Euge Groove brings Jazz Attack to Temecula

Jazzman Euge Groove certainly fits his name because he loves to hear a groovy beat.

Speaking of grooves, he is so into them he put his latest record, “Got to B Groovin’,” on vinyl.

“It was an act of love,” Groove said during a recent telephone interview. “Certainly wasn’t done as a money making process. I just loved how it sounds.”

Groove joins Peter White and Richard Elliot as Jazz Attack on Saturday at Thornton Winery as part of the 2015 Champagne Jazz Concert Series.

Groove’s new album is a collection of genres – R&B, jazz, and funk – because there is no way to label Groove, other than to say he is a great songwriter and recording artist, and loves being on the stage.

“There are a lot of people and sounds that have inspired me over the years, but I avoid listening to many other things because I don’t want it to get engrained in my head,” he said. “That’s also why I don’t do many covers. It is hard to interpret them and I want to bring something new to everything I do. Of course, when I listen back to things I can hear the chord progressions that are rooted in the ‘70s.”

When it comes to his creativity, he definitely likes to take his time when it comes to songwriting.

“It’s better for me to not do anything for a few months and then to get moving on it when the deadline is starting to approach,” he said.

But that’s just part of the Groove attraction because he is certainly one of the most in-demand artists on the live circuit. Part of it is the clear love for being on stage.

“Some people never really look comfortable on stage,” he said. “I look at some artists I’ve seen perform live and they look so uncomfortable and awkward. They are amazing singers, but just don’t seem to like the stage. Either you have that feeling with the audience or you don’t.”

He has performed behind some of the greatest artist in music, such as Tower of Power, Huey Lewis, Joe Cocker, Elton John to name a few.

“I’ve certainly backed up enough entertainers and seen them that it is contagious,” he said. “You see Tina Turner and Joe Cocker and you have to rise from that presence. I’ve learned from the best.”

The experiences taught Groove the stage presence is very important.

“Early on I’d perform at Top 40 clubs in Florida, and worked a summer at Disney World,” he said. “They bring it out in you. It instills in you that sense of being an entertainer and having to like what you do or they will see right through you.”

Groove is known for having fun on stage and firing up the crowd, even if it means poking fun at himself.

“You have to have humility about it all and a sense of humor because on stage you are exposed, but the fans are there to see you and they get it all,” he said. “It doesn’t work if you are not comfortable with yourself.”

Of course that can mean realizing mistakes may happen.

“The screw-ups don’t bother me as long as they don’t have to do with preparation,” he said. “99.9 percent of the time a mistake happens and it’s a live thing and it will go by so fast that the audience doesn’t even notice it. But I will get mad at myself if it is because I didn’t prepare enough. That’s why I get to the gig really early, send set lists out to the band ahead of time because the best performance needs a bit of preparation.”

Then again, as he points out, jazz is about some of those errors.

“If you do screw up and make a mistake, play it twice and then it’s jazz,” he laughed. “I’ve had technical glitches over the years and they always happen when you don’t want them to happen. Now with YouTube the mistakes are there and you just keep preparing so they don’t happen again.”

Above all, Groove is just having a good time.

“I lost a lot of good friends like Jeff Golub, Joe Cocker, Ross Bolton who was on my gigs,” he said. “It really has taught me not to sweat the small stuff. We try so hard and it’s a business of perfection. But it’s also about enjoying the music as you create it in the studio and on stage.”