[an error occurred while processing this directive]

Cover Story

EUGE GROOVE

I popped the disc into my CD player and with baited breath, I waited with growing anticipation of what I knew was sure to come. I waited as the instrumentalist moved into his groove. He expertly bobbed and weaved through the melodies and harmonies of each song like a Gisele, and so did I. I didn’t miss a beat. And, when the tempo flipped as the momentum began to build within the compositions, I was on it. This dude was on fire and I was riding out with him. Oh yeah, he’s in the zone. And, with each track, the licks came; those musical phrasings that turn pretty groove music into jazz. Born 2 Groove got my attention and compelled me to say things like: “Oooo-we-baby, did you hear that?” and “Baa-by, that was sweet!”

2007 COVER STORIES
Nov/Dec Issue 2007: Candy Dulfer
Sep/Oct Issue 2007: George Benson
May/June Issue 2007: Norman Brown
March/April Issue 2007: Jeff Golub
January/February Issue 2007: Al Jarreau

Born 2 Groove, the title of Euge Groove’s new Narada Jazz recording and his fifth release in seven years, is more than simply a clever twist on the popular saxophonist’s funky name. My belief is that album titles have meaning. They tell us something about the album and the artist at the time the project was conceived and/or completed. So, what does the album title Born 2 Groove tell us about Euge Groove and this project? “Born 2 Groove. Wow, you know, after I got this record finished it had this spiritual kind of vibe, I think from the on set. It was kind of a play off the name Groove; I was born into the name Grove. But, it was more about, you know, that I think God bestows things upon us all of the time. It was kind of a spiritual thing. And, I think I was meant to do this.”

Born and raised in Hagerstown, Maryland, Eugene Grove began playing the piano at seven and the saxophone at nine. Groove developed an ear for the R&B heard on the radio. However, his musical studies were strictly classical. He developed a wider appreciation for jazz while attending the University of Miami School of Music, but credits hearing solos by David Sanborn as the inspiration to pursue playing pop music.

This thing about taking the music to church, what’s up with that Euge? “It was just a different approach; the way the players came in and especially the piano player. His voicing brought it into that church language. It’s still me playing the sax. It’s still the same kind of writing. It just has that flavor put into it.” It is very uplifting.

My understanding is that the core band for this record was comprised of musicians from pop, soul, jazz, and gospel. Is there a difference in how musicians from other musical genres process music? Apparently… check this out. “Yes, there is definitely a different language spoken (musically). These guys (gospel musicians) have a different way of doing things, especially in the keyboard/piano chair. The voicing is different. [For example, we may be playing] an E major cord, but the notes they use to compose an E major cord is a different language, a different dialect.” I thought a note was the same no matter what genre of music you played. Obviously, not. “It’s interesting, but it’s nothing new. If you want to get more specific with this, the east coast church language is a lot different from the west coast language.” And, I bet it sounds a lot different in the South. “Oh absolutely. And there are little dialects within that.” Now bye-bye. “I don’t want to give the impression, you’ve heard it, that this is a gospel recording by any stretch of the imagination. For me, it was very inspiring to play. And like you said, it does have a real positive and uplifting vibe to it.”

...for the rest of this story, Subscribe Today!