The album entitled Late Night Lovers carries the subtitle "A Jazz suite by the Whole Guitarist.". Subtitles don't mean much, but in this instance the subtitle is telling as Peter has indeed constructed a suite of arrangements that work together to form a... well... a "whole."

I must admit that when I first looked at the suite's list of pieces I let out a bit of a sigh "Ooooh no!... these old standards again."

See what I mean?

One would be hard pressed to come up with a better top ten list of great pieces that have been "done to death" by legions of guitarists over the years.

Well what greeted my ears at first listen banished those concerns. I'll have to admit that if I don't find something positively riveting I won't listen to the entire CD: Forty-plus minutes is a lot of time to suffer through music that doesn't take me somewhere I want to go.

I listened to the entire CD on first listen.

What really impressed me was the fact that I absolutely positively could not cite a list of Peter's influences.

The arrangements are so eclectic and spontaneous sounding that such a thing would be impossible even if my life depended on it.

This is in direct opposition to most solo guitar jazz records I hear today where I'll be listening along and thinking to myself "Wes Montgomery... there's a bit of Joe Pass... ah he's into Herb Ellis even " and so on.

With Late Night Lovers I found myself just being transported to a place Peter devised out of his own imagination... which is how it ought to be.

Since I can't cite a list of Peter's influences there is no way I could do a coherent track-by-track description of the arrangements either. I really wouldn't even know where to start so I won't bother tying myself up in knots trying to describe the music. Just not possible. Or at least beyond my abilities.

So if you like startlingly fresh renditions of timeless jazz standards - even if you have several other versions on hand - I'd suggest you acquire this CD. After listening to it once it went into iTunes and my two iPods and iPhone en toto; and I even leave pieces out when I transfer Tommy Emmanuel and Kaki King to iTunes.

The ideal listening environment would include red wine candlelight and company like this (a beautiful woman).

George Pepper.

Oct2007