Veteran guitarist Grant Geissman explores new creative directions and unlimited possibilities of the blues on his 16th album as a leader. Veteran guitarist/composer Grant Geissman first came to the public's attention in the 1970s as a member of flugelhornist Chuck Mangione's band. Since then, he has been active and prominent across several musical styles and genres, including jazz, fusion and instrumental pop. His 16th album,
BLOOZ, is a collaboration between his label, Futurism, and Mesa/Bluemoon, the label that released four of his albums in the early 1990s.
Aside from being a more guitar-oriented record than some of his previous projects,
BLOOZ happily reveals that quite a ways into a storied solo recording career, Geissman is still exploring new creative directions and unlimited musical possibilities. As its title suggests,
BLOOZ, is a play on word that prefaces the promise of a program offering an original trip through a number of styles, all of which are bluesy in some way. As Geissman himself puts it via an official statement, "The album is called BLOOZ because it is my take on the blues, which might not always be tradition, and actually can have fairly wide interpretation."
The diversity of the program allows him to show off his incredible guitar versatility. Case in point, "Side Hustle," is the second track from the album, and you can hear it via the player below. This sizzling, seductive (and surprisingly rare) fusion of jazz and rhumba is enriched by some wonderful interplay between Geissman and pianist Jim Cox, one of the great friends joining him on the new album.
Grant Geissman's BLOOZ is available now. https://open.spotify.com/track/1bET0kh6zXebEbNPQyHtcI?si=942ce99527c84f42
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