With his supple baritone and intelligent choice of songs, Marcus Goldhaber’s second CD, Take Me Anywhere, is a classy, languid listen with a cool jazz flavor that recalls recordings by several old-fashioned vocalists from the same school that spawned the likes of Chet Baker. His always whispery vocals are greatly enhanced by the excellent Jon Davis Trio which takes the album to another level of musicality, becoming a worthy jazz entry. Like Baker, Goldhaber’s melancholy delivery and intimate singing style invites the listener to hit “repeat” on several standout cuts such as the album’s opener, “No Moon at All” (Evans-Mann), “I Fall in Love Too Easily” (Cahn-Styne) and “I’ve Never Been in Love Before” (Loesser).

Of the originals, there are several tracks where he sounds like more contemporary jazzers like John Pizzarelli. This is obvious on two sardonic entries, “In the Oeuvre of the In-Between” and “A Felony Called Love,” where a hint of Dave Frishberg shines.

Davis’s exceptional piano riffs and extended solos repeatedly stand out. The term “cool jazz” evolved from the swing era after the 1940s. Seemingly, this is a strong influence on this laid back set that includes eight written by Goldhaber and Davis. The other talented members of the highly skilled trio are Martin Wind on bass and Marcello Pellitteri on drums and percussion.

More diversity and more uptempos would make for a smoother balance. That said, Take Me Anywhere has its place in the contemporary cool jazz idiom.

John Hoglund
Cabaret Scenes
May 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org