Jeff Golub's fist two Bluemoon releases, 1995's Avenue Blue and last year's Naked City, infused into the smooth Jazz genre a much-appreciated eclectic spark heavily influenced by the sights and of the guitarist's adopted hometown, New York City. Hitting the top of Adult Contemporary radio air play charts nationwide with his trademark kinetic mix of blues, soul, rock and jazz Golub earned critical praises across the board for going against the grain creating a studio sound that perfectly captures the raw , excitement and spontaneity of his live performances. As he said of Naked City, "There's too much tendency in contemporary jazz to move away from improvisation and create a simulation of people playing together by overdubbing. That just isn't my style.' That inimitable composing, performing and producing style, along with yet another round of irresistible flavors from around the Big Apple, helps make Golub's third album, Nightlife, his most compelling and accomplished collection to date. If the central image of Naked City was a lonely stranger wandering the streets sampling all the musical treats available, Nightlife finds that same protagonist an accepted part of a funky scene that charge full steam ahead when the lights go down.

'When you live in New York, you're basically killing the daylight hours to get to the nighttime, which is the time we all live for," laughs Golub. 'It's all about going out and having a good time, partying for a few hours and then casing into the more subtle moods of the evening. I loved covering Bobby Womack's tune 'Daylight," because its lyrics capture the feeling of staying up till morning comes, wondering what happened to the night."

Musically, Golub's concept for Nightlife was to strike a balance between soulful seduction and a down home blues-rock feel, all the while keeping in mind the powerful improvisational spirit of jazz. "I've spent these three albums trying to perfect this blending of emotionally raw playing with slick sophistication," he says. "The aim is always to make it cool and sophisticated, but without losing that festive, live feel or my own identity. A lot of artists get carried away with trying to be perfect, but sometimes overdoing the smooth vibe sucks the soul right out of it."

Nightlife features a band comprised of Avenue Blue regulars saxman Jim Biggins, bassist Lincoln Goines, keyboardist Steve Gaboury, organist Jeff Levine, drummer Steve Barbuto, percussionist Roger Squitero as well as incredible all-star turns by keyboard legend Bob James (who was also featured on Naked City), saxophone icon Gato Barbieri (returning a favor for Golub, who played on his recent comeback album Que Pasa), Bill Evans, Mitch Forman and Steve Ferrone, drummer for Avenge White Band, the funk outfit Golub calls "the real deal".

Once again, Golub's ace in the hole is longtime collaborator Rick Braun, smooth jazz trumpeter extraordinaire, who co-produced Nightlife as well as Golub's first two albums. Golub and Braun met up in the early 90's while touring the world with Rod Stewart and their initial tour bus rapport has evolved over the years into one of the genre's truly inspired relationships, both creatively and personally.

"Rick and I have written a lot of great music together, and I look to him to add that element of sophistication, I aim for it, to my much more guttural approach." Golub reflects. "Between us, we arrive at a sound that's smooth, but not overly refined, keeping everything in the spirit of creating something that is fun to listen to. I respect Rick as a producer immensely, and value his feedback. Sometimes, the development of a specific tune can be a tedious process, but Rick is always there to add a certain spontaneity to the work. My music can only benefit from the input of someone of his caliber, who is also a great friend."

Nightlife kicks off with the thick hip hop grooves and classic soul horn feel of the funky title track before easing into the shuffling ballad mode on the haunting "Bobby's Mood," a tribute to Golub's late friend, former Billy Squier drummer Bobby Chouinard. Venturing out into the New York night slowly but surely, Golub keeps the sultry atmosphere going on the next three tracks, the hip-hop gem "Always There," the laid back R & B flavored 'Seventh Heaven," and the playful urban cover of Womack's ballad "Daylight,' featuring vocals by Grayson Hugh.

Next, Golub hits a funk club with the retro-soul influenced "(Oh No) No Mo Yo", a playful callback to a tune on Naked City, "Yohimbo (Yo for short)" named for an African sexual potency herb. After a romantic, hypnotic composition "A Woman's Touch," he reaches back again into the 70's soul mindset for the percussive, horn drenched guitar and keyboard-driven "Thank You, May I Have Another" with Bob James an Fender Rhodes. Rounding out the set are the soaring, sultry "Only A Memory" (featuring the inimitable between the sheets sensations of Gato Barbieri's sensuous sax) and a rousing, fiesta minded, clap-along cover of the Ramsey Lewis setpiece "In Crowd," complete with the same sort of crowd noises that marked the mid 60's original.

Last year, Jazziz Magazine summed up the many stylistic facets of the Jeff Golub experience perfectly as "the intersection of Rod Stewart and Wes Montgomery is Avenue Blue." As a kid growing up in Akron, Ohio, he first got the musical itch at a country and western concert, and after picking up his first guitar at age eight, he remembers immersing himself in the music of "all blues artists named King" (from BB to Albert) and a steady diet of Wes Montgomery styled jazz. He moved to Boston to attend the Berklee School of music, and honed his chops as jazz artist in Boston before switching back to rock and pop after moving to New York, in 1980. "Getting involved with different bands brought back my interest in melodic pop/rock after a hard core devotion to jazz," he recalls. "There was never a doubt in my mind that some day, I would be able to incorporate both into my life."

Spotted in a club by Billy Squier's drummer, Golub snagged his first high profile gig with the rocker's band, hitting the road for three world tours and several recordings. He then diversified for work with former J. Geils member Peter Wolf, John Waite, jazz saxophonist Bill Evans, and others. Golub's first shot at instrumental stardom came back in 1988, the year he eventually hooked up with Rod Stewart. Unspoken Words, his debut on Gaia Records, offered an ode to Jeff Beck's edgy influence. But when Gaia folded and Stewart rang, Golub wisely settled for one of the most prestigious guitar chairs in pop music. Not only did he tour with the raspy voiced icon on and off for seven years, but Golub also co-wrote numerous songs on the three albums the British Rocker released during that time.

Around the same time the Avenue Blue phase of Golub's career took off, Golub also became a hot commodity on the New York session scene, In addition the ongoing work on soundtracks and commercials, Golub recently recorded with Vanessa Williams, Ashford & Simpson, and Bob James and Kurt Whalum on the Grammy nominated release, Joined at the Hip. Golub also played a key side role on Barbieri's latest opus. Then of course, there is his involvement in the astounding career trajectory of his pal, smooth jazz star Rick Braun. Golub jams with Braun on a handful of the most inspired tracks on Braun's latest hit, Body & Soul, and also performed on the trumpeter's 1995 breakthrough disc, Beat Street.

Through all the numerous stylistic jaunts in his musical evolution, Golub remains most committed to the genre he named his band for namely, the blues. "To me, it's the single link between All-American popular music,' he says. "If someone moves me, whether it's jazz or rock or country, chances are it has a blues undertone. I'm simply playing the blues with jazz elements, adding a single note voice to basic chord changes, changing the dynamics of the notes so that it rings true as an improvisation. But generally, I don't distinguish styles of music. If you're open to everything, you see that most formats interconnect at some point,"

On Nightlife, Golub comes full circle, finding a happy medium between all of the many inspirations of his life. His sophisticated guitarisma is undeniable, the perfect energetic antidote to so much of today's by the numbers smoothjazz. He fits in with that cool flair of sophistication, sure, but at the core of his music, every note reminds us that the leader comes to jam for the fun of it and to make sure everyone's having a grand old time.

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