Today, Guitarist Slim Gambill releases "54321" with an exclusive Billboard.com debut. The track is the second to be released from Fake Jazz & Theme Songs, the debut album from Gambill, who is also sideman and lead guitarist for the multi platinum recording artist, Lady Antebellum. Fake Jazz & Theme Songs is now available for pre-order and will be released on September 6th via Ludlow St. Records on all digital platforms.
"54321" is Gambill's response to the musical question, "What would Jimi Hendrix sound like if he were signed to Blue Note?" As a nascent musician, Hendrix was one of Gambill's heroes, with Jimi's "Wind Cries Mary" one of the very first songs he learned to play on guitar.
Commenting on the track, special guest Jeff Coffin from Dave Matthews Band had this to say; "Slim makes great music and going back and listening to this track was a joy! Really great ideas all around and you can hear that he encourages the musicians find their place in his music. He's awesome and I'm so grateful I get to work with great musicians like him.' Gambill adds, "This tune is an enigma for me....you can't bob your head to it, but somehow people do. The melody is complicated, yet somehow people get it stuck in their heads. It's pretty out there but for whatever reason it's become a favorite to my audiences-disconnected and connected, unrelatable and relatable, foreign and familiar....maybe Jeff's soprano ties it all together. Like Lebowski's rug."
The first single from the project, "Over Getting Over You," the only non-instrumental track on the album, had its premiere with Parade Magazine in late July. The track is a meticulously written and arranged slice of '70s pop-R&B, that is graced by singer Candace Devine's seismic performance. Gambill says that it's 'a song about getting out of a relationship, only to realize you want back in.'
The wide range of styles featured on the album are reflected by the diversity of the musicians working with Gambill; Kenneth Crouch (Mariah Carey, Lionel Richie) and Jeff Coffin ( Dave Matthews Band) Chris Nix, a frequent collaborator with Korn's Jonathan Davis, and Isaac Hanson of the group Hanson. "This is probably the only record that will ever feature those two guys together," Gambill proudly states.
Between Lady Antebellum tours, Gambill has been playing cuts from Fake Jazz & Theme Songs at jazz clubs across the country, and time permitting, he's eyeing more dates around the country. The current tour kicks off with southern leg hitting Atlanta, Mobile, Pensacola and Nashville with a stop at New York City's world famous Birdland Theater on September 25th to celebrate the release of the album.
Gambill says. "I'm so proud of this album, and I'm really grateful that I had the chance to make it. It ties a lot of my influences into a really cool package, and it really shows off the fact that I'm a writer and composer first and foremost. Guitar is the voice I use to express myself."
Listen to "54321" below.
9/21 The Velvet Note, Alpharetta GA
9/22 Druid Hills Golf Club-Jazz Brunch, Atlanta GA
9/25 Birdland Theater NYC. (Record Release Party)
9/26 The Linda, Albany NY
9/27 Private Event, New Hope PA
10/3 The Listening Room, Mobile AL
10/4 Pensacola Country Club, Pensacola FL
10/10 HVAC, Chicago IL
10/11 The Jazz Kitchen, Indianapolis IN
10/12 Jimmy Can't Dance, Louisville KY
11/5 City Winery Lounge, Nashville
1/11/20 Prescott Center for the Arts, Prescott AZ
Guitar Trio Show w/Drew Hall & Anton Teschner
*Additional Dates to be Announced
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