Album Notes

Dr. Wayne E. Goins, the owner of Little Apple Records, was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. He is a versatile, flashy jazz guitarist who loves the West Coast cool style. West Coast Swing delivers originals and standards that range from the up-tempo cooker, "Catch Me" (the opener of the album) to lustrous ballads like "Cecil's Dream." Needless to say, there are none-too subtle shadings of blues licks layered throughout Goins' hot guitar licks found on this CD-no doubt a direct attribute of his Chi-Town roots. The album features his impressive artistry in a variety of formats, including a tasty solo arrangement of "I Could Write Book," guitar duo on "Slim Goody," traditional piano trio (ala Oscar Peterson) on "Catch Me," and a blistering quartet on "Claire's Lair." Goins has a unique style that reflects brightly from his musical influences by the likes of Charlie Christian, Wes Montgomery, George Benson, and Kenny Burrell.

But this is only the beginning of his talents. Wayne Goins is currently an Associate Professor and Director of Jazz at Kansas State University, who completed his Ph.D. at The Florida State University. He has teaching experience in Boston, Chicago, and Atlanta, Georgia, where he conducted jazz ensembles and taught guitar at Morehouse College, Emory University, and Kennesaw State University.

With this album, he puts forth an aggressive effort to deliver a thoroughly engaging and most swinging affair, with an extra dose of cool to spare.