Known for his sweep picking and economy picking guitar playing techniques, jazz fusion guitarist Frank Gambale will open for American singer Natalie Cole. Ahead of his performance in Dubai, tabloid! chatted to the maestro with 45 years in the industry under his belt as he holidayed in Bologna.
Q: You are opening for Natalie Cole at the du World Music Festival? Have you met her before?
A: I have not actually met her before. We have played at the same festivals before on a number of occasions but we haven’t actually performed on the same stage. This is the first time I will be opening for her and I am hoping to meet her at the event.
Q: Are you a fan of Nat King Cole, Natalie’s father?
A: Oh yes of course. Nat was an incredible musician, a great influence on many singers and a gifted pianist. He was a big talent and Natalie’s a chip off the old block.
Q: You’re a graduate of the Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT), what’s the importance of formal training in music?
A: I think it’s a little more than the concept of formal training. I am Australian and I went all the way to the United States to study there and it was an opportunity to get my bearings and a great way to meet lots of musicians. A lot of collaborations are made in music school because these are people with a similar mindsets who have the same desires. It’s a great melting pot for all that energy. I met a number of people, some of my teachers were working in the business. I can draw a direct line from my experience at GIT to my time working with the Chick Corea Elektric Band, it worked out through some of the people I met while at music school. It is definitely worthwhile.
Q: Are there any guitarists you admire in the present generation?
A: There are lots of great musicians, I don’t want to give names because I will disappoint people that I have forgotten. I am still a big fan of George Benson and John McLaughlin is great too. I admire anybody who can make a name for themselves because they must be playing something unique to emerge from the pack.
Q: At the recently concluded Dubai Jazz Festival, the headline acts were all rock bands. Do you think jazz music is a dying art?
A: Well then they shouldn’t really call it a jazz festival. I don’t think it is, it’s like saying painting is going out of style. I don’t think of it as jazz music I think that’s the difference. People categorize music, I don’t want to be branded as a jazz musician because I do lots of other kinds of music too. My latest album is a vocal project, almost an RnB or pop record. I resist categorization most of the time.
I think of it as music, I just write music that I love to hear and I love harmony and the art of improvisation. To me it’s a natural human curiosity to advance the art. As a musician who has learnt the art for the past 45 years I think the problem is that jazz musicians do not really innovate and come up with something different.
Don’t miss it
Frank Gambale opens for Natalie Cole at the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre. Doors open at 6pm. Tickets start at Dh295. To buy, go to du.ae/dulive.
