Print Page

Biography
Smooth Jazz. Many in the jazz community consider these two words indicative of what has eroded the quality of their music over the past 20+ years. Though this is patently untrue, many talented artists have been victims of this stigma, and acoustic guitarist Earl Klugh is unquestionably one of them.

Between 1972 and 1979, a more pop- and urban-influenced style developed out of “jazz-fusion”, due in no small part to Creed Taylor’s CTI label. Tracks like Grover Washington, Jr.’s “Mr. Magic” and Bob James’s cover of “Feel Like Making Love” are two 1974 recordings that signaled the arrival of what was then referred to as Contemporary Jazz. Beginning with Russ Davis’s “Jazz Flavors” show in Atlanta, several specialty shows began featuring the music, and finally on Valentine’s Day 1987, KTWV “The Wave” was launched in L.A. as the first full-time Smooth Jazz station.

However back in 1976, when Earl Klugh released his self-titled Blue Note debut, he introduced his own brand of instrumental music. Earl’s vision fused bits of pop, soul, country, and Latin music with classical guitar and of course jazz, and he has built an impressive body of work based mainly upon this framework. Whether to describe his music as Smooth Jazz, Instrumental Pop, Contemporary Jazz, or “Fusion” is secondary; it is first and foremost Earl Klugh Music.

Klugh was born in Detroit on September 16, 1954. He picked up the electric guitar at a very young age, and by fifteen had made his recording debut on Yusef Lateef’s Suite 16. At eighteen, he joined George Benson's band and shortly thereafter signed on with Chick Corea's Return to Forever. However, by the time he decided to strike out on his own, due to the strong influence of Nashville guitarist Chet Atkins and the fingerpicking genius Lenny Breau, Earl committed himself almost exclusively to the acoustic guitar.

Although Blue Note Records built its reputation on hard bop and more traditional forms of jazz, by the mid-seventies the label had begun embracing a more contemporary direction. The success of Donald Byrd’s Black Byrd and the signing of Ronnie Laws, Noel Pointer, and others sounded what the label called a “New Note on Blue Note”, and Earl joined the fray. Upon the release of his 1976 self-titled debut, the beautiful “Angelina” became a signature song. It showcased the laid-back yet captivating vibe that would become a trademark not only of Klugh’s but for the album’s producers, Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen. (This was the team’s breakthrough recording, and shortly thereafter Grusin/Rosen Productions became GRP Records, a trailblazer in the CD format and one of the most successful labels in contemporary jazz.)

Earl hooked up with Grusin and Rosen again for Living Inside Your Love, highlighted by the title track’s soft backbeat and compelling vocal hook. (In 1979, Earl’s ex-boss George Benson released his own version on the follow-up to his multi-platinum Weekend in L.A., the more casually titled Livin’ Inside Your Love.)

Latin music and the sounds of Brazil have had a pervasive influence on many contemporary guitarists, and Earl Klugh is no exception. “Dr. Macumba” from Finger Painting stands as a watermark in the development of this trend, and can be viewed as the musical bridge from the jazz samba of Charlie Byrd and Laurindo Almieda to instrumental hits such as Lee Ritenour’s “Rio Funk” and Larry Carlton’s “Smiles and Smiles To Go”.

Klugh followed with Magic in Your Eyes, produced by Booker T. Jones, and 1979’s Heart String, the first of his self-produced efforts. By this time, Earl had developed a singular vision for how an Earl Klugh record should sound, with his desire to have the listener experience something on an emotional level deeply coming into focus. He continued to develop his distinctive approach: the sound of skin on nylon strings, strong yet relaxingly lilting grooves, deceptively simple arrangements, additional guitars (electric, steel, wah-wah) complementing Earl’s acoustic, etc. It is also easy to hear the title of many of Earl’s song as a lyrical hook on the guitar melody. For example, just imagine the first three notes of Earl’s verse on “Wishful Thinking” with the lyric “it’s wishful thinking…” followed by whatever lyric that expresses your own personal sense of a longing for unrequited love.

1979 was also a year for a huge breakthrough for Earl, his 1979 collaboration with keyboardist Bob James, the Grammy-winning and gold-certified One On One. The Klugh/James connection is a special one, and they documented this partnership on two additional recordings, Two Of A Kind in 1982 followed by Cool ten years later. These projects perfectly melded Bob’s deft keyboard touch and sophisticated arrangement sense with Earl’s lyrical melodic invention and carefree approach. With Late Night Guitar in 1980, the guitarist chose to work with veteran arranger Dave Matthews to present a program of pop standards, new and old, backed by an orchestra. It was a smashing success, and he followed it with 1985’s Nightsongs, which was recently reissued by Mosaic Contemporary. After several more successful solo recordings, and a switch from Capitol to Warner Bros. Records, Earl teamed up with another giant of contemporary jazz in 1987. However, this time he took the bold step of going head-to-head with another guitarist, recording a project with no less than the great George Benson. Collaboration was a resounding success, eventually certified Gold, and standing as a modern guitar classic. Beginning in 1989, concurrent with his mainly self-composed solo recordings, Earl recorded the first of three projects with the focus squarely on his abilities as an interpreter of great standard melodies. Although he had approached repertoire in this direction before, in particular on Late Night Guitar and Nightsongs, he chose a more bold approach with Solo Guitar. His intimate readings of classic melodies such as “It’s Only a Paper Moon”, “Someday My Prince Will Come”, and “Embracable You” show a sensitivity and subltly romantic touch. He followed this recording in 1991 with another significant departure, The Earl Klugh Trio, Vol. 1, placing him in the jazz trio setting performing mainly jazz standards. Finally, he added orchestra to the mix for Earl Klugh Trio, Vol 2: Sounds and Visions. Here, he took the concept a step further, performing brilliant arrangements of some of his favorite film music. Earl Klugh continues to record remarkable music to this day, with his latest his second solo guitar recording, Naked Music. And whether playing solo, surrounded by the most talented studio musicians in the business, or collaborating with other seminal contemporary jazz artists, one thing cuts deeply to the soul of the listener: the intimate touch of skin on nylon strings, the unmistakable sound of Earl Klugh.