Jeff Ray • The Walkup

 

Review
by Jonathan Widran  
Too edgy and artsy for smooth jazz, too rockin' and bluesy for bebop, young Harlem-based electric guitarist Jeff Ray finds a niche playing likeable, melodic, sometimes brooding, often grooving post-millennium fusion. The album title refers in part to the ten-block distance from Ray's apartment to St. Nick's Pub, one of Harlem's best-known jazz nightspots from where the Ohio native may just conquer the jazz world. He's not afraid to stretch out and jam (most tunes run over seven minutes) and he modulates between subdued tones and distorted rock energy frequently. His best attribute, however, is the way he interacts with his band, which includes frenetic drummer Victor Wise and retro keyboard master Aaron Swinn, whose Rhodes solos on tunes like "Streams" are all at once feisty and dream-inducing. Ray mood-swings quickly, from the languid cool of "D.R.A." to the thumpin' hypnosis of "Hot Music," from his laid-back rendition of Roy Ayers' "Everybody Loves the Sunshine" to the wild, bluesy funk of "The Walkup." Influence-wise, one can hear a little Larry Carlton, Kenny Burrell, and John Scofield, but Ray makes a good case for eventually rising above those inspirations and creating a sound all his own.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-walkup-mw0000321493

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Reseña
por Jonathan Widran  
Demasiado vanguardista y artístico para el smooth jazz, demasiado rockero y bluesero para el bebop, el joven guitarrista eléctrico Jeff Ray, afincado en Harlem, encuentra su nicho tocando una fusión post-milenio simpática, melódica, a veces melancólica y a menudo con groove. El título del álbum hace referencia en parte a la distancia de diez manzanas que separan el apartamento de Ray del St. Nick's Pub, uno de los locales nocturnos de jazz más conocidos de Harlem, desde donde este nativo de Ohio podría conquistar el mundo del jazz. No tiene miedo a estirarse y a improvisar (la mayoría de las melodías duran más de siete minutos) y modula con frecuencia entre tonos apagados y distorsionada energía rockera. Su mejor atributo, sin embargo, es la forma en que interactúa con su banda, que incluye al frenético batería Victor Wise y al maestro del teclado retro Aaron Swinn, cuyos solos de Rhodes en temas como "Streams" son a la vez enérgicos e inductores de sueños. Ray cambia rápidamente de humor, desde la languidez de "D.R.A." a la hipnosis de "Hot Music", desde su relajada interpretación de "Everybody Loves the Sunshine" de Roy Ayers al funk salvaje y bluesero de "The Walkup". En cuanto a las influencias, se puede oír un poco de Larry Carlton, Kenny Burrell y John Scofield, pero Ray tiene motivos para elevarse por encima de esas inspiraciones y crear un sonido propio.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-walkup-mw0000321493

Tracks:
1 - Streams    7:31
2 - D.R.A.    6:54
3 - Hot Music    9:35
4 - Everybody Love The Sunshine    6:20
5 - The Walkup    5:27
6 - Wise Ton J    10:13
7 - Cinnamon Lenses    7:14
8 - Hoodwink    7:19


Credits
    Drums – Victor Wise
    Electric Bass – Darryl Hall
    Electric Guitar – Jeff Ray (3)
    Graphic Design – Kathy Ridl
    Mixed By, Mastered By – Philippe Allaert
    Organ [Hammond B3 Organ], Keyboards [Rhodes Keyboard] – Aaron Swinn
    Photography By – Alan Haywood (3)
    Producer – Tony Haywood
    Recorded By – Peter Karl
    Written-By – John Jeffrey Ray* (tracks: 1, 2, 5 to 8), Roy Ayers (tracks: 4), Soho (34) (tracks: 3)

Note:
Recorded At – Peter Karl Studios

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