Grant Geissman: Cool Man Cool

There are throwbacks, and then there are throwbacks. Guitarist Grant Geissman takes us back to the era of cool—a visual image of nightclubs patronized by people wearing long shirts, dark glasses and berets.

Geissman may be best known for his solo on "Feels So Good," the pioneering smooth jazz song that brought Chuck Mangione's flugelhorn into the mainstream. In addition to a successful solo career, Geissman has been active in film and television, co-writing the underscore to the series Two and a Half Men as well as contributing to numerous other projects. On Cool Man Cool, Geissman is supported by saxophonist Brian Scanlon, bassist Trey Henry, drummer Ray Brinker and an all-star lineup of cool musicians Geissman has worked with, including Mangione, Tom Scott and Patrice Rushen.

The title song says it all; with finger snaps, Brian Kilgore's bongos and Brian Scanlon's flute, "Cool Man Cool" captures the essence of those beatnik days. Geissman's electric guitar lead is in a groove. After solos by Scanlon and pianist Emilio Palame, Geissman and Scanlon pair up for some engaging, high-speed riffs that build in intensity until the song settles back into the main melody.

Mangione joins Geissman for "Chuck and Chick." This piece is an all-in jam with Chick Corea on piano, the Yellowjackets' Russell Ferrante on Fender Rhodes electric piano, and Alex Acuna joining Kilgore on percussion. Geissman plays classical and steel string acoustic guitars, and Mangione leads early on what at first appears to be an easygoing piece. Scanlon then comes in on soprano saxophone, Mangione's middle solo sets up Corea and the pace takes on the feel of a stroll through a Mexican marketplace. Throughout, Henry and Brinker are subtle yet effective.

"Minnie Lights Out" goes back even further than the 1950s-'60s cool scene. With Henry switching to tuba, and Brinker shedding the drums for pie pans, this playful piece ponders what would happen if Minnie Mouse walked out on Mickey. Van Dyke Parks adds the accordion, and Charlie Bisharat brings a wailing violin while Geissman plays acoustic guitar, as does guest Dennis C. Brown. Guitar and violin then enjoy a sassy call-and-response late in the piece.

Although the entire set is built around the idea of cool, no two pieces are alike. Elements of several styles, including blues and bop, are mixed in here and there. Geissman wrote and arranged all 14 tracks.