Frank Gambale	Website:	www.FrankGambale.com
	Genre(s):	Jazz Fusion
	Instrument(s):	Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
	Trademark(s):	Virtuoso guitarist, progressive fusion compositions, master of jazz improvisation, master of sweep picking, a premiere fusion guitarist and composer.
	Album(s):	Coming To Your Senses
	Collaborations:	GHS3
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Normally, when I am preparing myself to listen to Frank Gambale, I have to gain my composure and resolve for an overload on my senses. But, this time around with Coming To Your Senses, Frank Gambale has truly come up with some music that will delight your senses without the overload. Normally upon listening to a Frank Gambale album, I am inspired to stop playing guitar because I see the futility in the long hours of practice for me. But, this time around, Frank Gambale has inspired me to abandon all hopes of composition, as well as to stop my guitar playing. This is what truly great music is all about... disheartening the lesser-talented musicians of trying any longer! ;) The threshold of good music is raised so high that it becomes unattainable by mere mortals.

So, what is it that I find about Coming To Your Senses that is so satisfying? Well, Frank Gambale's ludicrous guitar talent is known widely; this is no secret. But, what was surprising to me about Coming To Your Senses was the attention given to thematic development and listener accessibility. Frank Gambale has tightened the reigns on this effort and pulled himself in a little ways from the extreme fusion guitar mauling that characterize a lot of his efforts. This effort has a very solid foundation in theme-oriented music with very classy, sophisticated melodies with tenuous, exploratory harmonization that really hits the mark. The music on this album is a little closer to the conventional jazz end of the compositional spectrum than the wildly explorative jazz fusion that sometimes misses with listener appeal. But, the satisfaction derived from the compromise in Gambale's flamboyent guitar mastery and a solid baseline of quality themes, is because with this music you are getting both. It is just that the guitar speed and eccentricity are not the focus, but instead more of a tool it seems.

But, don't get confused by this. Gambale still fires up some awesome playing on this album. It just takes on a different nature. The chordal arrangements and rhythms explore some really interesting and soulful ideas in harmonization. And, the harmonization explored, though very complex and intricate, achieves something very uncommon for this level of sophistication... listener accessibility. And, this is the genius in Coming To Your Senses. I think the appeal in this album will extend beyond Gambale's normal base of hardcore jazz fusion guitarists and musicians into a broader listener audience, while still keeping the respect of his loyal, educated audience... a tough juggling act to balance for any virtuoso-caliber musician... and even tougher to keep it going for an entire album as Gambale has done on Coming To Your Senses. This music will not only "wow" the guitarists, it should be pleasing to anybody who likes jazz or fusion. Gambale definitely did not drop his sweeps and other guitar stunts in his bag of tricks when he was putting this album together. But, it seems he has given thought to deploying them a little differently this time around.

Coming To Your Senses is sensible no matter what angle you approach it from. The production and instrumentation are very tactful. The composition is brilliant. The improvisation is nothing less than you would expect from Gambale, but is tightly integrated with the themes. There is a wide range of dynamics and musical ideas that are seamlessly integrated. And my pet peave, the melodic quality of the themes, is disarming when considering the harmonization it uses for a base... really jaw-dropping. This is jazz fusion at its best: complex harmonization and sophisticated composition packaged in a listener-accessible format with an extreme guitar edge. I recommend this one highly. Solid from start to finish.

My scheme to obtain objectivity in my music reviews by putting a bunch of CDs randomly into my disc changer so I wouldn't know which one I was listening was blown to smitherenes by GHS3. There just is no mistaking the guitar work of the phenomenal Frank Gambale. And, Mr. Gambale is in extraordinary form on GHS3. This effort from the superhuman trio exceeded all expectations that I may have had prior to listening. Simply put, this album is astounding.

Gambale, Hamm and Smith have produced an extraordinary fusion collage of epic stature on GHS3. The arrangements are subduing with the combination of clean-toned rhythms, chordal phrasings, grooving bass lines, and crystaline, blazing fretwork. Gambale's leadwork is amazing, even by Gambale standards. The balance of speed, melodicity, harmonization, and signature chordal voicings a la sweep picking will be found demoralizing to the most staunch guitar technicians. But do not despair, because the inspiring musicality and accessible content will offset any feelings of inadequacy related to lack of axemanship or inventive skills. This CD will inspire inner peace when contemplating the mastery that the trio projects with their command over their instruments, harmonization, arrangement, thematic invention, and general creativity.

The direction that Gambale is taking on his last few efforts makes one think that they are witnessing the making of the classics of the future and are living in times that will be recounted as legendary when people later reflect upon the great albums that Gambale is producing. Rarely among the CDs that I am sent to review do I ever receive an album of this caliber. There is no other way to put it... WORLD CLASS!!! ... and in every regard. Gambale, Hamm, and Smith demonstrate the criteria on this CD that allows them to be counted among my all time favorites with their double-edged psychological dichotomy... demoralizing and inspiring, both at the same time!

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