Peter Sprague & Aubrey Johnson

Vocalist Aubrey Johnson (the niece of award-winning pianist/keyboardist of the long time Pat Metheny Group Lyle Mays)

with Peter Sprague, Danny Green, Justin Grinnell & Leonard Patton

Aubrey Johnson is a New York-based vocalist, composer, and educator who specializes in jazz, Brazilian, and creative contemporary music with and without words. She holds a Master of Music degree in jazz performance from the New England Conservatory and and Bachelor of Music degree in jazz performance from Western Michigan University.

She released her debut album, Unraveled, of her own compositions and arrangements, produced by Steve Rodby of the Pat Metheny Group, on Outside In Music in 2020. In 2022, she released Play Favorites, a duo album with pianist Randy Ingram, on Sunnyside Records. She currently teaches in the Jazz Department at Montclair State University, and in Jazz Masters Program at Queens College in New York City. She has also held faculty positions at the New England Conservatory and Berklee College of Music.

As an undergraduate student Western Michigan University, Aubrey was a member of Gold Company, the university’s world- renowned vocal jazz ensemble, and studied classical and jazz voice. As a college student, Aubrey won two DownBeat Collegiate Student Music Awards for “Best Jazz Vocalist” and “Jazz Vocalist, Outstanding Performance.” She recorded and performed the original compositions of pianist Ron DiSalvio, featuring legendary drummer Jimmy Cobb. Her work with Cobb/DiSalvio can be heard on their 2007 Origin Records release “Essence of Green”, and “Songs For Jazz Legends” (BluJazz, 2015).

In 2007 she relocated to Boston to pursue a Masters Degree in Jazz Performance at the New England Conservatory, where she studied with Danilo Perez, Jerry Bergonzi, Dominique Eade, Allan Chase, George Garzone, and Frank Carlberg. While at NEC, Aubrey founded, directed and arranged for an official vocal jazz ensemble at the school. In 2009, Aubrey graduated with honors, was awarded the “Gunther Schuller Medal” for “making an extraordinary contribution to the life of the school,” and won her third DownBeat Magazine Collegiate Student Music Award, for outstanding performance in jazz voice.

In 2009 and 2010, Aubrey performed (singing wordlessly and playing auxiliary keyboards) with Lyle Mays (keyboardist of the Pat Metheny Group), including shows at the Zeltsman Marimba Festival and the Gilmore Keyboard Festival. Also in 2010, she recorded on Bobby McFerrin’s Grammy-nominated EmArcy release “VOCAbuLaries.”

In 2011, Aubrey moved to New York City where she currently resides. In New York, she has made appearances at the Blue Note Jazz Club, Kaufman Center, The Kitano, Cornelia St. Café, The Stone, Shapeshifter Lab, the Jazz Gallery, BAM Café, Rockwood Music Hall, Club Bonafide, Smalls, Mezzrow, Roulette, Le Poisson Rouge, and the National Opera Center, with many different ensembles and artists. She has recorded and/or performed with Billy Childs, Janis Siegel (Manhattan Transfer), Fred Hersch’s Pocket Orchestra, Sara Serpa, John Zorn’s Mycale Vocal Quartet, Joe Phillips’ Numinous Ensemble, Andrew Rathbun’s Large Ensemble, Rose and the Nightingale, Travis Sullivan’s Bjorkestra, Jason Yeager, Randy Ingram, and with her own band (Tomoko Omura, Alex LoRe, Chris McCarthy, Matt Aronoff, Jay Sawyer). Among the 40+ albums, Aubrey has appeared on as a side-person are Arturo O’Farrill’s Grammy Award-winning album, Four Questions, and Lyle Mays’ final album Eberhard, which won a Grammy for Best Instrumental Composition in 2021. Her performing and teaching has taken her throughout the US and Canada, China, Taiwan, Europe, and South America.

Most recently, Aubrey was awarded a month-long composition residency at the prestigious MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire, and awarded the Chamber Music America Performance Plus Grant to compose and record a new album under the mentorship of Billy Childs.

