Alone Officer : Laurence Juber Invests in Solo Work and Accrues Interest as Al Stewart Sideman

To solo or not to solo? That is the question British guitarist Laurence Juber frequently has reason to consider.

Since 1990 he has released four solo albums for the small, Seal Beach-based Solid Air label. He’s also played on recordings and in concert with Al Stewart (with whom he plays Saturday at the Coach House), Alan Parsons, Air Supply and others. And he’s done a bevy of studio sessions for movie and TV projects. But he’s still best-known to pop fans as the onetime member of Paul McCartney’s Wings.

“I do enjoy playing with other musicians, but my desire to also work solo stems from having a lot of music inside of my head that I want to express in my own stylistic fashion,” Juber, 44, said by phone from his home in Studio City. The transplanted Englishman resides there with his wife, Hope, daughters Nico and Ilsey, and an African gray parrot named Zazu.

He credits his wife, a writer and theater director, with helping him draw out emotional threads from his often-intricate instrumental textures.

“She’ll get me focused on finding that depth of feeling,” he said. “I try very hard to mine that emotional vein--otherwise, it’s just note-spinning.”

Whether playing tiny rooms such as Shade Tree Stringed Instruments in Laguna Niguel, clubs such as the Coach House or the arenas he toured with Wings, Juber looks for one thing: how to keep each song fresh.

“Everything I play live changes each time I play it, because the audience and the mood changes,” he said.

“There is a rehearsed aspect involved, but even with [Stewart] there’s always room for some improvisation. He loves to throw out curveballs, and our Irish jig version of ‘Time Passages’ sounds nothing like it does on the record.”

He’s been collaborating with Stewart in concert for years and played lead guitar on and produced Stewart’s 1995 release, “Between the Wars,” a pop-jazz tribute to the swing era of the 1940s. Last week, Solid Air released Juber’s instrumental duet album with Preston Reed, “Groovemasters Vol. 1.” (The 10-song album is available only by calling [800] 649-4745.)

While growing up in England, Juber first felt drawn to the music of the Shadows, which he describes as “sort of the English version of the Ventures.”

But it was the Fab Four that drove him to strap on a guitar. Juber bought his first one the same week in 1964 that the Beatles’ single “I Want to Hold Your Hand” was released.

“There was this huge explosion of pop music in Great Britain, and it was very exciting,” Juber recalled. “Then I grew fond of the English folk guitarists, like John Renbourn and David Graham. The great singer-songwriters like Bob Dylan and Paul Simon influenced me a lot too, so I started to develop an appreciation for all kinds of music.”

Juber learned classical guitar techniques while attending high school, and he earned a music degree from London University.

The experience that had perhaps the most profound effect on him came outside the classroom.

“I’ve been playing guitar for over 30 years, and that period with Paul and Wings lasted only about three years,” he said. “But still, it was a big, big part of my education,” Juber said.

“Everything I’ve done since is somewhat informed by that experience. It seems I’m constantly bringing things into play, from the musicianship and songwriting to the record producing and the business side of music. I’ve often said it’s been like earning a master’s degree from McCartney University.”

These days, though, he’s mostly playing to considerably smaller audiences.

“Sure, I do miss the vibe of a massive crowd. But whether I’m playing at a Borders [bookstore] or in front of thousands at a stadium with Paul, it’s the same basic experience,” Juber said.

“It all comes down to [fans] hearing a good tune played with commitment. When you’ve got a small audience that is absolutely hanging on every note, that’s incredibly challenging and rewarding. . . .

“It’s such a compliment when someone comes up to me after a show and says, ‘Wow, I had no idea a guitar could be played that way,’ ” he said. “I can’t tell you how gratifying it is when the audience gains a different perspective, and they tell you they’ll be back.”

* Al Stewart and Laurence Juber perform Saturday at the Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano. Roger Kraft opens. 8 p.m. $15-$17. (714) 496-8930.