Mac Gollehon
Straight Ahead
American Showplace Music
www.americanshowplace.cojm
By George W. Harris

While making a nice living in the studios playing with Duran Duran, David Bowie and Madonna, trumpeter/trombonist Mac Gollehon has put out a handful of impressive bona fide jazz discs. This one is a real clever one, as it has Gollehon overdubbing a myriad of trumpet/bone solos and section parts, creating a one man Oliver Nelson Orchestra. Along with Sam Burtis/bass tb, Victor Lewis-Warren Smith-Jun Saito/dr, Ron Cuber/bari and Greg Kogan/org, Collehon delivers some stellar work on tunes like multi-textured “Lush Life” and dramatic “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat.” He demonstrates his formidable chops on an incendiary “After You’ve Gone” while showing his romantic side on his own “Carol’s Song.” Cuber is a perfect foil, with some great soloing on “Fish Market” while the multilayered horns give each tune a 50’s shark suit feel. Bold and brassly successful.