Flying Colors

What surely sets Grant Geissman apart from other acoustic guitar soloists in contemporary jazzdom is his impeccably mellifluous composing skills and his desire to stretch himself into more challenging sub genres. While never straying too far from his trademark David Benoit like peppiness, Flying Colors — which represents the guitarist's commercial peak on early smooth jazz radio — displays mouth-watering flamenco and brassy Latin tinges. A musically logical follow up to the similarly vibrant Take Another Look, Geissman's playing is enhanced by the positive support of keyboardists Gordon Goodwin and Emil Palame and saxophonist Sam Riney. Of special note (and the best cut) is Geissman's ode to his youth, "Places I've Been," which features Byrd-like riffs, Beatle-esque sitar and orchestrated, "Eleanor Rigby" touches.