Gerald Gradwohl Trio

Foto: www.musiconphoto.com

„If ZZ Top played fusion music, this is what it would sound like. This is jazz-rock boogie of the highest order. No wine drinking for fans of this trio. It's all about the beer.“ (www.jazz.com)

Groove or Power Jazz, Hardrock Bebop or Cool Alternative Improvisation?..

The Trio knows how to put energy, dynamics and a special musical sense into a “Jazzrock” concert.

 The GG TRIO is building up some almost unearthly power when performing live, that  literally is electrifying the audience. The listeners are always surprised how fascinating virtuoso Improvisations and pulsating grooves are presented by this Trio.

Farid Al-Shami and Jojo Lackner are not only the rhythm section of a straight forward hurrying guitarrero, furthermore they are heating up Gradwohl’s joy of playing the guitar by adding exciting grooves and spontaneous ideas. Their contribution and dedication to the Gerald Gradwohl Trio and its music reaches far beyond the borders of sidemanship.

Mastermind Gradwohl always contrasts in all the instrumentals, due to his musical attitude balanced by his upright intellect and passion, to the jazz-rock cliché “higher-faster-louder-exhibitionism”. He is playing his very own, unique style, that is pointing out a wide and fulfilling musical development.

JOJO LACKNER (bs):

He is an exceptional expert playing his instrument, flabbergasting by his great variety in style and the combination of brilliant technique and musical delicacy.

FARID AL-SHAMI (dr):

His drumming, full of musicality and delight, regularly pushes his fellow musicians to higher levels and his dynamic grooves make you "shake ya booty".

Gerald Gradwohl from Austria is a guitarist of extraordinary depth and sensitivity. Gradwohl plays with the same kind of abandon as Scott Henderson, and is able to portray the same gracefulness as Frank Gambale, showing a solid command for his jazz meets rock guitar stylings, in part, he can play in technically demanding jazz/classical modes, and add enough rock mutations to separate him from the far less interesting players out there. The highlights of his musical career are his collaboration with the multi-Grammy-nomminated German cultband Tangerine Dream ( 2 studio-CDs, several Live Recordings/DVDs and Live- Performances ...) and his solo - CD  "ABQ" ( recorded and released 2003 by Universal) that featured Bob Berg and the "Tribal Tech" rhythm section Gary Willis and Kirk Covington.

"ABQ" had outstanding reviews in all the important print and web media and since then Gerald Gradwohl was seen standing in line with Scott Henderson or Frank Gambale and is touring and playing festivals worldwide: Jazzfest Wiesen, Montreal, Madrid, Mexico, Warsaw, Washington DC ... just to mention a few. 

 „Tritone Barrier“ has been released on ESC Records in Mai 2007 . This record features his trio for the first time and has some interesting special guests: Scott Henderson, Kirk Covington, Hubert Tubbs and more.

After touring Austria, Germany and Romania in 2008, the trio with Farid Al-Shami and Jojo Lackner is still on fire. Gerald wanted to capture the electrifying power and dynamic spontaneity of their live performances. So the trio did a live studio session in April 2009. This new and very pure product entitled „Sally Beth Roe“ has been released in fall 2009. 

Foto: E.Mädl

Reviews:

www.edel.at 5/07

Gerald Gradwohl from Austria is a guitarist of extraordinary depth and sensitivity. Gradwohl plays with the same kind of abandon as Scott Henderson, and is able to portray the same gracefulness as Frank Gambale, showing a solid command for his jazz meets rock guitar stylings, in part, he can play in technically demanding jazz/classical modes, and add enough rock mutations to separate him from the far less interesting players out there. "Tritone Barrier" is the follow up album to "ABQ" from 2003 feat. the late, talented saxman Bob Berg and the Tribal Tech rhythm section, Kirk Covington and Gary Willis - and you will be strucked by the freshness of playing, the variety of tunes and arrangements, and the musical scope of the album. With his new trio: Joe Lackner on bass and Farid Al-Shami on drums plus special guests: Scott Henderson (guitar), Kirk Covington (drums), Frank Itt & Harald Weinkum / bass, Gradwohl continues with another guitar masterpiece. The playing throughout is of course stunning. The compositions are varied in style - sometimes jazzy, heavy, complex, and funky - but always entertaining. It actually sounds like the musicians were really enjoying themselves while making such a wonderful album. With "Tritone Barriers" Gerald Gradwohl covers a lot of fusion territory, from straight-ahead, to funked up Tech, to slow jazz, to aggressive funk, to instrumental rock.

www.jazzrockworld.com, Juli 2007:

I can describe Gerald Gradwohl’s new Cd “Tritone Barrier” in just two words “Tasty”.
It’s so good, it’s addictive. I can’t keep it out of my cd player. There’s so many good things about this recording, it stands very tall in the forest of new Fusion releases this year.
One of the things that attract me to this Cd is the inventive, creative, and interesting compositions. Each one has its own uniqueness and like a really good mystery, you just can’t predict what’s coming next. It’s very fresh sounding. In addition to the surprises in the journey of each song, is the very powerful positive vibe you feel from beginning to end. It's got a strong Blues approach with a lot of variety, and it all makes for some great Fusion.
The other thing that stands out is Gerald’s impressive control over dynamics and space. You can hear every note and follow each song as though it was a live recording. Often times, I found myself on the edge of my seat waiting to hear the next note. Too many Fusion albums rely on “formula” compositions and soloing, that it’s easy to understand why so many people say they all sound the same. Not this one!
It’s difficult to describe Gerald’s technique on guitar. If I were going to “build” a great guitarist, I’d start with a pinch of Robben Ford, throw in a dash of John Scofield, mix it all together with that Jeff Beck knack for being amazing note for note, and then let it marinate for many years in Gerald Gradwohl’s special blend. When it’s all finished, you’ve got yourself one fantastic guitarist.
The song “Horses” is so funky, it sounds like the band flew to Oakland California, spent a few weeks on the streets and then recorded it. Just fantastic! Plus, if you’re going to have a Fusion Cd with a vocal, this is the perfect song for it. The “Hear and There” jam is what improvisation fans crave and done at an exceptional skill level. When I first heard the song “Jeff’s Back”, I wondered how Gerald could be skillful enough to sound EXACTLY like the amazing Scott Henderson. I listened in awe and then read the liner notes and realized it WAS Scott Henderson. He fit so perfectly in the overall project of Tritone Barrier the credit must go to Gerald for the idea of making that happen.
This recording has everything you could ask for from a Fusion guitar trio. Lot’s of good songs, plenty of creative improvising, and mostly an amazingly deliberate and dramatic sense of dynamics that’s both quiet and loud without being boring or blaring.
A solid 5-Star Fusion recording from beginning to end.

Bonus: If you like Wah-Wah guitar, there’s some good stuff for you here…

Please visit Gerald's website for more info