MARCUS GOLDHABER'S "TAKE ME ANYWHERE" GARNERS RAVE REVIEWS

SJT: Marcus thank you for joining us. How has it been going so far with your latest cd Take Me Anywhere?

MG: It’s going great. It’s been well received and people seem to really be connecting with our arrangements, the standards and most importantly the original music.

SJT: Marcus thank you for joining us. How has it been going so far with your latest cd Take Me Anywhere?

MG: It’s going great. It’s been well received and people seem to really be connecting with our arrangements, the standards and most importantly the original music.

SJT: You’ve been getting rave reviews from across the board. You’ve done a lot of writing on this project. You’re also working with the John Davis Trio. There’s just a lot to offer fans on this recording.

MG: Yes there is so much to offer. I enjoyed working with the Jon Davis Trio on the project. Jon Davis and I met a few years ago and our musical styles really clicked. We seem to have the same approach to musical standards. I started bringing melodies and lyrics to him that I had been writing and we put them together and created songs that really seem to mix well with the arrangements we had been performing. It’s been a very rewarding experience.

SJT: You’ve also been compared to Frank Sinatra on this recording. That’s an honor to be compared to such legendary musical giant.

MG: Most definitely. I admire Sinatra’s music. The songs that really spoke to me are those he recorded in the beginning of his career. Those melodies, in the 30’s and 40’s still serve as an inspiration as I choose material, study phrasing, and how to communicate a lyric.

SJT: How did you develop your style of music?

MG: For me, it’s the story, the lyrics, the phrasing that explain how to laugh, smile, and love through music.

SJT: Take Me Anywhere is on your record label Fallen Apple? How’s it going?

MG: Yes, the label is going fine and it’s supporting my two CDs. Eventually I’d like to represent other artists that have similar experiences and connections.

SJT: You’re from Buffalo, NY and went to school there at Fradonia.

MG: Yes, I graduated in 2000 with a BSA degree in Musical Theatre. Then I moved to New York City to work only as an actor basically for musical theatre, soaps -such as an extra on Guiding Light. I did voice overs – basically whatever I could get on that side of the industry. I remember after work I’d always go to a jam session at a local jazz club. Then something clicked in me that I had been treating my passion of music as a hobby. I didn’t give it that much attention at that time. But then I eventually decided to turn things around and focus on my music to get it to where it is today.

SJT: You know we all have to go through a place in life to get to the next level. I understand your mother is also a huge inspiration in the making of your music- as you come from a family of musical background?

MG: Absolutely. She’s the single, largest reason why I know music. Growing up at home she’d always play the piano with neat little songs. Then when I would see my grandfather he’d hum a few bars of music here and there – songs that were a part of his culture. He also played the piano – so music inspiration in my family has been passed down through generations.

STJ: Obviously its shows in your remarkable talents as Take Me Anywhere offers a line of originals.

MG: Yes, I wrote seven songs on the CD. One of them In The Oeuvre Of the In-Between. This is a song about being in the middle of an emotion – not being 100 percent certain which way to go. This song is about love or not being able to make up your mind – it’s about not being able to make a decision with your heart. It also expresses the openness of that “middle” – that “insecurity.”

This song was inspired by a conversation I had with a friend. We were talking about this very thing and we were trying to come up with ways to describe that emotion. Then she said something like “nothing mean in between” – and that’s when the light bulb went off. Then several months later the song came out. I also had fun with the track Look For The Silver Lining and the other tunes on the recording. I am very proud of this album.

It was also a real treat to work on Take Me, which is one of the original tunes that is more of a 70’s pop vibe. That was the first song I ever wrote in my career. That song is based on the love that my grandparents had. I took the approach of producing a playwrite with my grandparents as the characters – I never knew two people who were more in love. They had passed on at the time I wrote the song. I also consulted with their church about their love – this also helped me to write the song.

SJT: I love those songs as well as the entire CD. There’s another favorite – A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening. I know when you perform live fans just love your shows.

MG: Yes, we’re always performing. Check out my website MarcusGoldhaber.com for the schedule. I’ve had so much fun making this record. With only one CD, The Moment After already out – then when Take Me Anywhere came out I wasn’t for certain if I would win over the audience with seven original songs. But the album is going over very well. It’s here and it’s fresh. I am so thankful to all my fans and supporters on the project.

SJT: With The Moment After as your first CD, launched in 2006, how does it compare to this latest project?

MG: The obvious differences are the first record was the record that introduced me to the jazz recording industry. It has elements of purity and simplicity. The arrangements on Take Me Anywhere are a little more specific. This recording offers peace that I want fans to embrace. Peace, I hope to communicate to the fans. Take Me Anywhere is a long open journey. It expresses “I’m ready.”

STJ: Thank you so much for sharing your music and message with SmoothJazzTimes.com.

MG: It’s been wonderful. Thank you very much.