)<ref name="official" />
===As sideman=== '''With Checkfield''' * ''Spirit'' (Pausa, 1983)<ref name="official" /> * ''Water, Wind, and Stone'' (American Gramaphone, 1986)<ref name="official" /> * ''A View from the Edge'' (American Gramaphone, 1988)<ref name="official" />
'''With Denise Donatelli''' * ''What Lies Within'' (Savant, 2008)<ref name="official" /> * ''When Lights Are Low'' (Savant, 2010)<ref name="official" /> * ''Soul Shadows'' (Savant, 2012)<ref name="official" />
'''With Kevyn Lettau''' * ''Kevyn Lettau'' (Nova, 1989)<ref name="official" /> * ''Brazil Jazz'' (JVC, 1990)<ref name="official" /> * ''Another Season'' (JVC, 1993)<ref name="official" />
'''With Bob Magnusson''' * ''Road Work Ahead'' (Discovery, 1980)<ref name="official" /> * ''Two Generations of Music'' (Discovery, 1982)<ref name="official" /> * ''Song for Janet Lee'' (Discovery, 1984)<ref name="official" /> * ''Liquid Lines'' (SBE, 2006)<ref name="official" />
'''With Charlie Shoemake''' * ''Crossroads'' (Discovery, 1982)<ref name="official" /> * ''Plays the Music of David Raksin'' (Discovery, 1983)<ref name="official" /> * ''I Think We're Almost There'' (Discovery, 1986)
'''With others''' * Fred Benedetti & George Svoboda, ''Scirocco'' (SBE, 1995)<ref name="official" /> * Fred Benedetti & George Svoboda, ''Zephyr'' (SBE, 1996)<ref name="official" /> * David Benoit, ''Letter to Evan'' (GRP, 1992)<ref name="official" /> * David Benoit, ''Shaken Not Stirred'' (GRP, 1994)<ref name="official" /> * Billy Childs, ''I've Known Rivers'' (Stretch, 1994)<ref name="official" /> * Mike Garson, ''Serendipity'' (Reference, 1986)<ref name="official" /> * Diane Hubka, ''West Coast Strings'' (SSG, 2013)<ref name="official" /> * Geoffrey Keezer, ''Aurea'' (ArtistShare, 2009)<ref name="official" /> * Matthew Lien, ''Bleeding Wolves'' (Whispering Willow, 1995)<ref name="official" /> * Manzanita, ''Pirate Lady'' (Award, 1979)<ref name="official" /> * Eric Marienthal, ''One Touch'' (GRP, 1992)<ref name="official" /> * Bill Mays, ''Kaleidoscope'' (Jazz Alliance, 1992)<ref name="official" /> * Charles McPherson, ''Free Bop!'' (Xanadu, 1979)<ref name="official" /> * Dan Siegel, ''Future Prospect'' (Optimism, 1987)<ref name="official" /> * Warren Wiebe, ''Sings the Songs of Terry Sannita'' (SBE, 1992)<ref name="official" />
==References== {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [http://petersprague.com/ Official site] * [http://www.kcet.org/arts/artbound/counties/san-diego/peter-sprague-guitarists.html "An Extraordinaire from the Land of Extraordinary Guitarists"] Biographical article (August 16, 2012) * [https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/peter-sprague Peter Sprague Interview] NAMM Oral History Library (2015)
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sprague, Peter}} Category:1955 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century American guitarists Category:20th-century American male musicians Category:American jazz composers Category:American jazz educators Category:American jazz guitarists Category:American male guitarists Category:American male jazz composers Category:American record producers Category:Avant-garde jazz composers Category:Avant-garde jazz guitarists Category:Chamber jazz guitarists Category:Guitarists from California Category:Jazz fusion arrangers Category:Jazz fusion guitarists Category:Jazz musicians from California Category:West Coast jazz guitarists