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 Words about "Sally Beth Roe":I'm very pleased with this one on Guitar-channel.com - Thanks Rich! Austrian guitarist Gerald Gradwohl has been making great fusion records for years. A highly skilled soloist, Gradwohl's style combines the hip lines of a jazz player, with the technical proclivities of a shredder. Though he has loads of session and sideman work in his background, his solo projects - particularly ABQ (Emarcy/Universal 2003), and Tritone Barrier (EMC 2007) - are what put him on the map as a force to be reckoned with in the world-wide guitar community. Those albums featured keyboards, horns, and laudable guests such as Bob Berg, Kirk Covington, and Scott Henderson. For his latest recording, Sally Beth Roe (Gtone), Gradwohl changes things up and goes for a bare-bones, stripped down approach. It's a pure trio album, recorded with few overdubs, and no guests. The result is one of the rawest, rocking fusion discs I've heard in some time. Right from the opening whammy bar outburst of the title track, the album's "live in the studio" feel is apparent. It's a fun, loose recording, and the chemistry between Gradwohl and his trio mates Farid Al-Shami (drums), and Jojo Lackner (bass) is palpable throughout the disc. If I had to label Sally Beth Roe stylistically, "Heavy fusion" would be the best moniker to use, though some tracks are closer to instrumental rock ("Time to Play"), or blues ("Blues For Ben," "Stevie"). Gradwohl seems to shine best on the groove-based fusion material, where he can stretch out harmonically (as a writer and soloist), and lock in with his band for some dynamic group interplay. "Tunnel Elevator" and "Maths" are two great examples of this.
"No Matter" is another standout track that is pure fusion. It features some of Gradwohl's most legato-oriented playing on the album (though he still throws in some insane Gambale-esque sweeps), a nice bass solo from Lackner, and a great memorable melody. Listening to this track and others, it's clear that Gradwohl knows well how to arrange this type of material for a trio setting. His chords are often deployed in short staccato bursts, and there's plenty of doubled lines with the bass. There's a couple of fine ballads on the disc as well - the acoustic and improvisational closer "Joni," and the deliberately paced "Hope" (which is not the Mahavishnu Orchestra piece of the same name, but it seems to take inspiration from some of that band's epic ballads). Regardless of it's style, every song on Sally Beth Roe is driven by Gradwohl's guitar. Though he's got chops to spare (particularly with his picking), Gradwohl's great strength is how seamlessly he can drop in a cool altered line or triad-based idea in middle of a shred-filled solo. And while he has an original musical voice, he's not afraid to wear his influences on his sleeve either. Pieces like "Maths" and "Viper" have strong shades of post-Tribal Tech Scott Henderson, whereas "Wayne II" owes it's title and inspiration to Wayne Krantz. And like those great players, he's not shy about his tonal choices. Gradwohl favors a heavier rock-oriented tone throughout most of the disc, which he sometimes kicks up a notch by adding over-the-top fuzz effects. It's a very natural tone, however, which enhances the live feel of the entire album. A lot of great fusion has come out of Europe lately, and Sally Beth Roe is no exception. Definitely recommended. Rich Murray, www.guitar-channel.com
Thanks to Helmut Koch for this posting on fusenet:
FUSENET Dec. 2009 Regarding world class electric guitar players in the jazzrock/jazzfusion territory, Austria has contributed fairly well over the years. Greats like Karl Ratzer and Harry Stoijka (both on the brink of international breakthrough in the 1970s) were followed by a new generation of technically superb players with a seemingly unlimited range of musical vocabulary (think Machacek, think Schrenk). Gerald Gradwohl is one of them. From his beginnings as a pro musician, Gradwohl has been drawn towards the american type of guitar/sax dominated slick jazzfusion popularized by the likes of Chick Corea Elektric Band and Mike Stern. Though being a hardworking man with numerous touring band projects, session and teaching jobs in his homecountry Austria, Gerald even managed to record in the