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Peter Manu
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The creative breadth and beauty of
Peter Maunu's guitar work on Bizarre Guitar can best
be appreciated by examining his musical roots. He began
his career as a classical violinist and concert master,
earning a scholarship to the San Francisco Conservatory
of Music while still in his early teens. After hearing
the groundbreaking work of Hendrix and The Beatles'
"Tomorrow Never Knows", Peter became fascinated with
the sonic possibilities of the guitar and it soon commanded
much of his interest. His orchestral approach to playing
has always infused his guitar work, and is much in evidence
on this library.
Peter's musicality and command
of many styles has led to recording and live performances
with an eclectic group of artists including Airto, Billy
Cobham, Jean-Luc Ponty, Heart, L.A. Express, The Pointer
Sisters, Wang Chung, Lou Gramm and Bobby McFerrin.
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Peter Manu
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In the late 70's,
he and several Bay Area friends -- Mark Isham, Patrick O'Hearn,
Terry Bozzio -- formed the pioneering instrumental alliance
Group 87, which released two ahead-of-its-time albums.
Maunu's longtime involvement with composer Isham has encouraged
his experimental side, leading to Peter's many contributions
in film music ("The Unbearable Lightness of Being," "The Moderns,"
"Trouble In Mind," and others) Between 1989-94 he was
seen on TV nightly with the studio band for "The Arsenio Hall
Show." His album "Warm Sound in a Gray Field" (Narada) is
a showcase for his adventurous compositional style.
Peter took the opportunity of developing the source material
for Bizarre Guitar to explore a John Cage-style exercise in
"appreciating Sound itself".
"I like exploring and really getting inside the subtle sonic
possibilities of a device," Peter says. "We all have little
sanctuaries within ourselves where we often go. I might feel
like making a violent racket one day, and on another day my
mood might call for a beautiful ambient drone. Other times,
I force myself to go down a path I've never been before. I
let the emerging sound dictate the creative process and take
the time to explore where it might lead me."
Peter
Maunu is the archetype 21st Century musician -- a master at
using technique and technology to forge great art.
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