Ron Jackson - Flubby Dubby

Ron Jackson - Flubby Dubby

2011, Roni Music

Ron Jackson is one of the most versatile and well-traveled guitarist in New York City.   With performances in over twenty countries, and collaborations with artists such as Taj Mahal, Little Anthony and The Imperials, Cissy Houston, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Benny Golson and Les Paul, Jackson earned his stripes long ago.  A graduate of The Berklee School of Music, Jackson is himself an instructor at several schools throughout the greater Metropolitan New York region.  Jackson has also performed in the orchestra of such Broadway/off Broadway shows as Rent, Avenue Q, Bring In Da Noise, Bring In Da Funk and Saturday Night Fever.  Jackson's album, Flubby Dubby, produced by the legendary Melvin Sparks, shows off his signature soul/funk style of jazz guitar, refreshing in its energy and classic in its sound. 

Flubby Dubby opens with "One For Melvin", featuring stylishly laid back guitar work, and Hammond Organ work that's absolutely over the top.  The free-form style here is hot and highly entertaining, evoking a 1960's Vegas chic.  The energy here is fantastic.  "The Look Of You is frenetic and upbeat; one of those recordings that conveys the pure joy the musicians must have felt as they laid it down the first time.  Jackson's arrangement of Paul McCartney's "The Long And Winding Road" uses the classic melody as a starting point, but quickly breaks into free-form improvisation.  This is definitely a jazz take, but manages to keep McCartney's distinctive melodicism intact even when spinning yarns grown far from the original melody line. 

"Flubby Dubby" is a nearly eight-minute epic full of vibrant energy.  Jackson pulls in the occasional Hendrix-inspired fugue, ala "Purple Haze", which isn't as perplexing as it might, at first, sound.  "Love Ballad" is a subtle turn that features some of Jackson's best guitar work on the album, and the NPG-style horn section is a nice touch as well.  Jackson's take on Frank Perkins' "Stars Fell On Alabama" features a sweet, lyric guitar style that speaks distinctly of the decade the song was born (1930's).  Organist Kyle Koehler gets a chance to show off, sounding like he's taking stylistic cues from Ray Charles and Miles Davis simultaneously.  "Technophile" has a frantic feel, with synth/organ set to a complex house beat.  It's a tremendous listen that challenges the listener to keep up, and is a nice change of pace.  "A Calypso Party" is a winsome little tune you'll have a hard time not dancing along with.  Flubby Dubby closes with "Get In The Country", a dynamic free-form improv piece with serious hints of funk in the bass line.  Jackson and Koehler exchange blistering solos that are very much worth sticking around for.

Most people can name the big names in jazz, just as in pop, rock, blues, country or other genres.  Somewhere between those elite names and the scores of working musicians haunting jazz clubs all across the country are guys like Ron Jackson.  Well known in the right circles, Ron Jackson is quietly one of the jazz guitarists in music.  Ask any big name musician who has taken part in the New York Jazz scene, and they will know exactly who Ron Jackson is.  Its artists such as Jackson who help define the artistic brilliance of big names as session men and live support.  But often such artists as much talent (and sometimes more) than the folks they support.  Jackson is known, but his name recognition is not requisite with his talent level.  Flubby Dubby displays Jackson's talent in inarguable terms, as a composer, arranger and performer.  This is an album that's difficult to put down.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Ron Jackson at www.ronjacksonmusic.com or www.myspace.com/ronjacsonmusic.    Flubby Dubby is available from Amazon.com as a CD or Download.  The album is also available via iTunes.

Review: Matthew Curran - Simplify

Matthew Curran - Simplify
2008, Matthew Curran

New Jersey singer/songwriter Matthew Curran was a child prodigy, becoming the youngest guitarist to ever, at the age of eleven, to be sponsored by Gibson guitars. Now 19, Curran has already worked with the likes of Jeff Healy, Dave Mason and Les Paul, and has opened shows for Deep Purple and The Scorpions. With a solid classic rock sound infused with Blues, Curran creates highly accessible songs that makes you want to move and sing along. Curran's debut CD, Simplify, features him on vocals and all instruments except for drums. While a Community College student these days, Curran continues to gig in New York City and with Simplify, is looking to broaden his base outside of the Metro-New York region.

