Loves to Practice

When not making his case in court, state prosecutor Eric Daab devotes time to his other passion: jazz guitar.

By: Susan Van Dongen

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ERIK DAAB


   Wearing a white hat and carrying an English racing green guitar, Erik Daab hopes to catch the "bad guys," but also set aside the time to enjoy his music when his work is done.
   The white hat is a metaphor. He’s a deputy attorney general for the state of New Jersey, a state prosecutor. But the green guitar is real, a beautiful Gretsch hollow body "country club" model. The fact that it is an unusual hue was to Mr. Daab’s advantage. The axe would have normally cost a bundle, way out of his price range. However, the company discontinued the particular shade, so the guitars were being sold at half price.
   "It was less than half price, in fact, so I felt compelled to buy it," Mr. Daab says.
   More important than the color are the sounds Mr. Daab coaxes out of the guitar, and his technique, which is cool, sophisticated and precise and has been honed from some 29 years of playing. With a repertoire that runs the gamut from Antonio Carlos Jobim to Charlie Parker, Mr. Daab has been playing all over Mercer and Monmouth counties, solo or in a duo with Matt Cusack on acoustic bass. He also has gigs at Chris’ Café in Philadelphia, a premium spot for jazz, and the longtime place to hear guitarist and Philly legend Jimmy Bruno, one of his musical inspirations.
   "I’ve been going to see Jimmy Bruno since I was 17," Mr. Daab says. "When I first got my driver’s license, I’d go see him at J.J.’s Grotto. Watching him pushed me."
   Mr. Daab played recently with his trio at Chris’ Café, where he jokes that he "pulled out my Eddie Van Halen chops." In other words, he played fast and showed off a little. If there is a place to show off, it’s Chris’, since musicians and music lovers go there expressly to hear jazz.
   "You’re not just the background music," Mr. Daab says.
   Closer to home, Mr. Daab plays regularly at the Java Moon Café in Lawrenceville, with Mr. Cusack on bass. He’ll be there Sept. 15. On Sept. 4, Mr. Daab will be at the Witherspoon Grill in Princeton, with Mr. Cusack on bass and Gary Lebijanski on drums.
   One might wonder how Mr. Daab finds the energy to work at a demanding job, help raise two young children, be a husband to his wife Danielle and then play live so frequently. He says it’s because of the sheer joy. Since age 8, it’s been a lifelong love affair with the guitar, a passion that motivates him to get up at 5:30 a.m. and practice almost every day.
   "I’ve never lost the desire to play, I love it," Mr. Daab says, adding that he plays his electric guitar unplugged during those early morning practice sessions, so as not to wake his children, ages 5 and 7.
   Although it must use a very different side of the brain, practicing law is equally energizing.
   "My former goal in life was to be a guitarist in a rock band but I’m blessed to have this job, it’s fantastic," Mr. Daab says. "People ask about the similarities and differences between practicing law and playing, both interests that developed independently, and all I can say is that they’re both enjoyable. It’s a joy to wake up and go to work and it’s a joy to go out to a gig and play.
   "The good thing about guitar and also law, they’re both a constant challenge," he continues. "There’s always something new to learn, you can never just rest and say, ‘OK, I’ve learned it all.’"
   It all began when young Erik discovered the  ’70s group Kiss. He wanted to play guitar simply because he wanted to be in Kiss. His first lessons were group sessions at the YMCA.
   "Then I wanted to be the next Eddie Van Halen," says Mr. Daab, a graduate of West Windsor-Plainsboro High School. "We had a band called Slick Willie and we played around Princeton, in North Jersey and Philly and New York, right up until I went to law school. We were really hoping to hit it big and be famous, but we never got that big break."
   Mr. Daab says his parents were relieved when he put aside the rock star dreams to go Seton Hall, for one thing because "my son, the lawyer" has a slightly more grounded ring to it.
   "Also, because we used to practice at their house," Mr. Daab says. "They were happy to see the rock band go."
   Working with Philadelphia-based teacher Joe Federico helped move his tastes more in the direction of jazz.
   "It started out with fusion — Al Di Meola and Return to Forever, for example," Mr. Daab says. "Then I branched out into standards and jazz, people like John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter. I like (musicians) who come up with so many complicated ideas, you learn to push yourself like they did. But I do still like rock. In fact, I just went to see Chris Cornell of Soundgarden. I was the oldest person there."
   He mentions Mr. Coltrane and Mr. Shorter, both saxophonists, but as far as guitar influences, Mr. Daab names Joe Pass and Pat Metheny, and of course Mr. Bruno.
   Mercer County isn’t Manhattan, but Mr. Daab is pleased with the many opportunities to play and hear live jazz in the area.
   "There’s Chambers Walk and the Fedora Café (in Lawrenceville), there’s Java Moon, which has become my home away from home, and now the Witherspoon Grill, just to name a few places" he says. "You don’t need to go far to hear jazz in Mercer County."
Erik Daab will play at the Witherspoon Grill, 57 Witherspoon St., Princeton, Sept. 4, 6:30 p.m. (609) 924-6011; www.witherspoongrill.com. Mr. Daab will also play at the Java Moon Café, 4110 Quakerbridge Rd., Lawrenceville, Sept. 15, 6:30 p.m. (609) 275-7447; www.javamooncafe.com. Mr. Daab on the Web: www.erikdaabguitar.com