MUMBAI: The Mumbai audience is surely lucky to have Australian guitarist Frank Gamable come down for the third time – and this time along with bassist Stu Hamm, and drummer Joel Taylor – it just turned out the way it was expected to be – a phenomenal show of music, and virtuosity. With years of performing experience behind these musicians, there was a lot to take home.
The great thing about the gig was that it had a very accommodative set list – from melodic tracks, blues, to out and out trademark Gambale shredding.
An impeccably dressed Gambale walked on stage holding his red Yamaha Guitar, and after exchanging greetings with the roaring set of listeners, he went on to play the soulful track ‘El Salvador’, which, for his shredding image, was too simple, but poignant nevertheless. What followed next were numbers like ‘Sink’, ‘Yang’, and a blues number – Smug
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Blues being a favorite of most guitar players across the world, Gambale was no different. He recalled, “When I started playing the guitar, I used to play a lot of blues.” The song ‘Smug’ turned out to be a great mix of blues with some trademark jazzy Gambale phrasing.
The most impressive was bassist Stu Hamm – who, on most occasions, was unstoppable once he got started. Standing in a corner, Hamm would pick up lines instinctively and turn them into impressive phrases one ever heard – spot on, and spontaneous! Drummer Joel Taylor on the other hand was striking with his improvisations.
The listeners also got a taste of Gambale’s sense of humor as he took a dig at Mumbai’s Motorman strike. In the midst of the concert, he joked, “What if we decide not to play? – we are on a strike – I am not playing!!” he said animatedly.
It’s a known fact that Gambale’s name is synonymous with blistering speed and sweeps – a technique which enables a guitar player to play a series of notes (however, only after hours of practice!) Through the concert, the listeners got plenty of opportunities to watch Gambale in action – all those chops and sweeps looked like childs play when the guitar was in his hands.
Other songs on the list – like the sinister sounding Dangerous Curves was a shred fest to say the least. The band was called back for an encore (thanks to Sandeep Chowta) as the concert concluded on a high note with Little Charmer.
Among the popular musicians who attended the event were Ehsaan Noorani, Loy Medonsa, Louis Banks and Gino Banks.
Gambale’s set list for the night
El salvador, Sink, Yang, Smug, Foreign Country, Catchination, Bittersweet, Isola d Elba, Dangerous Curves, Little Charmer (encore).
Sink, Yang & Dangerous Curves (from GHS series of albums)
Foreign country, Catchination, Smug & Bittersweet (from Raison d Etre)
Isola d Elba (from Coming to your senses)
Little Charmer (from Passages)
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