Guitar Instrumentals Influenced by Blues, Jazz, 60's Soul and Latin Rock

13 MP3 Songs
BLUES: Rhythm & Blues, BLUES: Acoustic Blues

Details:
Brian Gauci

- Short bio -


BRIAN GAUCI started playing guitar at the age of seventeen motivated by the sounds of the British Invasion, Southern Rhythm & Blues, and Chicago Blues. Brian joined local rhythm &blues band âAtlantisâ in 1974 and was affiliated with the band for several years. He gained a wide range of experience playing in rock nâ roll, rhythm and blues, dance, and revue bands throughout the 70âs, backing singers such as Grant Smith, David Dynamo, Karen Silver, and Douglas, a tribute to Elvis,
Brian studied at Humber College for three years majoring in arranging, orchestration and jazz improvisation. While at Humber, Brian had a house gig at Bramalea Place with âTouch of Goldâ and stayed with the band for several years thereafter.
A Tuesday night house gig at Café Tiffany in Port Credit led to appearances with Canadian legend Eugene Smith. Brian toured with Eugene, playing various festivals and was guitarist on some of Eugeneâs recordings.
A gig with singer and harmonica player Danny B in 1993 led to a musical relationship that continues to this day, The Danny B/Brian Gauci duo plays regularly around Toronto and recently opened for Kim Mitchell In Victoria.
Brian, who is an excellent accompanist, can also be heard playing behind singers Penny Skolski, Jay Douglas, Chuck Jackson and Chris Kenny, often filling out the whole harmonic content of the band. Brian and Chris have a long running duo called âMizbehavinâ and have a Christmas CD âMizbehavinâ By the Christmas Treeâ
Some other highlight engagements have been with Big Joe Turner, Dorothy Moore, The Drifters, Freda Payne, Melba Moore, and Reggae Great Ernie Smith.
Brianâs relationship with producer David Carey Clarke began in the 70âs. They have worked together on music for Canadaâs fitness gurus Hal Johnson and Joanne Mcloud, co-written the music for the film âCorneredâ, as well as various other projects. Their collaboration has resulted in the recent release of the CD âGUITAR ROMPâ (13 tunes, all composed by Brian Gauci).

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Dynasound Music (SOCAN)

BRIAN GAUCI/GUITAR ROMP: Description of Album

DYNASOUND MUSIC PRESENTS

GUITAR ROMP

THE NEW CD FROM

BRIAN GAUCI

13 GUITAR BASED INSTRUMENTALS INFLUENCED BY BLUES, JAZZ AND LATIN ROCK.

Featuring BRIAN GAUCI on electric, acoustic and slide guitar with MICHAEL FONFARA on Hammond organ and piano, PAT CAREY on saxophones, DANNY B on harmonica, MARTIN AUCOIN on piano, ULI BOHNET and GARTH VOGAN on bass, JOHN ADAMES, JIM CASSON and GORD MONTGOMERY on drums, JOE ALLEN on trumpet and EUGENE SMITH on djembe.

THE TUNES

1. GUITAR ROMP (3:08) A rocking Shuffle with electric lead

2. MEMPHIS GROOVE (3:49) Straight ahead Southern R&B, the title speaks for itself.

3. DAT BLU (4:51) Slow minor Blues with acoustic guitar lead.

4. APPLES AND ORANGES (4:26) Bouncy Latin Rock with acoustic guitars and singing soprano sax.

5. THATâS COOL (5:08) Smokey Blues with a bridge, Big Band style.

6. LOVE IS HERE TO STAY (3:03) East coast Blues in a Nashville groove.

7. ONE SHOT DEAL (4:25) A bit of New Orleans coming to you from Toronto.

8. SUNSHINE COAST (5:12) Influenced by the area of British Columbia from Langdale to Saltery Bay.

9. SPACE GARDEN (2:54) A true âFusionâ tune, part Motown, part Blues, part Surf, part field holler.

10. BLUES A LA FRANCAISE (3:32) Kansas City style swing with a French twist.

11. COME TAKE MY HAND (5:50) A bluesy ballad with electric guitar lead and wailing solos on organ and tenor sax.

12. THE BACKSTROKE (5:30) Laid back Funk with some rip roaring saxophone from Pat Carey

BONUS TRACK!!!!!!

