The Jeff Jolly Band plays an eclectic and inventive mix of styles that includes rock, roots, country, Americana and R&B, all written by Jolly (except “Trip Through Your Wire,” U2). That originality is what makes Jeff Jolly’s Pizza well worth listening to. It communicates Jolly’s enjoyment writing it and the band’s pleasure in playing it; so it follows that we find it gratifying to hear. The compositions cover a range of observations about the human condition, but even when the topics are somber, the joy of the music prevails. It seems as though we are being performed for rather than just being presented with a collection of recorded songs.
Jolly (guitar and vocals) is joined by a changing ensemble of bass, drums, fiddle, piano, steel guitar, harmonica, horns and backup singers. Jolly’s vocals are clean and proficient and, while it might not be powerful enough to single-handedly carry the entire CD, he is well-supported by the backup vocals of Desiree Parker and David Fairchild (who also plays bass). The occasional addition of the Uptown Horns, the contrast of electric and acoustic instruments and the inclusion of other distinctive instrumentation such as steel guitar (Buddy Cage, pedal; Yike McGirkens, lap), fiddle (Joe Craven, Tom Paxton), mandolin (Joe Craven, Donny Barnyard) and harmonica (Tom White) provide continual variety and interest.
On first listen to a recording it’s tempting to try to draw comparisons to older more familiar sounds. So when the first track of Jeff Jolly’s Pizza, “I’ll See Ya,” kicks in, Credence Clearwater comes to mind and then quickly maybe The Blues Brothers horns. But, it becomes clear that it’s neither and that this is something which is not so easily categorized. After becoming accustomed to the string-bending electric guitar and hard driving horn sound of “I’ll See Ya,” track 2, “Shed That Skin,” surprises by starting off with acoustic guitar with rock drums, punctuated with horns. The rock guitar solo of the first track is replaced with a rocking fiddle solo by Joe Craven. “Trip Through Your Wire” (no “s”) begins with a cappella harmonies that might be an intro to a spiritual, but it’s really U2’s “Trip Through Your Wires” (with the “s”) complete with harmonica. “Curse & A Blessing” is a purely Americana track with acoustic guitar, dobro (Yike McGirkens) and upright bass (Martin Ingle). It could be a track from a respectable country/bluegrass collection, as could the next, more country style track, “Piece By Piece.” “Hard Times” could also be grouped in that vein, but with a bit more of an Eagles or Jackson Browne feeling. In “Summertime in Brooklyn,” with a sax solo by Jerry Martini, Jolly clearly was mindful of the Springsteen sound. The CD closes with a live radio studio recording of comments by Steve Vandewark (drums, vocals) and the accompanying humorous song, “She Only Loves Me When She’s Drunk.” Good fun.
The Jeff Jolly Band is a talented group of seasoned performers who know how to convey their love of the music-a very enjoyable and an interesting mix of styles.
January 23, 2010
