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Peter Kavanaugh

Jazz guitarist, bandleader and composer based in Los Angeles

About Me

Los Angeles-based guitarist, bandleader, and composer Peter Kavanaugh spent over a decade as a Southern California sideman before taking center stage with his 2015 debut album “Whisper Not” — a selection of lesser-known American songbook gems rooted in electric guitar and vibraphone. Jazziz Magazine called “Whisper Not,” which received airplay on over 50 radio stations, “A refreshingly old-school approach to songbook standards … he allows the original harmonies and melodies to shine, even as he overlays tones and textures from his vast library.”

Peter's 2016 follow-up album “Look for the Silver Lining” built on his sophisticated, West Coast Cool Jazz sound with more horns, more blues a tango, and fresh arrangements of songs by Dave Brubeck, Rodgers & Hart and Jerome Kern. Downbeat Magazine gave it a 4-star review — “Look for the Silver Lining says all it has to say without overstaying its welcome. That’s admirable in an era when “extended” recordings often try to make up for a lack of quality with quantity.”