Earl Klugh

Earl Klugh

At Baker's Keyboard Lounge, June 16-20

We had the opportunity to catch Earl Klugh at Baker's last month when the Detroit guitarist filled the house four nights  in a row before leaving for Los Angeles where he is recording his second album for Blue Note Records. Extremely lyrical and agile ,he was chosen to showcase a classical acoustic guitar sound that is quite unique nowadays, and quite refreshing as well.

Klugh is very youthful in appearance but is also very proficient-when visiting "stars" need a guitarist to fulfill an engagement in the area, it's usually either Earl Klugh or the well-known Ron English who is hired to fill the spot. The musicians with him at Baker's were some more young cats who are equally accomplished: Leslie Daniels, drums; a very intense Hubert Crawford on both stand-up and electric basses; and the colorful, inventive Buddy Budson on electric and grand pianos.

Baker's is a tiny place but, with Klugh's music, it manages to stay intimate and relaxed even when waitresses, customers, and performers fill every available space. As a warmup, Earl will sit at his stool and give a smooth, effortless solo interpretation of  Claire Fischer's ornate "Pensativa." Budson, Crawford, and Daniels join him for a romp through Chick Corea's "Spain," on to the balladic "Don't Let Me Be Lonely ToNight," and straight into the old Spinners' song (now receiving heavy airplay off of Earl's new album), "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love?"

Through it all shines Klugh's sparkling guitar sound, a sound with extremely wide appeal: it's mellow enough to be accepted by even the conservative, so-called "middle-of-the road" fans, yet it's done with so much skill and uncanny nonchalance that younger, more energetic music freaks have got to give him respect.

The band continues with the standard "Bluesette," followed by a very pensive "Alfie," featuring Hubey Crawford in the lead on chromatic (slide) harmonica. They finished the set we saw Sunday night in the same varied manner: pianist Budson's interesting "Erica's Theme," "The Days of Wine and Roses," and the excellent Earl Klugh original, "Vonetta."

Earl Klugh, his debut album on Blue Note which can be heard on WJZZ, is a fine example of the Klugh "live" sound, although it is tastefully augmented by strings and horns. (His next Lp will have even more orchestration.) In any event, we highly recommend both his records and his live show. Check him out -we're sure you'll find it a rewarding experience, no matter what kind of music vou like best.

-Frank Bach