Curran opens Simplify with the title track, a song about getting back to the things and people in your life that are important. The song is set in a fairly simple arrangement an the guitar play is quite reserved, filling in economical bursts as a counter to Curran's plus vocals. The Vibe is somewhat nondescript, although the guitar work is notable and the saxophone sounding like a harmonica is a neat touch. Who You Are has a similar bland feel musically. Again, the guitar work is impressive, and lyrically Curran is no slouch, but there is a reserved sense about the songs thus far on Simplify that detracts from the listening experience. The trend continues of Hypnotruth, a song that feels like it wants to rock hard and resolutely fails to do so. If you listen to the lyrics here, there's an angst and an energy just waiting to be tapped, but Curran keeps the song very low key and compressed.

Curran opens up the flue a bit on Hiding, ripping off some powerful guitar licks on the introduction, but he draws back as soon as the verse kicks in. Curran puts his guitar to work to dispel the doldrums some on Bad News, the best song on the album. There's a heavy blues feel here, and Curran's guitar work is primo. Vocally he's still a bit reserved, but there's enough going on around him so that it doesn't matter quite so much here. Curran closes up shop with Tune In, another tune that never quite opens up. The guitar work, as always, is excellent, but there's a reticence that Curran never seems to lose throughout Simplify.

If I had to pick one word for Simplify it would be flat. Curran is a strong guitarist and not a bad songwriter, but as a vocalist it seems like he may have just one level; resulting in the perception perhaps that Curran had better things to do the day he recorded these songs. There is real potential here, and Curran has a decent vocal sound thanks to Operatic training, but the energy level never changes, and it's fairly compressed on the instrumental side as well. Simplify has promise, but perhaps Curran took the title a bit too seriously.

Rating: 2 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Matthew Curran at http://www.matthewcurran.com/ or www.myspace.com/matthewcurran. You can purchase Simplify on CD from CDBaby.com, or you can get the download from iTunes.

Review: Janyse - The Magic Of Think

Janyse - The Magic Of Think
Magical Voice Productions
Canadian singer/songwriter and voiceover artist Janyse is not just a pop star but also a first-rate children’s artist and one of the top voiceover artists in the world. Janyse has voiced characters in projects such as Hulk Vs. Thor, Hulk Vs. Wolverine, Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda, Batman: Black & White, My Little Pony, and Ed, Edd n Eddy. We previously reviewed Janyse’s singles Dreamers and This Day Is Mine, but today we’re taking a listen to her Children’s project, The Magic Of Think.

Opening with Boots, a song about the courage to be yourself, Janyse affects a persona that's part Arthur and part cowboy. Boots is very catchy and will keep the little ones moving to the beat while delivering a positive message. Boogie Oogie Man is a comedic song about things that go bump in the night that you can jitterbug to and makes the dark a little less scary. Janyse goes for big daydreams on Hero, looking to save the day. It's a decent song although a bit cliché. Shoulda Woulda Coulda returns to the early Rock N Roll of Les Paul for a rockin' good time. It's amazing listening to the songs on The Magic Of Think and hearing all of the voices that Janyce Jaud manages to inhabit in the course of about 40 minutes.

Why is a song all about self-esteem and learning to like yourself. It's a strongly positive message delivered in a cute musical package that the kiddos will love. Janyse revisits Boots thematically in Stomp, a how-fast-can-you go hoedown that will have the kids and you in stitches before you're done. I Won't Worry is an upbeat, positive message in song that is as positive for the adults as it is the kids; the characters and tune are, as throughout The Magic Of Think, magically alive and full of energy. Janyse includes her pop tune, This Day Is Mine, which we previously reviewed as a single and closes out with If I Believe, the theme song of The Magic Of Think. This is, in fact, the best song on the disc, sounding like an Alan Menken/Tim Rice concoction from a Disney movie.

Janyse seems to spin gold with whatever she touches. Her voice talents (as both a voice artist and a singer) are prodigious. Janyse breathes life into what can at times be a tired children's genre with songs full of heart and belief in the magic of childhood. The Magic Of Think is definitely a worthwhile investment if you have little ones. Janyse is up there with folks like Elizabeth Mitchell, Trout Fishing In America and Laurie Berkner as a Children's Artist creating music accessible to kids but with a musicality and intelligence that will also appeal strongly to adults.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Janyce at http://www.magicalvoice.com/ or http://www.janyse.com/. You can order The Magic Of Think as a CD or download through CDBaby.com.