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Dan Peterson

Kansas City guitar prodigy, Dan Peterson opened for national acts such as Steve Miller Band, Strawberry Alarm Clock, etc at age 13. Peterson toured the midwest in a blues band in the early 70's. He later opened for Tom Petty, Journey etc, before pursuing the modern cool jazz school of guitar. As a member of a university jazz band he toured Europe in 1976. During this two year stint, Peterson participated in college jazz band clinics and/or performances with Rufus Reid, Gary Burton, Bob Hope, Stan Kenton, Maynard Ferguson, etc, which furthered his interest in the pursuit of esoteric modern jazz guitar explorations.

Peterson's first solo LP' Voice of the Trees" was released in 1979 to critical acclaim by national magazines, Guitar Player, Stereo Review, Audio Magazine, etc. He was an Illinois Arts Council grant winner for jazz guitar composition and recording projects in the early 80's.

Continued critical acclaim in major music publications for the following albums,"New Life Suite", "A Prayer for the Innocent", "In Praise of The Father", "The Blue Season", "Illinois Jazz Project" and 2005 release "Forward View" followed Peterson's recording career.

Rave reviews by Guitar Player Magazine, Vintage Guitar, Guitar Digest, and featured in articles by Roland User Group Magazine, Peavey Monitor Magazine, Illinois Entertainer, etc. have documented a prolific recording career spanning 35 years. Peterson, who walked away from an active role in music for nearly ten years, recently returned to the recording scene by displaying playing skills and compositions far advanced from his earlier work. His current project, "Be a Blessing", will be released in April 2013.

“Be a Blessing” is critically acclaimed jazz guitarist, Dan Peterson’s heartfelt work of beautiful, poignant and impassioned compositions written during the difficult period in which his wife awaited a double lung transplant. Ann Peterson, who passed away in 2009 waited nearly three years for organs that never became available. Since that time, guitarist Peterson has become an outspoken voice to increase awareness of the need for organ donor registration. The title “Be a Blessing” has a dual meaning Peterson explains, “We were fortunate to have so many people in our life that were a blessing in so many ways. These great people, friends and strangers alike defined a type of person and attitude I felt should be recognized and celebrated.” “I also wanted to take what I’ve learned from my experiences and express that in my music in an effort to encourage and uplift others who might be going through some difficult times of their own.

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GUITAR PLAYER MAGAZINE ILLINOIS JAZZ PROJECT DAN PETERSON February 04, 2004 Daniel Peterson Illinois Jazz Project Talented multi-instrumentalist Peterson delivers plenty of smooth, glass-of- Cognac-after-a-night-of-clubbing moments on this jazz set, and hepcats of the Playboy glory days will absolutely revel in his melodic forays and tuxedo- sophisticate tone. Another bonus is his reverence for songs and song structures. You can groove to these tracks as background ambience or as a critical listener and never feel as if you’re being pulled too far out of your comfort zone. In other words, Illinois Jazz Project is definitely produced to caress and please, rather than challenge your sensibilities of melody, harmony, and tone. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but Peterson also manages to add just enough funk (harmonies, interesting melodic shifts, some “blue” bends, etc.) to lift the album out of the realm of invisible cocktail-bar music. The only things that truly threaten the mellow vibe-out are his percussion parts— which tend to sound stiff and overly bright (on the cymbal work), and are mixed way too far up front to enhance the moods of the gentler tracks—and an occasional sharp bite and ever-so-slight stumble in his picking. You get the feeling that would absolutely cook in the right band, but, until that happens, Illinois Jazz Project is a real find for jazz guitar lovers jonesing for a more traditional fix. Blue Water Records Michael Molenda Guitar Player Magazine

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Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

be a blessing

Blue Water Records
2013

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