Among the group of artists with this name--all of whom might comfortably fit on an elevator provided they leave their instrument cases and camera equipment at home--is a saxophonist associated with a certain kind of light rock from the '70s. Charles Peterson's recording credits actually begin a dozen or so months earlier, yet the the recordings he appears on can be comfortably classed together into a kind of rock more typical of the '70s than the '60s--despite the saxophonist's connections with certain '60s phenomena such as the San Francisco psychedelic scene.

The critically generous mind could group Peterson in with other reed recording artists from this period whose efforts represent a reinvention of the saxophone in rock and roll, moving away from sheer honking toward the more expressive subtlety demanded by a new breed of

singer-songwriters. The rating arrows could point in another direction, however, if it is agreed that the most famous albums Peterson appears on are ones known for other instrumental sounds than tenor or baritone saxophone. Examples are the Norman Greenbaum album which was the source of that performer's only hit or several albums by It's a Beautiful Day, respectively remembered for over-modulated guitar and bass and over-long electric violin solos. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, Rovi