US, teaming up with Kirk Covington, Gary Willis and the late Bob Berg. It was then that Gerald’s scope as a player began to broaden and his voice on the instrument shifted away from the styles of his early inspirations Gambale and Henderson. Like Scott Henderson did with the Blues, Gerald introduced a more rock influenced sound into the jazz sensibilities of his music. That concept has developed pretty well ever since and is constantly honed within the setting of Gerald’s powertrio, which has been his main musical vehicle for the last couple of years. Now the Gerald Gradwohl Trio released it’s first album „Sally Beth Roe“, an impressive statement of what the genre is still capable of. This is Jazz-Rock in it’s truest sense: jazz inspired, loosely structured music with much room for improvisation and technically demanding solo flights, delivered with the energy and guts of rock. From the hefty hard rocking foray in the title track’s intro, the somehow Jeff Beck-ish groove in „Joe’s Place“, the elegantly swinging „No Matter“, to the subtle & quiet grandeur of „Hope“ and the closing „Joni“, this is a mature and instantly entertaining album. Gerald’s guitar sound is a real treat here, owing a bit to Henderson, SRV (to whom he pays tribute with the bleeding Blues track „Stevie“), and –less obvious- Mike Landau (listen to a myriad of guitar sounds building up the tension in the creepy „Viper“). One has to mention Gerald’s formidable rhythm section consisting of Jojo Lackner on bass and Farid Al-Shami on drums. These gentlemen sit very well with Gerald’s musical vision and follow him easily throughout the album’s numerous virtuosic moments. If you want your jazzrock fusion hard hitting and rough, yet well balanced and without the blinding restlessness of shredding, look no further. In it’s category „Sally Beth Roe“ is as good as it gets. Helmut Koch, launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/fusenet/message/20682
Great review(German) on ragazzi-music.de: Here is a nice article from the magazine CONCERTO: www.amazon.de, Oktober 2009 Power Fusion-Trio der Extraklasse Gerald Gradwohl zählt wohl zu den weltbesten Gitarristen überhaupt ... sei's nun in Jazzgefilden, Rock oder Funk oder die Fusion von allen drei Musikrichtungen. Zu seinem extrem virtuosen Können am Instrument kommt noch ein Riesenquantum an Kompositionswitz und schlichtweg ein schier unerschöpfliches Potential an Improvisationsgabe. Nicht ohne Grund griff Gradwohl auch bei Tangerine Dream gehörig in die Saiten, nahm CDs auf und tourte mit Bob Berg, Tribal Tech Band und selbst Scott Henderson ist auf Gradwohl's letzter CD zu hören ... RESPEKT! Bei dieser neuen CD steht Gradwohl mit seinen kraftvollen Mitstreitern noch mehr im Mittelpunkt. Diesmal sind die energiegeladenen Stücke etwas Rock-lastiger ausgefallen ... hey, schon in Ordnung ... Gradwohl ist wie gesagt in allen Lagern zuhause ... und das, was da den Gitarren entlockt wird ist wohl die Königsklasse aller Gitarreros ... die einzigen Vergleiche, die hier zulässig wären sind Namen wie, Jeff Beck, Scott Henderson, Steve Vai oder Joe Satriani ... im unterschied zu vielen Highspeed-Gitarrenwürgern steht bei Gradwohl nicht ultimatives Tempo im Vordergrund; vielmehr wird auf ausgereifte Komposition Wert gelegt, die dann mit allen Raffinessen der Improvisation in unfaßbaren Solis aufgeht wie der orgastische Höhepunkt jedes Feuerwerks. Nicht nur Freunden der Jazz-Funk-Rock-Fusion-Abteilung sei diese CD ans Herz gelegt... jeder ambitionierte Gitarrist/Hörer sollte wissen woher der Bartel den sprichwörtlichen Most holt ... ein echter MUSSkauf!!! ... und noch ein Tip am Rande: falls ihr die Möglichkeit habt Gradwohl live zu erleben ... Ticket kaufen ... hingehen ... und einfach nur Staunen ...! Gitarre & Bass 11/2009: Dem Österreicher Gerald Gradwohl sind Leser dieses Magazins in den vergangenen Jahren immer wieder begegenet. Das hat einen Grund: Er wird immer besser. Auf seiner aktuellen Cd jazzrockt G.G.ohne Gnade, übrigens überwiegend auf Strat- und Tele-Typ-Gitarren(Yamaha u. Fender), und seine beiden Mitmusiker Farid Al-Shami(dr) und Jojo Lackner(bs) ziehen definitiv mit – auf höchstem Energie Level. Jazz-Funk-Jazz-Blues-Jazz-Rock und mit „Joni“ als letztem Track ein schönes Acoustic – Stück. Klasse Album. Lothar Trampert
The 1st online review - in Romanian...:)) |