MARC CIPRUT

MOONSHINE

Independent Label

Marc Ciprut, guitar/composer; Etienne Lytle, organ/clavinet; Jimmy Haslip, Akos Fogacs, & James Genus, bass; Tobias Ralph & Charles Ruggiero, drums; Daniel Sadownick, percussion; Jon Cowherd & Jeremy Manasia, Wurlitzer; Tommi Rautiainen, drums/percussion.

If you love the blues like I do, when it’s mixed with a little bit of funk, plus the talents of a master guitarist, you might wind up with an album called “Moonshine.”  Where I come from, moonshine was another name for homemade whiskey.  This music is so good, it might make you high!  It’s easy to love this new blues album by guitarist, Marc Ciprut.

Ciprut is a composer and has written every song on this funk-based excursion into fusion blues.  Marc was influenced by Jimi Hendrix, Wes Montgomery, Grant Green and George Benson.  He says he was also greatly inspired by the music of Stevie Wonder, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Donny Hathaway.  That’s quite an array of musicians, who are all stellar in their own right, each with a distinctive sound and genre of music.

This is Ciprut’s second album.  The first one was released in 2023 and titled “Blue House.” He received rave reviews for that production.  This recent release is a continuing example of how he uniquely fuses funky grooves, blues changes, and his mastery of guitar into a one-of-a-kind package of soul.

Helping him make this contemporary funk jazz music come alive are Jon Cowherd, Jeremy Manasia and Etienne Lytle on keyboards, James Genus, Jimmy Haslip and Akos Fogacs are on bass and Tommi Rautiainen, Tobia Ralph and Charles Ruggiero play drums.  He added Danny Sadownick on percussion for good measure.   This project was co-produced by Jimmy Haslip, a former member of the very popular jazz fusion band, The Yellowjackets. Marc Ciprut brings spunk and funk to every tune, with a thread of fusion running through the arrangements. Most importantly, every tune is simmered in the blues.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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