Jeff Golub is the kind of guitar player that could well drive you crazy. His live shows, supercharged with the influences he garners from Jimi Hendrix, push the envelope to the very limits of what smooth jazz is meant to be yet, with his recordings, he often displays genuine sensitivity. A case in point is the sensational title track from his 2005 CD ‘Temptation’ and he is doing it all over again with his latest and seventh solo release, ‘Grand Central’, that hits record stores across the USA on March 6. It was primarily recorded with a live band in a New York studio by musicians Golub jams with at small, informal club gigs around the city and this natural flare he has for delivering raw and honest recordings spills out into every one of the eleven choice tracks.
Although a delicious mix of rock, pop and electric plus acoustic blues, excellent examples of R & B tinged contemporary jazz also abound and in this respect there is none better than his smoky and atmospheric rendition of Sly Stones ‘If You Want Me To Stay’. The first radio single, ‘Hello Betty’, one of nine original compositions and already tearing up the chart of thirty most played on smooth jazz radio, is a zesty confection of up tempo yet melodic guitar fused with an ‘in your face’ horn section. This influx of brass is a recurring theme and the rich texture that it adds is noticeable both with the explosive title track and the more restrained ‘Lulu’s Back’.
Acoustic blues is on the agenda for the reflective ‘The Way I Feel Tonight’ and the use of Hammond B3 gives the blues and jazz blend of ‘Stuffin It’ a delightfully retro feel. In fact the clean blues sound that Golub deftly deploys is evident throughout and especially with foot tapping tracks like ‘Mojito’ and ‘Shockwave’. Just as bluesy but understandably turned down is his take on the classic George Harrison composition ‘Something’ and Golub calls up Kirk Whalum on sax for the simply constructed jazz driven ‘Slinky’. A sax contribution of even greater magnitude comes courtesy of Richard Elliot with the picture perfect cover of the Four Tops ‘Aint No Woman (Like The One I Got)’. It’s a track that shows off the range of the collection and the versatility of Golub who with ‘Grand Central’ has cemented his unique position within the current crop of smooth jazz stars.
For more on Jeff Golub go to www.jeffgolub.com