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.