13. BLACK CAT BLUES (6:16) Itâs 4:00 am, the joint is closed, the chairs are on the tables and some people are cleaning up but the band plays on..


Produced by: DAVID CAREY CLARKE Published by: Dynasound Music (SOCAN) 2001


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CD REVIEW

BRIAN GAUCI: GUITAR ROMP (Dynasound/Iridescent)

--by Gary Tate (on the Spalding Blues Club Website)

Opting for a âbelow-the-radarâ profile, veteran guitarist Brian Gauci remains a largely unknown entity. Those invited into Brianâs private circle with âGuitar Rompâ, will soon gain an understanding of the gratification felt by his community of admirers at his long-running Saturday afternoon gig at Hartnettâs Pub in Toronto. His music appeals as much to the mind as to the heart, and testimonials to his passion, taste, and inventiveness are routine. Yet heâs concentrated the bulk of his spare time in composing and recording those ideas thatâve been bubbling in the back of his mind.

An all-instrumental outing, âGuitar Rompâ provides bounty for this perseverance, a fascinating showcase of one manâs variant musical moods, feelings, and insights. Utilizing a variety of six-stringed instruments, it maintains a fine balance between its slightly experimental feel and the accessibility derived from every track having an invitingly appealing melody. âGuitar Rompâ delightfully stretches those blues boundaries at every opportunity, with guitar influences too numerous to delineate, though seemingly tilted toward such soulful/jazz pioneers as Al Casey, Wayne Bennett, Irving Ashby, Clarence Holliman, Kenny Burrell, and Grant Green. And thatâs great news!

âMemphis Grooveâ garners immediate attention, a throwback to the halcyon days of the Meters and Booker T. and the MGs. Propelled by Gauciâs soulfully delicate phrasings, responded by Michael Fonfaraâs brilliant B-3 flourishes, it delivers a groove that just canât be topped. âThatâs Coolâ has a relaxed Kenny Burrell-like vibe, and could double as a therapeutic aid in any psychotherapistâs office. Another mind-expanding cut is âSpace Gardenâ, Smokey Robinson-inspired droplets of dreamy slide guitar, beautifully counter-pointed by emotional harmonica from long-time partner-in-crime, Danny B. Continuing the soul parade is âCome Take My Handâ: an infusion of Ray Charles.

âBlues A La Francaiseâ is an acoustic homage to Charlie Christian. Its gaiety, sweetness, and buoyant mood are captivating. âOne Shot Dealâ was based on a Professor Longhair idea (per Brian), while yours truly was captivated by its old times country spirit, prompting an interesting perspective on how artist and listener often discern different things from the same piece of music.

The rumba line starts at the papaya hut on the Brazilian-tinged âSunshine Coastâ. Shake your hips to exquisite Gauci guitar, and shimmy to exotic rhythms circulated by drummer John Adames (of the Bebop Cowboys), Uli Bohnet (bass), and Eugene âThe Wandering Minstrelâ Smith (djembe). âApples and Orangesâ provides more optimism to brighten up your day. âLove Is Here To Stayâ started out as a slice of Mississippi John Hurt, but Brian acknowledged that it soon evolved into something entirely different--albeit still entirely gorgeous to listen to.

Three of the thirteen tracks are unapologetically bluesy. âDat Bluâ dramatically alternates between brooding intensity and sensitive playfulness, as bloodlines from Robbie Robertson and Otis Rush course through its veins. âBlack Cat Bluesâ ventures back to the Mississsippi delta, an intoxicatingly traditional potion of Robert Johnson and Blind Willie Johnson. âThe Backstrokeâ is laid back and funky, and itâs intriguing how Gauci mixed the lead and rhythm guitars in such a transparently effortless manner. As for Pat Careyâs saxophone---it was more sweet icing on the cake.

Other important contributors to the cause include Jim Casson and Gord Montgomery (drums), Garth Vogan (bass), Martin Aucoin (piano), and Joe Allen (trumpet). A beguiling connoisseur of the guitar, Brian Gauci seamlessly extracts a sound rainbow from this most adaptable of instruments. Every track on âGuitar Rompâ--including the Gatemouth Brown-influenced title track---crackles with spunk and charm, and depending on your particular mood, any one of them might become your listening post favorite. This is what weâve come to expect from Brian Gauci, an unheralded but exceptional instrumental poet.



Dynasound Music

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