Ray, Jeff
Hipnotic, 2003, CD
Instrument: Guitar
Issue: 9.4
Jazz Ruler Type: funk
Performance: 5
Sound: 4+
Score: 
O’s Notes: Guitarist Jeff Ray opens the set with a cool funky tune, “Streams”. It has a groove that flows nicely and gets your foot pattin’. This is followed with a slow blues number and then some JB type funk on “Hot Music” with a little help from Aaron Swinn on the B3. This balanced approach continues through the session. Jeff wrote most of the songs on this CD, his debut recording as a leader. He’s from Ohio but found his way to Harlem after a degree in music from Ohio State University. But he learned his funk and soul working out at St. Nick’s Pub, the Sugar Shack, Jimmy’s Uptown and other similar venues. These lessons stuck with him as you will come to appreciate on The Walkup.