Peter Sprague was born in Cleveland, Ohio on October 11, 1955. He was raised in Colorado until 1963, when his family moved to Del Mar, California. Inspired by his father's love of jazz, he took up the guitar when he was twelve. By the age of Mifteen he was devoting all his time and energy to learning music. He took private lessons, played in his high school stage band, and formed his Mirst group The Minor Jazz Quartet.

Following a year's study at the Interlochen Arts Academy, Sprague studied privately and performed around the San Diego area until 1976. That year found him moving to Boston to study with many notable musicians including Pat Metheny, Madame Chaloff and Albin Czak (who taught Peter classical guitar). Peter returned to San Diego in 1978 and formed his ground breaking jazz group The Dance of the Universe Orchestra.

At the age of 20 Peter started recording his own albums on the Concord Jazz and Xanadu record labels. He has been a guest artist on many other records and performed and toured with Chick Corea, Hubert Laws, Dianne Reeves, David Benoit, Sergio Mendes and many others. On his debut with the Chick Corea band for a series of concerts at Disneyland noted Los Angeles Times jazz critic wrote in a review the following day "Peter Sprague is one of the emergent great guitarists." Peter also worked with Chick on the Milm score to the movie The Cat Chasers, starring actress Kelly McGillis.

From 1990 to 1993 Sprague taught music at both California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles and the Musicians Institute in Hollywood. He continues to teach every summer at the annual UCSD Jazz Camp in La Jolla, CA.

Peter was involved with the legendary record label GRP Records on a number of projects. He arranged Chick Corea's song "Spain" for the GRP All-Star Big Band record and video. This performance featured Randy Brecker, Lee Ritenour, Dave Weckl, Ernie Watts among many other jazz legends. Peter was featured on David Benoit's GRP releases Letter To Evan and Shaken, Not Stirred. Also on GRP Records,

Sprague played on Eric Marienthal’s recording One Touch featuring Russell Ferrante, Jimmy Haslip, Alex Acuna, and Ivan Lins.

Peter has been the recipient of many awards:

His CD Planet Cole Porter won the Best Jazz Recording of 2018 from the SDMA.
In 2015 Peter was honored the Lifetime Achievement award at the San Diego Music Awards (SDMA).

His CD Blurring the Edges won the Best Contemporary Jazz Recording of 1994 from the San Diego Music Awards (SDMA).
Best Jazz Musician of the Year in 2000 by the SDMA.
The San Diego Reader voted Peter the Best Jazz Group for the 2002 Best Of issue.

2004 Best Jazz Artist of the year by the SDMA.
In 2006 Peter was the Honored Musician at the Museum of Making Music’s Evening of Note.
2007 Best Jazz Artist of the year by the SDMA.
In 2000 his CD Nikki's Rose was nominated for the Best Jazz CD by the SDMA. In 2003 his CD Pass The Drum was nominated for CD of the Year by the SDMA.
In 2015 his CD Dream Walkin’ was nominated for CD of the Year by the SDMA.

Peter has been the recipient of these grants and commissions:

In 2000 Peter was commissioned to write an orchestral composition for guitar and orchestra with him as the featured. His twenty-minute piece, Concerto for Two Guitars and Orchestra was enthusiastically received when he performed it live with the San Diego Symphony at Orchestra Hall. The program was called “Local Living Legends” which also featured Grammy award winning violinist, Mark O’Connor.

2009 Encinitas and Mizel Family Foundation Community Grant to organize, promote, and perform 2 concerts at the Encinitas Library and Community Center.

2010 Encinitas and Mizel Family Foundation Community Grant to organize, promote, and perform 2 concerts at the Encinitas Library and Community Center.

2010 Chamber Music of America’s New Jazz Works Grant. For this grant Peter composed for his group The Peter Sprague String Consort. They developed the music through rehearsals and performances and the grant culminated in the 2013 cd release of Dr. Einstein’s Spin. The ensemble combines a classical string quartet with a jazz trio and has played numerous concerts in the Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Diego areas. They also have a 2009 cd release called The Wild Blue.

2018 Chamber Music of America’s New Jazz Works Grant. For this grant Peter will compose for his string trio group featuring Bridget Dolkas, Lars Hoefs and Duncan Moore.