Peter The Great

Peter White dropped in to perform and chat before appearing on a Smooth Jazz Cruise with Alexander Zonjic. The maiden summer cruise series put together by Zonjic has picked up steam. Put together a buffet dinner, nice weather and the likes of The Sax Pack (Jeff Kashiwa, Steve Cole & Kim Waters), Nick Colionne, Alex Bugnon and Mr. White and success will follow.

In the coming weeks Marion Meadows, Ken Navarro, Gerald Albright and Kirk Whalum will set sail from downtown Detroit.

But back to Peter White. Whether he is covering a song or applying licks to his own creations, the dude from across the pond is just plain bad! And proof that you should never judge a book by its cover, upon first glance, you just don't expect the unassuming White to produce such a polished, smooth and sometimes funky sound.

It's been two years since his last album "Playin' Favorites" but White told me is his working on his next project.

"Got any suggestions?" he quipped.

I'm sure he'll manage to come up with something wonderful, reflective of that calm California lifestyle he's enjoyed for the past 30 years. Backing up numerous artists for 15 years, White says "It's still a bit strange to be in front of the audience, having people stare back at you."

And to think what might have been had it not been for his younger brother Danny. White has told the story countless times, but it's still serves as a life changing moment. Growing up in a small English town in the 1960s, White naturally was a Beatles fan and his parents bought him an acoustic guitar at eight years old. Of course, along came the American influence of Jimi Hendrix and all a sudden that acoustic guitar was lightweight stuff compared to an electric guitar which White eventually got. Enter Danny who White says decided to experiment with matches one day, burning down their room. Goodbye electric guitar. You know what survived by not being in the room? Yep, the acoustic guitar.

"I suppose I should really be thanking him," White said of his brother. "Things happen for a reason."

White says he also learned his lesson and began carrying that acoustic guitar with him everywhere. He certainly learned how to play it that's for sure.

I asked him a question that thankfully surprised him. Who would you love to play with of performers no longer with us?

"Does it have to be a person who played an instrument?" White asked.

Nope, it's your fantasy world.

"In that case Billie Holiday," White responded, his face getting lost in the thought. "Can you imagine playing in the background while listening to her sing? Just to be in the audience would be special but up there on stage... that would be magical."

Just as magical as the music White has been producing since stepping out as a solo artist. "Promenade" and "Bueno Funk" stand out as huge hits but there is so, so much more to take in.

Here's to that new album!

http://www.peterwhite.com/