Dorothy Hill, Jazznow
The opener, "New York Shuffle," has an infectious groove laid down with Carr's tasty guitar styling. "Ray's Riff" is a bluesy brew with fluid Jazzy phrasing by the horn section. "Gramercy Groove" is an excursion in smooth Jazz that breezes along with improvised clarity.

The tune "Movin' On" has a straight-ahead touch rendered by Donny McCaslin's saxophone solo and slowly evolves into a contemplative guitar expression by Carr. The title cut "Friday at Five" is a shifting rhythmic smooth Jazz tune that swings with loose abandon.

" Coast to Coast" is a slow composition highlighting Carr's authoritative guitar playing embellished at the end by exquisite horn support. The tune "Exit 16" has a funky groove with rich percussive shots by the horn section.

Carr plays acoustic guitar on "Fly Away," a short virtuosic display of improvisation. The ending cut of "Santa Cruzin'" is a melancholy exercise by Carr on guitar that is highlighted by a splendid keyboard solo by Dryden.

This nine-track instrumental assemblage is a good representation of atmospheric smooth jazz performed with remarkable cohesiveness. Smooth Jazz enthusiasts will find this tasty effort rewarding listening.


Smoothjazztherapy.com
"It's difficult to categorize someone who has been on the scene for the past twenty years as a new comer but guitarist Kenny Carr is really making an impression with his debut solo release 'Friday At Five'. It's an excellent piece of work."


George Fendel, Jazzscene
In listening to the big time reverb of Carr's guitar, one can understand why he was just what the doctor ordered for Ray Charles. The presence of a couple good trumpet players brings this CD above the banal, and no doubt, Carr is polished at what he does."


Scott Fugate, 89.1 WBCX
Kenny Carr's CD is a welcome respite from the smoother sounds that have taken the place of contemporary jazz – his playing has energy and attitude which grooves, rocks, and jams. . .with a mix of blues, fusion, funk, cool & contemporary jazz. This CD has a smooth sound, but you can actually sit and listen to it all the way through without going to sleep. What a concept – jazz that isn't just for background listening -- let's hope more artists take the risk!


Karl Stober, E-Jazz News
After ten years standing and creating memories with Ray Charles, the unleashing of the multi-talented strings of Kenny Carr will hit the shelves of jazz on September 20, 2005. Friday at Five exhibits a true inner sense as to his ability and knowledge while grasping the neck of this classic string mechanism. Mr. Carr has control over his talents and understanding of jazz techniques, as this debut project is unearthed. A very cool ride along the strings!


Rotcod Zzaj, Improvijazzation Nation
"PICK" of this issue for "best R&B/jazz guitar sound".
Kenny Carr - FRIDAY AT FIVE: If yer' soul's hankerin' for some down & dur-tee blooz' influenced guitar music, you'll just love what Kenny does on this great CD. & if you're wondering why or how he got "hold o' that soul", it's probably got a lot to do with the fact that he played as Ray Charles lead guitarist for over 10 years. I'm talkin' about some scorching tunes, heavily jazz & R&B influenced, that will take ya' down home, folks. The tunes were recorded way back in '97, & (somehow) wound up on a shelf - man, we're glad they got released, 'coz there's some shining energy here, & Carr & his fellow players (Andy Hess on bass, Donny McCaslin doing tenor sax, John Dryden on keyboards, Tony Mason's drums & John Bailey on trumpet) are absolutely tight on all the tracks. I don't hear great R&B influenced guitar compositions like this all that much these days, so it's a real treat for my ears. Real/legitimate musical magic that gets a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, as well as the "PICK" of this issue for "best R&B/jazz guitar sound". This one is a "keeper" for sure!


Denis Poole, Smoothjazzvibes
The first track, 'New York Shuffle' is pure Steely Dan with both a fine organ solo and Becker-esque guitar from Carr while 'Rays Riff' is big band bluesy where both John Bailey on trumpet and Don McCaslin on sax excel. In fact McCaslin's contributions are significant throughout. His solo on 'Movin On' where a laid back groovy beginning gives way to Carr's wailing guitar backed by understated horns is exceptional andMcCaslin is also to the fore on 'Exit 16', a huge and brassy number that finds the band flirting with a classy straight ahead style.

