The Guitar Channel

Frank Gambale Interview for What's That Dude Play

What's That Dude Play? has a great new interview up with Frank Gambale. Gambale discusses Return to Forever IV, his upcoming project Soulmine, his gear (naturally), and more.

What's That Dude Play? - The Fusion Soul of Frank Gambale

Video: Return to Forever with Jimmy Herring - Live in Atlanta "School Days"

I know... lots of videos lately, but I couldn't pass this up. This is Jimmy Herring sitting in with Return to Forever on "School Days" in Atlanta last night. Jimmy is a little low in the mix at first, but they bring him up after about a minute. With Chick Corea on keys, Lenny White on drums, Stanley Clarke on bass, Jean-Luc Ponty on violin, and Frank Gambale on guitar. Here is the same tune from another angle.

Video: Frank Gambale with Return To Forever

Cool D'Addario video of Frank Gambale with Return To Forever.

JazzTimes Review of Return to Forever IV Montreal Jazz Festival Performance

Russ Davis from MoJa Radio and JazzTimes has written a great review of Return to Forever IV's performance at the Montreal Jazz Festival.

JazzTimes - Day One in Montreal: Return To Forever IV!

Video: Interview with Frank Gambale and Alain Caron at Musikmesse 2011

GuitarnBassTV interview with Alain Caron and Frank Gambale at Musikmesse 2011 after a performance at the Mark Bass booth.

Return to Forever IV - M&T Jazz Fest Review at Syracuse.com

Syracuse.com has a review and pics of last night's Return to Forever IV performance at the M&T Jazz Fest.

Syracuse.com: Stars of Return to Forever IV close M&T Jazz Fest with shining set

 

Videos: Frank Gambale, Alain Caron and Damien Schmitt - Live at Musikmesse 2011

Four videos of Frank Gambale, Alain Caron and Damien Schmitt performing at the DV Mark/Markbass stage at this year's Musikmesse in Frankfurt, April 2011

Return To Forever IV US Tour Dates with Zappa Plays Zappa

Return To Forever IV will embark on a 32-city US tour this summer with special guest Zappa Plays Zappa. See below for the full list of 2011 RTF IV tour dates and venues, including dates for the band's European tour. RTF IV features Chick Corea on piano and keys, Lenny White on drums, Stanley Clarke on bass, Jean-Luc Ponty on violin, and Frank Gambale on guitar.

 

 

 

Return To Forever IV 2011 Tour Dates

24 June     NORTHAMPTON, MA     Calvin Theater                        
25 June     SYRACUSE, NY     Syracuse Jazz Festival    
26 June     MONTREAL, QC     Montreal Jazz Festival                        
27 June     OTTAWA, ON     Ottawa Jazz Festival                        
28 June     TORONTO, ON     Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival                        
1 July         BERLIN, GERMANY     Zitadelle                        
2 July         HAMBURG, GERMANY     Stadtpark                        
3 July         NECKARSULM, GERMANY     Audi Forum                        
4 July         MUNICH, GERMANY     Small Tollwood Arena                        
5 July         KRAKOW, POLAND     Hala Wisly                        
7 July         VIENNE, FRANCE     Vienne Jazz Festival                        
8 July         ROTTERDAM, NL     North Sea Jazz Festival                        
9 July         PARIS, FRANCE     Olympia                        
10 July     GENT, BELGIUM     Gent Jazz Festival                        
11 July     DUISBURG, GERMANY     Piano Festival Ruhr                        
12 July     MONTREUX, SWITZERLAND     Montreux Jazz Festival                        
14 July     SETE, FRANCE     Theatre de la Mer
15 July     AOSTA, ITALY     Bard Fortress                        
16 July     PESCARA, ITALY     Pescara Jazz Festival                        
17 July     ROVINJ, CROATIA     Park Forrest                        
20 July     BASTIA, CORSICA, FRANCE     Theatre de Verdure                        
22 July     MADRID, SPAIN     Puerta del Angel                        
23 July     SAN SEBASTIAN, SPAIN     Kursaal Auditorium                        
26 July     MARSEILLE, FRANCE     Marseille Jazz Festival                        
28 July     SAN FELIU, SPAIN                            
29 July     MARCIAC, FRANCE     Marciac Jazz Festival                        
1 August     TEL AVIV, ISRAEL     Casesaria Amphitheatre

