Frank Gambale - 2006 "Best Of Jazz and Rock Fusion"

Frank Gambale (born 22 December 1958) is an Australian jazz fusion guitarist. He has released twenty albums over a period of three decades, and is renowned for his use of the sweep picking and economy picking techniques.

This collection spans almost 25 years of Gambale's rockin' fusion work. This is a thrilling album from start to finish. This album is full of Gambale's classics and clearly demonstrates why he is considered one of the top guitar players in the world. A perfect introductory album to the fiery guitar playing of Gambale. 5 stars
 
Part of a three-album retrospective, The Best of Frank Gambale: Jazz and Rock Fusion collects a nice cross-section of guitarist Gambale's instrumental jazz and rock tracks over a 15-year period starting in the late '80s. Gambale has always been a master technician on the fret-board, easily crossing between smooth jazz, instrumental pop, contemporary folk and metal-tinged rock. Here we find him delving into the harder-edged, rock and jazz fusion side of his playing with the confidence that comes from being a virtuoso. This is practically a primer for how to play heavy metal guitar with an ear toward incorporating more complex jazz harmonies and improvisational techniques. For fans of highly technical, superbly crafted instrumental music that mixes pop and jazz sounds, Jazz and Rock Fusion will have much to offer and is a solid introduction to Gambale's work.

Best Of: Jazz and Rock Fusion contains technically demanding tracks from The Great Explorers, Note Worker, Passages, Thinking Out Loud, and Raison d'Etre. Such outstanding sidemen as keyboardists Tom Coster, Kei Akagi and Brian Auger, bassist Alphonso Johnson,Ttim Landers and Stu Hamm and drummers Jonathan Mover, Steve Smith, Dave Wecki and Billy Cobham are represented on this fusion compilation.

I already had many of Gambale's albums before ordering this one and was surprised and pleased that this "best of" compilation contains mostly tracks that I didn't already have. However, be forewarned - this collection leans more heavily toward instrumental rock than jazz fusion.  By R. Crush.

One listen to this and you will be convinced...Frank is the greatest guitar player on the planet!!! He can do it all, jazz, blues, metal, flamenco.........nobody cuts loose like Gambale,,,,.............electric guitar that burns!!!!!! By G. Newton.

Tracklist:

01.Little Charmer
02.Thunder Current
03.Leave Ozone Alone
04.The Jaguar
05.6.8 Shaker
06.The Final Frontier
07.High 5
08.Frankly Speaking
09.Bittersweet
10.Passages
11.My Little Viper
12.Complex Emotions