Composer/Pianist Gregory Golub Unveils Third Original Jazz Album — 'African And Other Jazz Passions’
Gregory Golub’s ‘African and Other Jazz Passions’ makes for a stimulating listen by an inventive and distinctive musician who is well worth discovering. —Scott Yanow
Gregory Golub is a composer, pianist and keyboardist whose music is full of surprises, creativity, and a blending of different idioms while always being inventive jazz. He was born and raised in the USSR and began teaching himself piano when he was 12. Although he would have a formal musical education, he has long had his own style. Early on, Golub performed at a jazz festival in Russia and received a prize for his writing talents. Since moving to Israel in 1990, he has steadily developed as a pianist, keyboardist, composer, and arranger in addition to being a poet and a philosopher. African and Other Jazz Passions is his third album, following Idioms and Jazz Aftertaste.
The new project consists of a dozen original compositions featuring Gregory Golub on an array of keyboards, where electric piano frequently intertwines with acoustic piano and a variety of electronic timbres — a combination central to his musical signature; he also adds occasional voice, weaving it in as an additional musical instrument. It begins with his electric piano which seems to think aloud during the thoughtful “African Passions" before the piece gets a bit funky. “Toledo," which has him utilizing several keyboards to achieve a rhythmic pulse, is full of movement and activity, musically depicting a city in motion. “Hasidic Melody" is catchy with Golub including some vocal sounds, “Caucasian Blues" is a one-chord jam over an infectious rhythmic pattern in which the structure of the blues is easily recognizable, and “Espana" has a strong Spanish feel.
“Other Time And Passions Same" features Golub drawing on the sound of vibraphone in his speedy playing, creating a lively dialogue between vibraphone and electric piano, with several musical ideas unfolding at once. He builds up a dense, driving Latin groove on “Latino Smile," scats a bit on the forceful Chara, and is introspective on the ballad “Not Knowing What The Future Holds."
The unpredictable but consistently colorful outing concludes with the happy rhythmic piece “Oriental Jazz," the waltz time of “Hallelujah," on which his voice sometimes mixes with an electronic scat background choir, and a second and concise rendition of “Other Time And Passions Same" that is looser and freer than the first version.
Gregory Golub’s African and Other Jazz Passions makes for a stimulating listen by an inventive and distinctive musician who is well worth discovering.
~Scott Yanow, jazz journalist/historian
SCOTT YANOW
Review by Scott Yanow, an American jazz journalist, historian, author of 12 books about jazz, on the waltz-rag, a multi-genre composition by Gregory Golub.
GREGORY GOLUB RELEASES WALTZ-RAG, A PIECE FOR SOLO PIANO AND STRINGS THAT COVERS SEVERAL STYLES AND MOODS
Gregory Golub can always be relied upon to record and perform music that is colorful, intriguing, memorable, and easily enjoyable.
Born in the USSR, Gregory taught himself piano when he was 12, had a formal musical education, and early on successfully performed at a jazz festival in Russia before moving to Israel. He has since developed as a pianist, composer in a variety of genres, arranger, philosopher and poet. His earlier albums include Idioms and Jazz Aftertaste.
His latest work, “Waltz-Rag,” has the pianist joined by a few strings for a memorable performance. The original, which has a haunting theme, begins as a pretty waltz before Gregory turns it into a ragtime stomp. When the strings enter, it becomes a ballad and also spends a period as a rollicking blues-based piece. The ensemble revisits the opening waltz and finally swings its way to the piece’s conclusion with a bright burst of ragtime.
One of the most intriguing aspects to the performance is the way that “Waltz-Rag” shifts between a waltz, ragtime, and the blues while retaining the same theme throughout.
“Waltz-Rag” is just the latest accomplishment for Gregory Golub and one of the most fun.
In the near future the author is going to release a piano version of Waltz - Rag.
~Scott Yanow, jazz journalist/historian
