Jeff Golub isn't your typical jazz musician, so don't expect a typical jazz concert Saturday at Celebrity Theatre.
Golub will visit the valley this week to perform in this year's An Evening With Guitars & Saxes. Along with Warren Hill, Jeff Kashiwa and Craig Chaquico, Golub will showcase the style that has made him one of the most prominent and successful guitarists throughout the 80s and 90s.
"I think what separates me from the other artists you'll see there is that I add more of an electric blues sound to an otherwise smooth jazz format," Golub said.
He is traveling from New York, where he built up his musical career. Golub has spent much of this year between Manhattan and the Hamptons, where he has been "forced to live on the beach."
All right, his circumstances are a far cry from the early blues musicians inspired by starvation and the bubonic plague, but he plays with just as much heart. He cites Wes Montgomery, Eric Clapton and "just about anybody with the last name King" (B.B., Albert etc) as his major influences.
Much of his earlier career was spent with Billy Squier, and from 1988 to 1995, Golub was Rod Stewart's lead guitarist.
In 1994, his newly formed contemporary jazz outfit Avenue Blue released its first record. Just a few years later, their third release, Nightlife, hit #1 on Radio & Records' NAC/Smooth Jazz Albums chart.
But don't be misled, because if you listen to Golub's 2000 release, Dangerous Curves, smooth might not be the first word that comes to mind.
"I'm a lot more up and funky," he said, and it shows in his music and personality.
Doors for the show open at 6 p.m. and tickets start at $32. Sure, $32 could get about 60 cans of Bud Light, but listen to a few sample tracks at www.jeffgolub.com before you decide to binge on Saturday.
