All in all, it's difficult to find fault with this album. The trio is very good, as is the singer, whose delivery sounds to these ears somewhat like the male version of the great Blossom Dearie. All of the participants of the project exercise tasteful restraint. The pianist made me think of Jan Johansson, the Swedish piano great. Nothing is over the top; hence a low-key, tasty and very listenable album. One of the strongest sides of this release are the songs; in particular the Marcus Goldhaber/Jon Davis originals. It will, of course, take time, to see how well the album ages, but after three listens some of these original songs (In the Ouvre of the In-Between and A Felony Called Love come to mind immediately) sound like they've come straight from the pages of the Great American Songbook. Very good.

Marcus has a soft warm voice that soothes the listener over seventeen tracks. Jon Davis does an excellent job supporting him on piano along with his trio including Martin Wind (b) and Marcello Pelliteri (d, perc). The program includes classics like "My Ship", "I Get Along Without You Very Well" and "When I Take My Sugar To Tea". Take Me Anywhere also marks the debut of Goldhaber as a songwriter with Davis! Some his best are "I Fall Apart", "Take Me" and "In The Oeuvre Of The In-Between". Jon and Marcus personalize all the songs with cool arrangements. It is a relaxing set.

Marcus Goldhaber’s sophomore release, Take Me Anywhere, is a delightful collection of tunes that will put a smile on your face. Through a program of originals and standards, Goldhaber sings of love and life with a gentle style that displays a gorgeous and sensitive vocal quality, to say nothing of Goldhaber’s ability to bring out the emotion and passion in a lyric. Light and lyrical enough for a lover of mainstream pop tunes, Take Me Anywhere is tasteful and hip enough to satisfy the jazz aficionado’s educated ear as well. Goldhaber displays a wide range of influences(his website lists such uncommon bedfellows as Elton John, Jim Morrison, Sarah Vaughan, Chet Baker and Eddie Vedder) that bring a familiarity to his music. Though you’ve never heard his original songs before you may almost feel like you have. The program begins with “No Moon at All”, a medium slow swinger. Goldhaber sings with a sweet, bluesy tone first in duet with bassist Martin Wind and then with the rest of the Jon Davis trio (which includes Davis on piano and drummer Marcello Pellitteri). His gentle vocal is followed by a particularly melodic bass solo and a flourish from Davis. Goldhaber takes more liberties with the melody on his restatement. The arrangement of “I Get Along Without You Very Well” owes more to the modern pop song than the jazz standard—well it at least owes as much. Set in a modern sounding straight 8th note pop ballad style, it is certainly one of the most original arrangements I’ve heard of this tune. “Take Me” is the first of many tunes written by Goldhaber in partnership with Jon Davis. This tune is set in a pop shuffle style and features an appropriately melancholy harmonica solo by Hendrik Meurkens. “With Plenty of Money and You” is a light-hearted lyric which begins with a rubato interpretation from Goldhaber and Davis in duet before settling into a funky New Orleans groove. A string of originals follow. “In the Oeuvre of the In-Between” is a Latin-flavored tune which features percussion from Pellitteri. It brings Ahmad Jamal to my mind. “A Walk” is a medium-up swinger, notable for both the prosody of the arrangement and the lyrically bowed bass solo. “You’re Beautiful, You Know That” is a gently timid lyric which Goldhaber delivers with just the right blend of taste and shyness. His vocal approach brings the lyric to life. The dynamics rise for the energetic samba entitled “I Fall Apart”. Goldhaber and Davis render Irving Berlin’s “Top Hat, White Tie and Tails” in duet before their next co-written tune “A Felony Called Love” which is a bluesy number with a gentle sense of humor to the lyric. Goldhaber floats his vocal above an ambient mix of sounds from piano and wind chimes on an eclectic rendition of “I Fall in Love Too Easily”. “She Knows” displays more of that Goldhaber/Davis pop sensibility with a hint of Latin rhythms and airy, spacious piano chords. The program continues with “A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening”, a traditionally jazzy medium swing number. Goldhaber sounds as comfortable singing in this more “straight ahead” approach as in his original pop-influenced style. “I’ve Never Been in Love Before” is one of the most interactive and dynamic tunes on the disc. Arranged by Jon Davis, the intensity bubbles on this one. “My Ship” is handled as a delicately slow ballad. More Latin flavor seasons “Look for the Silver Lining” which features guest drummer Lieven Venken. The disc closes with a spirited rendition of “When I Take My Sugar to Tea”. There’s a lot of music on Take Me Anywhere. While I do mean that there is a long program list, that statement also means something else, something which I feel is much more important. There is a wide spectrum of musical influence on this disc. There is a freshness to each track that keeps the CD extremely listenable for over an hour. There’s much to enjoy on Take Me Anywhere.

Terrific! Wonderfully imaginative!