Poh Yi MinMaster of sweep picking technique and renowned Australian jazz-fusion guitarist, Frank Gambale, strummed many heartstrings last Sunday at *SCAPE.
Strolling unhurriedly onto the stage, Frank meticulously tuned his crimson hollow body electric guitar and greeted his 200-strong audience seated in the new *SCAPE theatre, a spacious enclosed area for gigs and performances, due to be completed next month. He proceeded to address the many questions posed by the crowd comprising mainly of musicians and jazz enthusiasts.
Jazz musicians never cease to amaze. They always have this ‘chill’, underrated and understated vibe. A pop star may use whatever means to capture their fans’ attention, be it flawless dance moves, killer wardrobe, crazy stage antics – sometimes to the point of compromising their music. On the other hand, a good jazz musician can harness the full attention of their audiences by simply performing their compositions.
True enough, the Frank Gambale Trio, consisting of Gambale himself, Stu Hamm on bass, and Joel Taylor on drums were all dressed modestly in black shirts and jeans. However, they rightfully captured their fans’ hearts with their wit, charm, and most importantly their music that night.
With songs like ‘foreign country’, ‘cachinnation’, ‘bittersweet’, and ‘little charmer’, the trio proved an important point – that fusion jazz encompasses many flavourful elements from many other genres of music such as funk, R & B, and rock.
Not only that, they took the audience to school with a solid display of technique as a trio.
In ‘bittersweet’, the vigorous attacks on the bass by Stu, and the unfaltering drumbeats from Joel formed a steady rapport for Frank’s immaculate guitar work. It’s amazing how some musicians can communicate with their bandmates through eye contact.
Of course, the main focus of the night was Frank’s guitar work.
His double neck guitar – which was referred as the double-neck monster – was used for his songs ‘bittersweet’ and ‘foreign country’. It takes some prodigious skills to master a normal guitar, let alone a 2-neck guitar.
Alas, the aural indulgence had to come to an end. The trio concluded the set with ‘little charmer’, when Frank’s fretboard almost caught fire as he shred through this rock-sounding composition effortlessly.
The UrbanWire gives you a glimpse of what happened during the concert.
Photos courtesy of Christian Teo