SOULMATION RECORDS 001. (RECORDED OCTOBER 2023)
Guitarist Greg Skaff has nowhere to hide on Re Up. Unlike some of his past recordings, there is no organist comping chords for him. Unlike his performances in the bands of Stanley Turrentine, David “Fathead” Newman and Bobby Watson, there is no saxophonist playing the melody and taking searing solos. And unlike his earlier trio recording, Polaris, with its majority of jazz standards, Re Up relies primarily on Skaff originals. Simply stated, it’s all up to Skaff to keep things moving on Re Up, and he does just that with the able support of bassist Ugonna Okegwo and drummer Jonathan Barber. Skaff demonstrates his ability to shift from rich chordal voicings to fleet horn-like single note solos on this set of eight originals plus one tune each from Thelonius Monk and Duke Ellington. Some of Skaff’s originals take their point of departure from music that inspired him. He got the idea for the title track from a recording by Gateway, a trio from the 1970s of John Abercrombie, Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette. “No Cover” is Skaff’s tip of the hat to the angular yet simple melodies of Ornette Coleman. “Peace Place” developed while Skaff was playing around with Wayne Shorter’s “Anna Maria.” He pays homage to Chet Atkins’s fingerstyle playing on “Southern Pacific.” As for the two jazz classics, Okegwo and Barber add a funky, second line feel to Monk’s “Green Chimneys” while Skaff plays solo on the delicate melody and shifting rhythms of Ellington’s “Fleurette Africaine.” It’s obvious that Skaff enjoys the freedom of playing with a chordless trio. Fans of straight ahead, swinging guitar players will enjoy the experience as well.
BOTTOM LINE: Like a tightrope walker working without a net, guitarist Greg Skaff navigates the terrain of a chordless trio as he balances his rich chordal voicings with fleet horn-like single line solos on eight original compositions and a tune each from Duke Ellington and Thelonius Monk.
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