Jeff Jolly Band
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Jeff Jolly Band

San Francisco, California, United States | INDIE

San Francisco, California, United States | INDIE
Band Americana Singer/Songwriter

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIb1-xETMxY
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It’s hard to understand why Jeff Jolly isn’t more popular/famous/rich than he is right now. This guy has talent to burn…he’s funny, writes great songs and music and plays some really good guitar riffs.
Starting out around 9 years old with a banjo, he discovered that “You Can’t Play The Blues on a Banjo” (his first song). From that relatively unpromising beginning, and having switched to a guitar, Jolly has grown up to open for the likes of George Thorogood, Little Feat, David Crosby and Elvin Bishop.

This release, Jolly’s fourth, is a little bit Country and a little bit Blues and just a little (one song) bit Bruce Springsteen (before Bruce became The Boss and got all corporate on our asses). My idea of a good pizza is a little of a lot of things that combine into a harmonious whole. This is entirely the case with this album.
The first song, “I’ll See Ya”, starts off with a forceful rhythm that grabs you by the ears and doesn’t let go until the end of the CD. Every song is a little jewel that fits seamlessly into the musical concept of this release.
Don’t run away because I mentioned the word “Country”. The Country cuts aren’t the big hat and pointy boot, my heart is broken and I’m crying to you kind. They’re more the dirty baseball cap, beat up truck, workin’ man, kind of songs.
The Blues cuts are great and they incorporate some great horn work. It’s been a while since I heard songs with that sharp punctuation you can only get from the brass section.
I never thought about this before, but it occurs to me that Blues and Country have a few things in common: regret, lost love and hard times themes abound in both genres. Jolly finds a way to make both of those things work in this CD.
My favourites: “Summertime in Brooklyn” reminds me of the old Springsteen; “She Only Loves Me When She’s Drunk” is a funny, Zydeco style piece on the perils of being around someone whose real personality comes out when she hits the booze.
Recommendation: Buy it. This one goes in my permanent collection.

- Canada Press


"Blues on Stage"


"Keeping the Blues Alive Award" Achievement for Blues on the Internet
Presented by The Blues Foundation



Jeff Jolly
Jeff Jolly's Pizza
(2008 - Boff Music)
Review Date: December 2008
by Robert T. Murphy

"Jeff Jolly's Pizza" is the latest CD from Jeff Jolly who performs and writes most of his own music with a wide ranging style. This CD has bits of horns, gospel, Bruce Springteen, Tom Petty, and Bob Dylan influences along with just plain fun party music.
Some samples from the CD are:

'Beneath The Sun' opens up with guitar work straight out of a spagetti western and continues with the cowboy theme in its lyrics and sounds. I really like this one.

'Curse & a Blessing' uses acoustic slide guitar with and a vocal that sounds a bit like Bob Dylan mixed with Leo Kottke.

'Piece by Peace' sounds like basic country, with acoustic guitar and piano mixed together.

'What' has a 60's folk rock type of sound and would have fit perfectly into that eras radio song list.

'Hard Times' has a definate "Eagles" influence in style of beat and lyrics.

'Summertime in Brooklyn' has a strong horn section and has a strong Bruce Springsteen type of sound.

The last song on the CD along with a narritive that preceeds it ('The Story Of....) is 'She Only Loves Me When She's Drunk' is a straight party song with no major production and sounds like it was recorded totally acoustically on a porch with the band just relaxing and having a great time. This mixes bits of acoustic guitar, bluegrass, violin and guys laughing and having fun to great effect. This is just a great party song and is actually one of my favorite songs on the CD. It's just fun and I can see everyone singing along with this song in any bar or club that Jeff Jolly might be playing at.

Bottom Line: A wide ranging musical selection, with some extra fun thrown in. I give it three stars out of five.

Musicians:
Guitar and vocals - Jeff Jollly
Bass - David Fairchild
Drums - Ron Simasek
Horns - Uptown Horns
Fiddle - Joe Craven


Contact Information: E-Mail J-jolly@sbcglobal.net

www.jeffjolly.net
www.myspace.com/jeffjollyband



- Robert T Murphy


"Jeff Jollys Pizza"

Label : Independent | Year : 2008
Sub Genre: Blues
Standout Tracks: I'll See Ya, Trip Through Your Wire, Summertime In Brooklyn
Website: www.myspace.com/jeffjollyband

Rock on brother! Jeff Jolly has done it again! After having sent me their follow up CD the JJ Band has found a way to get their groove on again in a big way.

With what appears to be on par with a theme from Batman on I'll See Ya, Mr. Jolly has gotten his guitar pleasing riffs back in action and has set his sights high aiming to please real Rock/Blues fans everywhere...

The album "Jeff Jolly's Pizza" just keeps getting better from track to track. Unreal Rock & Roll. I really dig this band's vibe and I must say it's an absolute pleasure whenever they send us their new releases. Mixing it up with horns, fiddles, lap steel guitars, a down home whiskey sandpaper vocal and these Cats deliver.

From California to New York to Europe, Jeff has opened for George Thorogood, Little Feat, David Crosby, Edgar Winter, Elvin Bishop, Bad Company, and many others. The band ranges from solo acoustic to 4 to 10 players depending on the venue. They have played for crowds ranging from 10 to 5000 people who have enjoyed Jeff’s style and the unmistakable influences of Stevie Ray Vaughn, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Hendrix. Just good time Rock and roll!


