This is about the 3rd album I’ve heard by guitarist Greg Skaff, and I’ve loved every one. He’s got a great mix of earthy blues and lithe jazz, and serves it up well in digestible portions. This latest release has him with Pat Bianchi/B3, Fima Ephron/b and Charley Drayton-Jonathan Barber/dr, with sounds that range from the infectious soul groove organ trio burners such as “Conjure” and the funky chunky “Juke” to exotic and mysterious pulses as on the tricky pulse on “Somewhere In The Middle East.” Skaff knows how to go from hip riffs to bluesy solos as on the boogaloo-ing ”Genmaicha” while delivering a deft and delicate read as his fingers do the walking on a beautiful rendition of Duke Ellington’s “Fleurette Africaine,” which should be on the playback of everyone’s iphone. WOW. Straightahead jazzers like “Porcupine Hat” and “Smoke in the Sun” highlight the variety of this six stringer. Is he ever coming to So Cal?
Zoho Records