Three of the tracks do not feature horns. On the primarily acoustic 'Fly Away' Carr flies solo for this gentle melody with acoustic guitar, acoustic piano and electric guitar while his haunting evocative playing on 'Santa Cruzin' is complemented by a sophisticated keyboard solo from John Dryden. One of the albums standouts is 'Gramercy Groove'. This little gem starts out with a hugely catchy riff, evolves into an edgy piece of smooth jazz and ends up really rocking. The best track of the CD is 'Coast To Coast' where Carr turns it down for a tight piece of smooth jazz played over a killer bass line from Andy Hess and more great work from the brass section of McCaslin and Bailey.

'Friday At Five' is a quality collection of music that falls somewhere between smooth jazz and adult contemporary. I encourage you to check it out.


Michael James, Smooth Jazz and More
3 1/2 Stars out of 4
"Carr was the lead guitarist for the late, great musical genius, Ray Charles and went on tour with his orchestra during the last 10 years of his life. It's easy to see why Charles selected Carr. He has an exciting guitar style that's similar to another great guitarist, Larry Carlton. There's a lot of energy in his playing. It seems like he's having fun and he wants us to enjoy his playing as well. The tracks New York Shuffle and Gramercy Groove are evident of his years of experience. My personal favorite track on the CD is "Coast to Coast". His debut, CD is a collection of blues and jazz tracks that will satisfy the lively listener as well as the relaxed."


Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
3 Stars
"An interesting mix on a recording from 1997 (but a fresh release) from Ray Charles' former guitarist, Kenny Carr. The tone is very West Coast, with a collection of Santa Cruz and New York musicians playing along. Light grooves provide the backdrop for Carr to bounce around the songs on his guitar."


H. Allen Williams, Jazz Review
Kenny Carr is an artist with much to offer the smooth jazz listener. Carr plays with emotion, technique, and taste thought-out the entire release. The compositions are intelligent, ordered in a way that gives a nice flow to any Friday night, and will certainly leave you feeling good.


Nicholas Sheffo, Fulvue-Drive In
"Friday At Five, a CD release of a set of 1997 recordings of Carr and friends laying down some tracks for the fun of it. Finally released for the first time, it is a Jazz album with a difference, almost a "garage band" equivalent of what you could one expect from Rock in its peak."


Taxi, Listener ID #173
Memorable Hook
"Excellent musicianship all around. I really like the trumpet unison with your guitar on the melody. Good groove and overall rhythmic section performances. The chord changes are cool."


John "JB" Belliveau, The Jazz Cruze, KSHK, Kauai, HI
Every time I play this CD I am transported to "the city", right into the Studio, fall in to the groove and yell "OH YA!!!"
We are all over the CD but the standout cuts are:
Ray's Riff
NY Shuffle
Friday at Five
Grammercy Groove


Rob Lloyd, Jazz Programmer, KEDM FM, Monroe, LA
Kenny Carr’s CD Grammercy Groove is hitting on all cylinders. We have it in heavy rotation. The KEDM listeners are responding positively to this great new CD from Kenny.


Ted @ Cafe Jazz, Jazzlynx.net
Grammercy Groove: Friday at Five, originally recorded in a small Manhattan studio back in 1997, is now Carr's long over due debut. The project was intended only as a demo but afforded Carr & a few of his oldbuds from Santa Cruz a chance to reconnect. To quote Kenny, "Magical things can happen when the right musicians are brought together under therightcircumstances." The project was finished in a couple of days and for some reason lay forgotten somewhere in a vault, that is until now. Having toured with someone the stature of Ray Charles for the length of time that he did, you would expect the guy's gotta be good!!


Carmel DeSoto , Jazz Police
Click here to read the full review.

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