- Catsask.com


"video of JJB Summer of love"

http://www.youtube.com/snapperhead30
- 2b1records.com


"Muzik Reviews.com"

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Genre: Rock-Roots
Label: Boff Music
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Tracks

1. I'll See Ya
2. Shed That Skin
3. Trip Through Your Wire
4. Re - entry
5. Beneath The Sun
6. Curse & A Blessing
7. Piece By Piece
8. What
9. Hard Times
10. Summertime In Brooklyn
11. This World
12. Story of "She Only Loves Me When She's Drunk"
13. She Only Loves Me When She's Drunk


Jeff Jolly Band
Jeff Jolly's Pizza


The Jeff Jolly Band plays an eclectic and inventive mix of styles that includes rock, roots, country, Americana and R&B, all written by Jolly (except “Trip Through Your Wire,” U2). That originality is what makes Jeff Jolly’s Pizza well worth listening to. It communicates Jolly’s enjoyment writing it and the band’s pleasure in playing it; so it follows that we find it gratifying to hear. The compositions cover a range of observations about the human condition, but even when the topics are somber, the joy of the music prevails. It seems as though we are being performed for rather than just being presented with a collection of recorded songs.

Jolly (guitar and vocals) is joined by a changing ensemble of bass, drums, fiddle, piano, steel guitar, harmonica, horns and backup singers. Jolly’s vocals are clean and proficient and, while it might not be powerful enough to single-handedly carry the entire CD, he is well-supported by the backup vocals of Desiree Parker and David Fairchild (who also plays bass). The occasional addition of the Uptown Horns, the contrast of electric and acoustic instruments and the inclusion of other distinctive instrumentation such as steel guitar (Buddy Cage, pedal; Yike McGirkens, lap), fiddle (Joe Craven, Tom Paxton), mandolin (Joe Craven, Donny Barnyard) and harmonica (Tom White) provide continual variety and interest.

On first listen to a recording it’s tempting to try to draw comparisons to older more familiar sounds. So when the first track of Jeff Jolly’s Pizza, “I’ll See Ya,” kicks in, Credence Clearwater comes to mind and then quickly maybe The Blues Brothers horns. But, it becomes clear that it’s neither and that this is something which is not so easily categorized. After becoming accustomed to the string-bending electric guitar and hard driving horn sound of “I’ll See Ya,” track 2, “Shed That Skin,” surprises by starting off with acoustic guitar with rock drums, punctuated with horns. The rock guitar solo of the first track is replaced with a rocking fiddle solo by Joe Craven. “Trip Through Your Wire” (no “s”) begins with a cappella harmonies that might be an intro to a spiritual, but it’s really U2’s “Trip Through Your Wires” (with the “s”) complete with harmonica. “Curse & A Blessing” is a purely Americana track with acoustic guitar, dobro (Yike McGirkens) and upright bass (Martin Ingle). It could be a track from a respectable country/bluegrass collection, as could the next, more country style track, “Piece By Piece.” “Hard Times” could also be grouped in that vein, but with a bit more of an Eagles or Jackson Browne feeling. In “Summertime in Brooklyn,” with a sax solo by Jerry Martini, Jolly clearly was mindful of the Springsteen sound. The CD closes with a live radio studio recording of comments by Steve Vandewark (drums, vocals) and the accompanying humorous song, “She Only Loves Me When She’s Drunk.” Good fun.

The Jeff Jolly Band is a talented group of seasoned performers who know how to convey their love of the music-a very enjoyable and an interesting mix of styles.



Mike Reynolds-MuzikReviews.com Staff

January 23, 2010


- Mike Reynolds


Discography

The Runner 1997
Raw Material 2000
Live in Paris 2002
Jeff jolly's Pizza 2008

Photos

Bio

Jeff Jolly
Video
http://www.youtube.com/snapperhead03

Jeff grew up on a dead end street in Brooklyn NY. At about the age of 9, after watching his dad get dragged out of the house in a straight jacket by a SWAT team over spousal abuse, he quickly realized his life would be far from ordinary. That unexplained loss left Jeff searching for something to fill the gap. Watching his grandmother and sister one Christmas, playing piano and entertaining the family, he found what he was looking for; Music! The music was it. Got a banjo for Christmas and started to play. First song he wrote was “You Can’t Play the Blues on a Banjo”.
When Neil Young played in Manhattan he was so impressed with his performance he went out and got a guitar the next week. Later, the neighborhood gang would bring what they called “The Bible” to their gatherings, singing while Jeff worked out every chord to the works of that book whose author was Bob Dylan. Jeff honed his skills at these “sacred” meetings, held in the public school parks, often brought to an abrupt halt by police raids called out by irritated neighbors who could take the serenading no more!
Jeff has traveled the country, writing songs, playing in the street for change and anywhere else he could find to express his life and love for music. When he hit San Francisco in 1994 the Jeff Jolly Band was created and his first CD was released entitled “The Runner”. The CD received airplay at KFOG Radio in San Francisco and at KHUM Radio in Northern California. It got rave reviews from such national trade magazines as Album Network and Relix Magazine. Since then, Jeff Jolly has released two more CD’s: “Raw Material” and “Jeff Jolly Live”, the latter being recorded in Paris, France at a ten-night packed house.
2007 ended with a bang playing for 60,000 people at the 40th Anniversary of “The Summer Of Love” in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. 2008 brings a new CD where Jeff draws on friends from the road. Guests include Bill Payne (Little Feat), Joe Craven and The Uptown Horns, to name a few. 2008 looks like a great year for the Jeff Jolly Band! From California to New York to Europe, Jeff has opened for George Thorogood, Little Feat, David Crosby, Edgar Winter, Elvin Bishop, Bad Company, and many others. The band ranges from solo acoustic to 4 to 10 players depending on the venue. They have played for crowds ranging from 10 to 5000 people who have enjoyed Jeff’s style and the unmistakable influences of Stevie Ray Vaughn, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Hendrix.
Just good time Rock and roll! For more info and reviews see www.jeffjollyband.com . You can also find the Jeff Jolly Band on myspace.com.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8pg2gRvsyc