Jeff Golub's unique brand of funky, blues-drenched jazz may be a firm mainstay on the contemporary jazz charts of today, but he always has a blast throwing a few winks to the '60s and '70s jazz and soul that shaped his musical vision. The guitarist has scored top radio hits with crafty reworkings of classics like Average White Band's "Pick Up The Pieces" and Ronnie Laws' "Always There." On his 2000 GRP debut Dangerous Curves-a tribute to '60s minimalist soul-jazz-he covered "Mr. Magic," "Soul Serenade," and Smash Mouth's "Walking on the Sun." Golub's love for classic jazz and R&B reaches new and inspiring creative levels on Do It Again, a concept recording which features fresh twists on ten beloved classics-a few well-known '60s and '70s hits mixed with a handful of more obscure gems from Golub's extensive record collection. This is the first time that Golub has released a record that is made up entirely of covers.

Just as on Dangerous Curves, Golub's idea was to simply have fun and choose songs he would both love to record and listen to. "While all of these songs have been previously recorded, my criteria had nothing to do with familiarity," he says. "I've never been shy about doing cover tunes and this time I just took the idea to its full potential. The thought was, 'Let's find some songs that are cool and would sound great with my electric guitar playing the lead melody.' It's always a great challenge seeing how I can create a whole new lead voice for a song that is traditionally a vocal piece.

"The other obvious need is for my version to add something unique," he says. "I always see how I can alter the original, if there are exciting changes I can make with the groove or melody. The challenge is to balance that sense of creative need with respect for the original. I'll know I've done a good job if my version can stand on its own and sound great even if you've never heard the original."

Do It Again reunites Golub with his longtime musical collaborator Rick Braun, who co-produced the guitarist's first three recordings with his influential group Avenue Blue. Co-producing with Verve Music Group A&R exec Bud Harner, Braun-a genre superstar in his own right who first met Golub when the two toured with Rod Stewart in the late '80s-also programming and plays trumpet and keyboards on Do it Again. "My natural tendency in recording is to just set up a band in the studio and start playing something very off the cuff," says Golub. "I'm into old-style looseness, which Dangerous Curves was all about. Rick was perfect for the more modern, urban approach I wanted to take here. He's more comfortable using midi technology, synthesizers, doing programming, creating the modern R&B influenced project. Together, we make a great mix of the two styles."

It's interesting to track Golub's many inspirations from track to track. He brings a subtle Latin groove and a mix of spacey synth and Fender Rhodes harmonies (courtesy of Mitch Forman) to Chris Rea's "On the Beach", then blends crisp, quirky acoustic bass lines with punchy brass accents on a swinging jam of AWB's "Cut the Cake." The guitarist combines the best of both of these vibes on Stevie Wonder's "Jesus Children of America." Golub's gentle guitar melody conveys a sense of dreamy bliss on both Smokey Robinson's "Cruisin'" and "If I Ever Lose This Heaven," previously recorded by both Quincy Jones and AWB.

Golub always loved Eddie Harris' swaying jazz-funk classic "Cold Duck Time," which the saxman wrote and performed with another of Golub's heroes, Les McCann. Adding some extra parts and a new bridge, the guitarist jams in unison with Ricky Peterson's organ and Gerald Albright's blistering sax. The mood shifts continue as Golub eases from the late night seduction of Teddy Pendergrass' "Turn Off The Lights" to the jumpy, wild, and intensely bluesy and brassy James Brown classic "Cold Sweat." Labelmate Richard Elliot brings his irresistibly sexy tenor to the shuffle grooves of Marvin Gaye's "Mercy Mercy Me" before Golub closes in his trademark minimalist style with an intimate rendering of Van Morrison's "Crazy Love."

"I try to keep my recordings interesting by trying new concepts and production approaches each time," Golub says. "I look at each record as a statement of what's going on in my life at the time, where my tastes happen to be, what my attitude is, what I am listening to at that particular moment. Growth as a person and a player is a natural result of taking chances. Do It Again gave me an opportunity to both look back and forward at the same time. I'm always trying to have a good time and share that sense of fun with the listener."

Born in Akron, Ohio, the guitarist quickly abandoned his original dreams of becoming a bluegrass player. A true child of the British Invasion and the Chicago blues greats of the '60s, Golub widened his musical interests to include Wes Montgomery and classic jazz when he attended the Berklee School of Music. "Listening to just about everything helped me discover a voice of my own," he says. "Had I limited myself to just one style, my influences would probably be more obvious and less of a melting pot."

Settling in New York, Golub became one of the city's most renowned session players and sidemen. After a several year tour of duty with '80s icon Billy Squier, Golub performed as Rod Stewart's lead guitarist from 1988 through 1995, including three world tours and four studio albums that featuring several Golub/Stewart compositions. Some of Golub's other musical associations include Peter Wolf, John Waite, Vanessa Williams and Ashford & Simpson. While he released his first solo recording, Unspoken Words (Gaia/Polygram) in 1988, it wasn't until the '90s that he became a well-known voice in contemporary jazz. Golub recorded several albums with Avenue Blue, a rotating group of touring and recording musicians.

Golub has appeared on numerous projects by contemporary jazz colleagues over the years, including efforts by Braun and Elliot. Golub has also been featured on the popular Guitars & Saxes tour twice, and will go out with the tour again in the spring and summer of 2002.

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