Jeff Ray Walkup CD

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. ~ Jonathan Widran

Guitarist Jeff Ray resides in Harlem, New York, in the historic Strivers Row neighborhood. A native of Toledo, Ohio, Ray moved to New York in 1998, after completing his master's in music at Rutgers University, where he studied with Kenny Barron and Ted Dunbar. Ray earned his bachelor's degree in music from the Ohio State University after a stint at Miami University (Ohio) during which he played both football and baseball. Having taken up guitar at the age of 14, Ray was blown away upon discovering recordings by Dexter Gordon, Kenny Burrell, Wayne Shorter and Grant Green, among others. This exposure proved to be pivotal, driving him in the direction of jazz and improvised music.Landing in Harlem after a brief layover in Brooklyn, Ray immersed himself immediately in the vibrant and diverse uptown music scene, playing his hollow-bodied Heritage guitar in straight-ahead acoustic bands and organ trios, and his electric instrument in accompaniment of R&B vocalists and while fronting instrumental funk and R&B bands. He has played more than 200 gigs in Harlem alone, at venues such as St. Nick's Pub, Jimmy's Uptown, Perk's, Robin's Nest, Sugar Bar, the Gishen Café, Canaan Baptist Church, the venerable, now-defunct 22 West, and Copeland's. Beyond Harlem, Ray has performed at numerous East Coast and Midwest venues of note, including 55 Bar, the Supper Club, Cleopatra's Needle, Nell's, Joe's Pub, Zinc Bar, and Soul Café in New York City, Blues Alley and Twins Jazz in Washington, DC, Ortlieb's Jazzhaus in Philadelphia, Manhattan's and Rusty's Jazz Café in Toledo, and Night Town in Cleveland.Ray maintains a longstanding affiliation with The Onus, a straight-ahead quintet he fronts along with Baltimore-based clarinetist/bandleader Darryl Harper, who is a fellow Rutgers alumnus. He has recorded two CDs with The Onus, whose members boast affiliations with such jazz luminaries as Lou Donaldson, the late Al Grey, Stefon Harris, Orrin Evans, and the late Shirley Scott. Ray's distinctive compositional voice was first captured on The Onus's second CD, Reoccurring Dream (2000), to which he contributed two noteworthy compositions, including the title track. The guitarist has also performed regularly in New York with R&B vocalist Devora and appears on her 2000 release, On Tour featuring Devora. Other ongoing affiliations include drummer Dennis Davis (Stevie Wonder, Roy Ayers), and vocalist Marie Daulne of Zap Mama, with whom Ray has recorded informally and plans to tour in 2003.In both the jazz and funk/R&B contexts, Ray thrives on connecting with live audiences through his melodic interpretations, expressive improvisation, and propulsive rhythmic accompaniment. Lately, his guitar work has attracted the ear of producers such as Rob Mura