RAY GEHRING

Ray Gehring & Commonwealth
OmahaCity Weekly

Jazz guitarist Ray Gehring grew up in Lincoln surrounded by the bustling music scenes of the capital city and Omaha. He spent his formative years learning and listening to music and working with many teachers, eventually earning a B.A. in composition from the University of Minnesota. Since 2000, Gehring has resided in Brooklyn, where he performs regularly with his group Commonwealth.

This week brings Gehring and his band back to the three cities he grew up in: Minneapolis, Lincoln and a stop in Omaha at the Saddle Creek Bar this Thursday. They’ll be here in support of their new CD “Radio Trails.”

Musically speaking, Gehring floats on the cusp of traditional jazz and jazz fusion, occasionally inserting elements of folk and Americana. 

Ray Gehring Trio
Courier-Life Publications

On the last Wednesday of each month, you can hear jazz guitarist Ray Gehring and his trio at Bar BQ, 689 6th Avenue, corner of 20th Street in Park Slope.

Gehring brings his soulful sound along with drummer George Mel and organists Nate Shaw and Matthias Bublath. His album, entitled “Ray Gehring Trio,” can be found on iTunes or cdbaby.com.

The music they perform creates an atmosphere that blends perfectly with the savory smoked barbecue, peaty single malts, and friendly patrons that make Bar BQ a neighborhood favorite.

“Our material includes songs ranging from Dizzy Gillespie to Neil Young, Burt Bacharach  and Big John Patton,” says Gehring. “We also play original compositions and a few familiar standards. The format of this trio allows us to play a large diversity of material that easily traverses through different genres and styles. At the end of the day, a good melody is a good melody.”  

Guitarist Ray Gehring makes Zoo Bar DebutBerman Music Foundation

LINCOLN, Neb.—Ray Gehring returned to his hometown May 22 to make his Zoo Bar debut, exactly 20 years after the guitarist last performed in the city, leading a jazz fusion trio at Duffy’s.

Lots of friends, family and a few Zoo Bar regulars made him feel welcome as he roared through two sets drawing heavily from his new release, a tribute to the pop music of the 1970s called “Radio Trails.” The CD is dedicated to Butch Berman and the Berman Music Foundation.

Gehring was superbly accompanied by members of his band Commonwealth, in this case keyboardist Matthias Bublath and drummer Joey Van Phillips, with vocals featuring Dan Gaarder. The band also made appearances May 20 in Minneapolis and May 21 at the Saddle Creek Bar in Omaha.

“Take the Long Way Home,” Supertramp’s 1979 super-hit, received a rocking instrumental reading with Gehring delivering a biting guitar attack that fully utilized the fat, resonant tone of his hollow-bodied axe. Gaarder took the stage for a rocking version of Neil Young’s “Motion Pictures,” and Gram Parsons’ “She,” which had Bublath displaying his versatility and imagination on keys.

Originals included Gehring’s bluesy “Stay Awhile” and the collaborative “That Was the Story.” Bublath added percussive, staccato jabs on the latter, which Luke Polipnick and Ray Gehring [Photo by Tom Ineck] Gaarder sang with his understated, reedy quality. Aptly for the venerable blues club, the band finished the opening set with a blues shuffle.

The second set’s highlight was a guest appearance by guitarist Luke Polipnick, whose band Volcano Insurance also includes drummer Joey Van Phillips. Among the tunes that Gehring and Polipnick mutually explored was the Willie Nelson standard “Funny How Time Slips Away.”