Search - Kevin Eubanks :: Guitarist

The best jazz guitarist working today

06/03/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sept.2002, update: While people like Metheny and Scofield are more popular, Eubanks, when he's on, leaves them both behind, and if 'Overall Coolness' is what you want, then only John Abercrombie is Kevin's peer. Unfortunately there aren't enough recordings of him and he seems a little too tied up with his Tonight Show gig. The best one I know of is Dave Holland's classic 'Extensions' from 1989 which features Eubanks on electric at his Mclaughlin inspired best, the innovative saxophonist Steve Coleman, and drummers' drummer Marvin 'Smitty' Smith. Then there's the masterpiece acoustic album "World Trio" with Holland & Mino Cinelu which should be in every serious guitar fan's collection. Two other really good ones I personally own & listen to often are "Turning Point" & "Spirit Talk 1" (all the tunes on those two records are originals & of a very high-quality). Then if you can stand listening to overplayed jazz standards soloed over magnificently there's the Live album. 'Guitarist' is an early compilation but a good one & it's MUCH better than the 'best of' Eubanks compilation, which has a lot of samples from his attempts at compromosing himself into embarrasing commercial music in the mid '80s. So if you've already bought all the other albums mentioned & like them, THEN buy this one. All you have to do is click on 'Novice Bounce' and 'Urban Heat' and listen and if you're a true jazz guitar fan you will consider it a duty to own your own hi-fi version for extended use."

THE ONLY OASIS WITHIN THAT CONSUMERIST WASTELAND WHICH IS OU

C. Scanlon | among us humans | 06/26/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Kevin Eubanks, vegetarian, body builder, clean liver, son of a preacherman, and arguably our greatest living and surviving and fully functioning guitar player, tantalizes and torments us with a Siren song of brief seconds before and after the commercial breaks of a useless late night talk and mock program.



He pacifically and patiently and with great passive nonresistance sheds the barbs and arrows slung upon him: "I'm just here to play guitar" giving us all a lesson in pacifism and peace and compassion and love in the face of the greatest, most provocative insults. And he plays guitar like no one alive, but we never get to hear him. Go figure.



How often can you hear the opening strains of some standard which you know he and the greatest working band will presently burn to the ground and resurrect in ashes like a phoenix, and yet we see nothing more but urgent demands we purchase today another hummer.



Nevertheless here upon this disk we might finally hear him in peace and at our leisure, not in brief glimpses and crumbs, but entirely. Also highly recommended is the excellent The French Collection: Jazz Impressions of Debussy, Faure, Ravel, Poulenc, & Satie. It's like hearing again the very versatile virtuoso Wynton Marsalis marshall his many finely honed powers within several musical idioms from European classical to American. Mr. Eubanks does it all and does it well. What a waste and a scandal we are never permitted to hear him."