|
contents | jazz | |||||||||||||
| Dave Chamberlain Showcases Guitar Skills For Dave Chamberlain, neither the bass which he is best known for or the guitar, his spotlighted instrument on his new album "On the Back Foot, " was the instrument of first love. It was something else entirely, and what could be defined as a failed crush. "When I was seven my father, a keen semi-pro trumpet player and bass-guitarist with a brass band and cabaret background, started to teach me the trumpet, " he recalled. "I continued with this until the age of 15, never really mastering the instrument or developing a love for it." In the fickle world of adolescence, it happens: Boy meets trumpet. Boy doesn't like trumpet after all. Boy falls for guitar and lives happily ever after. However, it was never simple as that. "When I was 16 I started an A-level music course, with the guitar as my first instrument. My music teacher, a double bass player, suggested I take up that instrument as a second study. Thus I began to receive formal double bass and guitar tuition at the same time, both in the classical discipline, " Chamberlain said. "I progressed much more rapidly on the double bass than the guitar, going from beginner to grade 8 (distinction) within 18 months whereas on the guitar it took closer to three years. Along with the increased opportunities for performing in a range of different classical ensembles, this meant that the double bass became my natural choice of instrument for serious study when I commenced my music degree. Thus, when I came to London to study music at Goldsmiths College, the guitar went back into its case and remained there for more than 10 years." Chamberlain's guitar displays no inch of dust on "On the Back Foot." In fact, it finds Chamberlain in top command. On tracks like "Too Late Now" and "Serenade to Sweden, " Chamberlain delivers compelling performances that suggest a musician who is completely relaxed and flexible with the guitar. Yet Chamberlain remains humble about these particular skills. "My efforts to learn jazz guitar have been mostly self-directed since I got it back out of its case five years ago, with careful attention paid to advice given by guitarists I have worked with as a bass player, notably including the swing master Bucky Pizzarelli, " he explained. "I'm still very much engrossed in developing my guitar skills and consider it a highly rewarding and engaging work in progress." write your comments about the article :: © 2011 Jazz News :: home page |