Frank Gambale

He is of Italian origin (Paternopoli, in the province of Avellino, of which he is an honorary citizen) and prefers the rock/fusion style. He began playing the guitar at the age of seven.

He was influenced by the blues playing of Jimi Hendrix, John Mayall, Eric Clapton, and Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead.

Later, in his teens, he discovered the music of Steely Dan, Michael Brecker, and Chick Corea, which provided him with his first jazz approach.

In 1982 he decided to further his study of guitar at the Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT) in Hollywood, where he successfully graduated and remained as a teacher for four years, during which time he played at many local jazz clubs, wrote his first book, “Speed Picking,” and signed a contract with the Legato label to record three records.

His next meeting with Chick Corea marked a turning point in his career; it began six years of intense work that made him known to the world, earned him five records, a “Grammy Award” and two “Grammy Nominations.”

Of Chick Corea, to whom he remained very grateful and with whom collaborations have gone on over the years without interruption, he said, “Playing with him is like a dream come true!” Also for Chick Corea, he played in the Chick Corea Elektric Band along with John Patitucci and Dave Weckl.

In addition to many other records and collaborations with famous names related to a wide variety of musical genres, Frank Gambale has produced instructional videos, toured the world with his band, and is head of the guitar department of the new music school in Los Angeles called “L.A. Music Academy” (LAMA), where he is actively involved in writing programs, selecting teachers, and teaching himself.

Frank does not give up any commitment related to his artistic endeavors, he loves his work and is happy to work strenuously; he often repeats, “I can’t believe you can get paid to do what I do; I wish what I do would not sell anywhere in the world.”

Since 2001, a close collaboration has continued between Frank Gambale and one of the greatest living classical guitarists, Maurizio Colonna, an acoustic duet that has resulted in no less than three albums (2 studio and 1 live) and a continuous series of concerts.

Frank is friends with Billy Cobham, and in 2004 participated in his “Spectrum Band” tour with Tom Coster and Baron Browne; Cobham himself plays on the album Raison D’etre.