You have to love it when a first-rate jazz guitarist opens up a set with a barnburner,....... ...as Paul Bollenback does on his sixth release as a leader, Brightness of Being. The song is "Together," and he and tenor saxophonist Gary Thomas work some clean-toned heat together, keeping it sharp and tight in front of a flexible rhythm.  Bollenback is best known for his association with organ legend Joey De Francesco, a sixteen-year, fourteen-album musical relationship. The guitarist has also played with Stanley Turrentine, Gary Bartz, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Geoffrey Keezer, James Moody, Paul Bley and many more.

Bollenback has put together a good collection of songs and musicians including Terri-Lynn Carrington (d), Chris McNulty (vocals) and David "Fathead" Newman (sax). The execution is flawless and the performance is strong. There are some definite winners here. Among them are "Unchain My Heart", "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing", Part 3 of "Dark Eyes of Flora Tosca" featuring Paul blazing on guitar, and the passionate "You Don't Know Me".

I've got no problem with rock music, but I do tend to blanch any time I see a jazz artist releasing....

....an album filled with pop titles....flashbacks from ill fated jazz/rock experiments in the late '60's I suppose. Too often it ends up sounding like the musical equivalent of a shotgun marriage, with neither side being very comfortable with the connubial arrangements. So you can just about imagine my reaction when I perused the back cover of Paul Bollenback's latest, Double Gemini (Challenge) and saw tunes from Hootie and the Blowfish, Earth Wind and Fire, Sting and (god help me, I swear it's true!) the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Did I shriek...swear...or send a chair hurling towards the CD player? On the contrary, I got up and did the closest thing that I do which resembles dancing. I was loving it!

BEFORE: "That's a very good guitarist. I have no idea who it is, but I like it very much. The fluency and the good notes. He can swing, and all those slick scales. I'm impressed. Very close to goose bumps. Some things I would still like to try and play myself I cannot anymore because I've had a stroke. But I was pretty slick 30 years ago. I like it. Who is it? “

AFTER: I'd like to hear him play a ballad. (listens to "you don't know me" and starts to sing along.) Yeah, that's nice. I wish him luck. I'm impressed with the facility. He knows a lot of stuff. Would I put it in my iPod? Yes...”