Take Me Anywhere (CD)

In 2006, Marcus Goldhaber made a strong impression with his recording debut, The Moment After. The cool-toned but highly expressive singer displayed a real affinity for vintage standards, tunes taught to him as a child by his mother who was a professional pianist. He has always remembered those times, even while he became involved in theater, musical shows and acting. After five years of steady work as an actor, he realized that singing was his main passion, and that has become the focus of his professional life. Take Me Anywhere not only features Marcus' singing but his debut as a songwriter. While writing his first lyrics, he often remembered an old trick of Irving Berlin's; simply think of another way to say quot;I love you.quot; Seven songs, including several that have the potential to become standards, were co-written by Marcus and pianist Jon Davis. With Davis, bassist Martin Wind and drummer Marcello Pellitteri forming a very supportive rhythm section and contributing melodic solos, Marcus Goldhaber is free to express himself, both through his words and his singing. The music on Take Me Anywhere forms a unified suite that traces the stages of a love affair. quot;No Moon At Allquot; has ironic lyrics and serves as a fine introduction for the quartet. quot;I Get Along Without You Very Wellquot; features unusual words that say the complete opposite of what they really mean. quot;Take Mequot; was the first original that Marcus ever recorded, a tribute to his grandparents' 54-year marriage. The nostalgic piece has a guest spot for Hendrik Meurkens on harmonica. The protagonist sounds joyful on quot;With Plenty Of Money And Youquot; but is confused and indecisive during quot;In The Oeuvre Of The In-Between.quot; quot;A Walkquot; gives him a chance to think about love before becoming quite tongue-tied on quot;You're Beautiful, You Know That.quot; Marcus describes quot;I Fall Apartquot; as quot;about being hurt so badly that one fears love and swears it off.quot; Despite it all, one knows that love is unavoidable. quot;Top Hat, White Tie And Tailsquot; shows that anything is possible. The playful quot;A Felony Called Love,quot; a 3 a.m. saloon song, is about a lover who loves a bit too much and too freely, but still longs for a particular person. Love is impossible to avoid, as becomes obvious during quot;I Fall In Love Too Easily,quot; quot;She Knowsquot; and quot;This Is A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening.quot; Tender feelings are expressed during quot;I've Never Been In Love Beforequot; and quot;My Shipquot; before the story concludes with the realistic but optimistic quot;Look For The Silver Lining.quot; As a quot;bonus cut,quot; or what Marcus calls quot;an after-dinner mint,quot; the CD concludes with a joyful quot;When I Take My Sugar To Tea.quot; Marcus Goldhaber's voice perfectly fits the material and vice versa. His talents as both a singer and a songwriter promise to make him an important and popular musical performer for many years to come. -Scott Yanow Author of ten Jazz books including The Jazz Singers, Trumpet Kings, Swing, Jazz On Record 1917-76 and Jazz On Film.