Trumpeter Dave Guy is known for his session work (Amy Winehouse, Lee Fields, Al Green, numerous Mark Ronson productions) and as a member of The Dap-Kings. Currently, he plays in The Roots, but with the release of Ruby he steps into the spotlight on his own with a vibrant blend of jazz and soul. Savvy infusions of hip hop expand the already potent sound of a debut that’s historically rich as it delivers a contemporary punch. Ruby is available September 20 on vinyl (red or black), compact disc, cassette, and digital from Big Crown Records of Brooklyn, NY.
That Dave Guy has extensive music school experience (LaGuardia Performing Arts High School, Manhattan School of Music, the New School) is quickly discernible, as his playing possesses an abundance of sharpness that can really only be the byproduct of constant practice, along with an openness to learn and to make mistakes. Most of all, there’s the love of doing it.
But these qualities, while integral to Guy’s approach, need be accompanied with astute taste and solid decision making, particularly in regard to restraint. That’s is, Guy clearly has the chops, but he’s not about flash. Instead, he’s focused on sweetness of groove and mood. Nothing here is too smooth as hip hop is an obvious influence (Guy was playing in the live hip hop group Dujeous while attending LaGuardia) but not an outright style.
Opener “7th Heaven” has the slamming beats that have long been something of a Big Crown trademark. Guy’s jazzy trumpet lines are front and center, enhanced by pulsing synth, cascades of piano, and a supple but sturdy foundation of electric bass. Guy’s playing can at times insinuate a one-off 45 Art Farmer might’ve recorded for Mainstream in the early 1970s, but there is just as much that isn’t easily comparable to anything else, e.g. the crescendos of trumpet and wordless vocals.
The jazziness is heightened in “Footwork” as Guy and his studio abettors manage to mingle the ’70s commercial flavor established in the prior cut with a robust bedrock that’s fluid but not too busy. And Guy doesn’t linger, making his melodic and improvisational point and then wrapping it up. Next, “I’ll Follow You” leans toward the melodic in a manner that recalls the heyday of Philly Soul, and then “Morning Glory” arrives, delivering a likeable theme (cyclically wiggling rather than tritely vamping) followed by a flurry of soling, unruffled but intense.
There are also zigzagging swells of synth that momentarily hint at the retrofuturistic, an ambience that increases as “Pinky Ring.” Then the big beats roll in and Guy blows like he’s paying tribute to Creed Taylor. Contrasting is the appealing tension of “Diamond Encore,” its atmosphere especially cinematic. “Still Standing” ropes in some very tasty, almost library-like fuzz guitar and handclaps (and hand slaps on drums) as Guy just rolls on. With the return of vocals, “Dave Wants You” travels into a pleasant R&B zone.
The beginning of “Drony Boy” nods to early ‘60s Blue Note before sliding into a Schifrin-esque soundtrack jam. Tinged with melancholy, “Quesodillas” offers some of Guy’s strongest playing as the ’80s synth-infused jazzy funk of “The Green Door” follows. That melancholic air returns and gets downright mournful (but no less beautiful) in closer “Ruby’s Rubies.”
The brevity of Ruby’s numerous tracks manages to deepen the flow as the hip hop influence helps keep the more mainstream tendencies in check. This is a highly accessible album but it’s never lightweight. It gives Guy’s skills an engagingly personal spin.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A-