US Tour with Zappa Plays Zappa               
7 August     PITTSBURGH, PA     Stage AE    
8 August     BUFFALO, NY     UB Center for the Arts                         
9 August     BALTIMORE, MD     Merriweather Post Pavilion    
10 August     PHILADELPHIA, PA     Mann Center                         
11 August     BOSTON, MA     Bank of America Pavilion    
12 August     NEW YORK, NY     The Beacon Theatre
13 August     NEW YORK, NY     The Beacon Theatre                         
16 August     COLUMBUS, OH     LC Pavilion    
17 August     CLEVELAND, OH     State Theatre                         
18 August     CINCINNATI, OH     PNC Pavilion    
19 August     DETROIT, MI     Meadowbrook   
20 August     CHICAGO, IL     Horseshoe Casino    
21 August     INDIANAPOLIS, IN     The Murat                         
22 August     NASHVILLE, TN     Schermerhorn Symphony Center                         
24 August     MINNEAPOLIS, MN     Orpheum Theatre                         
25 August     ST. LOUIS, MO     Fox Theatre                         
26 August     KANSAS CITY, MO     Midland Theatre                         
27 August     DENVER, CO     Paramount Theatre                         
28 August     SALT LAKE CITY, UT     Red Butte Garden                         
8 September     ATLANTA, GA     Fox Theatre                         
9 September     ORLANDO, FL     House of Blues        
10 September     BOCA RATON, FL     Mizner Park Amphitheatre      
11 September     CLEARWATER, FL     Ruth Eckerd Hall                         
13 September     AUSTIN, TX     Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theatre            
14 September     GRAND PRAIRIE, TX     Verizon Theatre                         
15 September     HOUSTON, TX     Verizon Wireless Theatre             
17 September     MESA, AZ     Mesa Arts Center                         
19 September     SAN DIEGO, CA     Humphrey’s                         
20 September     LOS ANGELES, CA     Greek Theatre                         
21 September     DAVIS, CA     Mondavi Center                         
22 September     SAN FRANCISCO, CA     Warfield Theatre                         
23 September     EUGENE, OR     Hult Center    
24 September     SEATTLE, WA     Paramount Theatre

2-10 October     JAPAN

Frank Gambale Interview for I Heart Guitar

I Heart Guitar has a short but sweet interview up with Frank Gambale. Gambale discusses his new gear, and his new gig with Return To Forever IV.

 

I Heart Guitar: Interview - Frank Gambale

Current Listening

Here's some stuff I've been listening to lately...

 

FRO - The Paisley Album

Harold Davis Jr (aka Fro) is a great funk/fusion player out of New York, and his stuff is super-cool. Sort of a Hendrix-meets-Tribal Tech type of vibe. I'm also digging his Surprise Music EP.

 

 

 

 

Jason Sadites and Marco Minnemann - Behind The Laughter

This is Sadites' contribution to Minnemann's Normalizer 2 project, and it's one of my favorites. Great writing and playing with a heavy Zappa vibe.

 

 

 

 

Stu Hamm - Just Outside of Normal

The bass legend's latest includes guests Joe Satriani, Frank Gambale, and Robert Fripp. Cool stuff.

 

 

 

 

 

David Binney - Graylen Epicenter

Excellent jazz album from the New York-based sax player. Love Wayne Krantz's melodic lines on the title track.

 

 

 

 

Bruce Arnold - The Art of the Blues

Great, adventurous jazz blues record. Arnold's fusion disc Heavy Mental is also cool.

 

 

NAMM Video: Frank Gambale and Brian Bromberg @ Carvin

A video I shot of Frank Gambale and Brian Bromberg jamming at the Carvin booth at the 2011 Winter NAMM show. Frank is playing his new FG1 signature model.

Winter NAMM 2011: Day 2 / Mike Landau at The Baked Potato

Day two of the 2011 Winter NAMM Show was a long one. The show floor was much busier than opening day, and I expect today to be even busier still. Played lots of great guitars yesterday, and chatted with some great players including Alex Machacek, Gannin Arnold, and Ed DeGenaro. Here are my big takeaways from day two:

The Carvin booth was abuzz when Frank Gambale arrived to demo his new FG1 signature model guitar. Gambale played a short set with bassist Brian Bromberg. I believe this was the first time the two had ever played together, and they were both burning. Definitely a treat to see. The Gambale signature model sounds great. Super smooth, yet punchy. Cool finish too.

 

Lots of cool stuff at the Gibson booth, including the new Eric Clapton "Beano" model Les Paul. It's modeled after the Les Paul Clapton used on the Bluesbreakers album in 1966, and the thing plays like a dream. Gibson also had a Les Paul on display with a Beano comic finish. I also checked out a cool Epiphone Wilshire (took me back to the old Racer X days), and the Buckethead model white Les Paul.

 

A big highlight of the day for me was seeing one of my favorite rock bands of all time at the Ampeg booth - King's X. Their set got off to a late start due to a problem with Ty Tabor's amp, but once they got going the band killed. They played through some of the new Ampeg stuff which sounded great. The whole band was super tight, and Tabor's tone was incredible as always. So glad I got to see these guys.

 

After a long day at NAMM (and some rest), I headed up to The Baked Potato to see Michael Landau's late set. I've seen Landau live a few times before, but I've never seen him play with such intensity. He was on fire all night, and his tones were gorgeous. His band for this gig included Gary Novak on drums, Andy Hess on bass, and Deron Johnson on keys. All these guys were fantastic, and Johnson's contributions added a cool new element to the band's sound. Highlights included the opener "Ghouls and Goblins," my new favorite Landau ballad "Pittsfield Minor," and a searing version of "Worried Life Blues." Karen Landau (aka Hazey Jane) also joined the group for a cool, laid-back version of "Woodstock." There's a certain "home field advantage" factor when Landau plays the Spud which is palpable when you're in that room watching him play. As an audience member, it's clear that he feels at home there, and is inspired by the surroundings and the crowd. This was a special gig that I will not soon forget.

More pics from NAMM 2011 Day Two: