JEF MARINUS – Cd release, Casino, Sint-Niklaas (B), March 7, 2018JEF MARINUS is a household name on the Belgian music scene. Anybody who needs a good steel guitar player knows how to find Jef. He’s got also a busy career with his own band and as band leader for American country singer Doug Adkins who tours Europe on a regular basis. He’s also a regular visitor of Nashville and takes masterclasses over there with his musical heroes. Jef is on a level now that equals the big names on the instrument. Although he has played on many records as a guest artist, he never made an album of his own. ‘Puzzle Steel’ is his debut as a solo artist and is meant to be a kind of showcase of his abilities. Tonight he presents the cd in the cute and warm environment of the Sint-Niklaas Casino. Besides his own band (Chris Peeters on guitar, Ivo Opdebeeck on drums and Rik Lenaerts on bass), he invited all the special guests of the album. Belgian star Paul Michiels (Soulsister) sings a new version of ‘Rewind’, Dutch fiddler Peter van den Bos is a guest on three numbers and Doug Adkins came over from Montana with his backing singers to sing his hit ‘Whiskey Salesman’. Jef plays the complete album that goes from diehard country instrumentals (Hank Williams Medley) to jazz (Duke Ellington’s ‘Caravan’), a wonderful interpretation of Elton John’s ‘Blue Eyes’ and a dazzling interpretation of Morriconi’s ‘Once Upon A time In The West’. These pieces in particular show the eclectic mastership of Jef Marinus. This release show ended up to be an excellent concert with a focus on a lesser known instrument with a very characteristic sound. His own composition and title track ‘Puzzle Steel’ rounds off the presentation and shows his incredible mastering of licks and tricks. Marinus plays a varied and enjoyable show because he doesn’t stick only to country standards, but also trips around pop, jazz, easy listeningand swing. His professional band brings everything up to an international standard along the master. The cd will be on sale at his shows and on jefmarinus.com . (Geert Ryssen)