LiveWire: Jeff Pevar teams with Yes frontman Jon Anderson on 'From the Core'

Connecticut-based guitarist Jeff Pevar, who has worked with everyone from Ray Charles to Rickie Lee Jones, has released a CD called “From the Core,” that features another prominent collaboration, this time with Yes frontman Jon Anderson.

The recording began as a project for a PBS documentary called “The Marble Halls of Oregon,” which included acoustic guitar and mandocello instrumentals recorded in the Oregon Caves National Monument.

“I decided to take artistic license and bring the tracks I recorded in the caves back to my home studio and overdub various instruments,” Pevar said. “As the project evolved, I invited some very special guests to add their unique flavor to select pieces, including ‘River of Dreams’ which features Jon Anderson who co-wrote lyrics and sings on the song.”

Fans of Pevar, who rose to stardom as a member of CPR with David Crosby and James Raymond, might be surprised to learn that this is the prolific guitar player’s first solo release.

“It is been daunting to me, after all the amazing musicians I have had the opportunity to work with,” he said, “What kind of debut record do I want to bring out to the world that is unique in some way?”

Pevar said his diverse musical palette also made choosing a recording path difficult.

“Besides the fact that I am very critical of my own work, the other problem is I love so many different types of music,” he said. “If I were to include them all in a debut record, it would be a somewhat schizophrenic experience for the listener and would probably be tough to get through, unless you are a musician.”

The opportunity to record in the Oregon Caves gave Pevar an out.

“This was the perfect imperfection,” he said. “It not only gave me an opportunity to surrender to whatever was going on in my head in those three hours in the caves but also honor the channel of music that comes through me, which I believe ultimately is the purest form of music a musician a can hope for. It’s also a great alibi because I wrote this thing in three hours.”

Pevar is on a break from touring with Rickie Lee Jones and has filled his time with shows at The Maple Tree in Simsbury on Friday and the Hungry Tiger in Manchester on Dec. 30 with Danny Kortchmar. He says he barely notices the transition from arenas and theaters to small clubs.

“On a certain level, every night is Carnegie Hall for me,” he said. “I would like to consider along with the fact that I love to play and I learned how to play in all these types of clubs, that I am also in the healing arts. Sometimes my work is on huge stages and sometimes it’s in a small club. I am honored that people come to share in the celebration of it all. I am there to celebrate at least as much as anyone else.”

By Donnie Moorhouse, The Republican  on December 19, 2012 at 10:12 AM, updated December 19, 2012 at 10:14 AM Originally sourced from: http://www.masslive.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2012/12/livewire_jeff_pevar_teams_with.html