“Peter Curtis puts a lot of thought and a lot of heart into his playing and writing. He has a beautiful sound, particularly on the acoustic guitar where his classical training comes through even in this jazz context. ”
-- Mike Stern
Jazz Weekly’s review of Pete’s Pandemic Playlist
90-year-old crooner Ken Steele combines with guitarist Peter Curtis on this album of love songs. Steele was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he started singing in clubs and radio before moving to Toronto. In Toronto, he became an in-demand singer and regularly appeared on numerous CBC radio and television programs and nightclubs around the city. As musical tastes changed to rock and roll, Ken began writing for tv and radio and eventually moved to LA.
While many jazz singers are capable of turning a standard inside-out with abstract improvising, sometimes it is just fun to hear a vocalist taking it straight, sticking close to the melody and the lyrics while swinging gently. For that, veteran singer Ken Steele perfectly fits the bill.
At 91 and a nightclub crooner for nearly 20 years in the desert, Palm Springs resident Ken Steele has released a CD with Riverside jazz guitarist Peter Curtis.
Guitarist/composer Peter Curtis has teamed up with 90-year-old crooner Ken Steele to release a new recording, “Steele In Love.” The release date is August 4.
The subtitle of this collection is "Christmas music by Jewish songwriters," which turns out to be almost no limitation on the repertoire. In fact it is an enormous percentage of the Christmas songbook, as the selections here demonstrate.
Shut out from other parts of society, the Jewish songwriters created a new world of song that tied them directly to mainstream culture.
A tasteful guitarist who always keeps the melody nearby, Curtis recalls Joe Pass at times during this solo recital, simultaneously filling in the theme, bass lines, chords and improvised sections.
“Jewish Boyfriend” is a playful celebration of cultural and religious differences that mentions mistletoe, menorahs and Christmas trees.
It’s nonetheless a lovely album that showcases Curtis’ lyrical solo guitar chops. The title is a droll reference to the ironic fact that many (most?) of our “modern” Christmas tunes came from Jewish songwriters.
What could be more Jewish about Christmas than having seasonal songs performed and composed by members of The Messiah’s tribe? Guitarist Peter Curtis takes a dozen Christmas tunes and gives dreidel spins to them in acoustic and electric guitar.
Classically trained jazz guitarist/college professor Peter Curtis added an interesting twist to his first entry into the Christmas music genre.
Guitarist PETER CURTIS sure knows how to develop an eye-catching title for an album, Christmas with Your Jewish Boyfriend Bella Barktalk Records)…
Guitarist-composer Peter Curtis has a delightful album of solo guitar renditions of holiday music.
A classical guitarist that also knows how to swing, Curtis adds his two cents to a growing sub-genre of paying tribute to Jews who wrote Christmas songs.
4pm, Dec. 06: A Very Jewish Christmas: Holiday Music of American Jews (guitar concert).
Christmas with your Jewish Boyfriend.
Riverside City College’s music department will hold its annual Concert for the Homeless 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29, in the Henry W. Coil Sr. and Alice Edna Coil School for the Arts Concert Hall.
A partnering production of the Riverside School for the Arts, Riverside Community College School of Music and the University of Redlands theater arts department, “Love U.” is a new romantic musical comedy that spoofs two worlds – academia and performance art.
This guitar-vibes-bass-drums quartet initially reminds one of the Red Norvo-Tal Farlow-Charles Mingus vibes-guitar-bass trio of 1950. However Peter Curtis' group is more modern than that and not derivative of any past models.
“Peter’s songs and playing jump right out at you. Each tune has a unique personality of its own and with the use of a beautifully recorded classical guitar and some electric (with occasional devices) playing, the improvising is equally strong and creative and a joy; the whole band is great!”
-- Gene Bertoncini
“Curtis is performing in support of his excellent new release 'Swing State.' The 11-song collection exploits Curtis' limber fingers and knack for spidering up and down the fret board. Any fan of jazz guitar will dig this one.”
-- Paul Saitowitz, the Press Enterprise
“Guitarist Peter Curtis has assembled a rather different lineup on this, his debut recording. Besides the usual bass (Jiro Plutschow) and drums (Richard Weller) he’s got Eldad Tarmu on vibes, which gives the group a novel sound. Although none of these is (yet) a household name, the group’s combined credits include playing and recording with Taj Mahal and Freddie Cole (Curtis); Freddie Hubbard and Billy Higgins (Tarmu); Andy Summers (Plutschow) and Diane Schuur and Fred Hersch (Weller). A native of Montreal, Curtis opens with “Je Me Souviens” (“I Remember”). A cherry tune, it showcases each player with Tarmu’s warm vibes nicely playing off Curtis’ classical guitar lines. Eight of the disc’s 11 selections (seven of them originals) feature Curtis’ acoustic guitar; most notably on Django Reinhardt’s “Nuages” (relaxed) and “The Thing” (ripping). In this electric age, it may seem anachronistic to feature an acoustic guitar, but Curtis is a very gifted player who has chosen well on his stunning debut, effectively mixing tempos and styles (jazz, classical, latin and blues). To show his “modern” side, Curtis gives Thelonious Monk’s “Four in One” the electric treatment, using several effects to make the tune even more gnarly. Recommended!”
-- Miles Jordan, Chico News and Review
This self-produced CD from classical guitarist Peter Curtis, DM '05, released in 2006 is the professor of music's debut. Tenured at Riverside (Calif.) Community College, Curtis is no stranger to music departments. After earning a B.A. in music at the Berklee College of Music and a master's from Yale, he received a doctor of music degree in classical guitar performance and literature with minors in ethnomusicology and music history from IU. This varied background gives his music a polished, restrained sound, and also variety. In addition to original compositions, Curtis performs his own take on Stevie Wonder's "I Wish," Thelonious Monk's "Four in One," and Django Reinhardt's "Nuages." Curtis's exceptional technique and composing is infused with a great sense of humor. "Suz' Blues," he writes in the liner notes, is a song that starts out a "12 bar blues for the first several measures then turns out not to be, just as the woman for whom it was written seemed nice when we started dating..." The title piece was written in 2004, when the phrase "swing state" was ubiquitous. The 11-track album ends on a rich, nostalgic note with the beautiful "My Foolish Heart." Curtis will next compose a musical, a romantic comedy that, fittingly, satirizes the academic
world.
-- Indiana Alumni Magazine, April 2007
“Curtis' silky, uber-cool music style is garnering rave reviews"
-- William Clark, Viewpoints
European clippings
