Jazz Articles about Stuart Hamm

The Light Beyond: Frank Gambale, Stuart Hamm and Steve Smith

by Josef Woodard
February 11, 2023

Reports of fusion's death have been greatly exaggerated. The cultural phenomenon, by which jazz and rock made a potent alliance during the '70s, generally slipped out of the public ear and major label consciousness, as jazz as a whole retreated into a more historicist, unplugged attitude. But out of corporate sight only out of corporate mind, and musicians have been courting the fusion muse on indie labels and just beneath the surface of mainstream jazz marketing ever since its heyday. ...

Gergo Borlai: The Missing Song

by Jim Worsley
May 29, 2020

The Missing Song has been heralded as a tribute to Gergo Borlai's nine most influential drummers still alive and performing today. This is much more than just listing them and perhaps covering one of their songs. Borlai composed eight of the nine new songs on this album. He plays them all in the manner, or mindset, of each drummer. The thought process, and level of preparation was meticulous for every drummer and every song. The drum kit, cymbals, sticks, pedals, ...

Stuart Hamm: Outbound

by Scott Andrews
September 1, 2001

Bassist Stu Hamm's credits include several stints supporting flashy guitarists Steve Vai and Joe Satriani with his equally flashy tapping bass chops back in the late 80s. More recently, Hamm appeared in a project band trio with Frank Gambale and Steve Smith on two instrumental, chop-laden fusion records from the Tone Center label, where the trio wrote clever, aggressive modern fusion. Outbound shows a collection of songs written by Hamm around the turn of the year 2000, and the liner ...

Stuart Hamm: Outbound

by Todd S. Jenkins
March 1, 2001

From the opening moments of this unbelievable disc, it’s clear that Stuart Hamm is not your average electric bassist. His technique rivals Jaco Pastorius and Stanley Clarke for originality, and he strikes a good balance of tastefulness and adventure that both of those icons tended to lack.

Hamm gained fame in his supporting roles behind guitar gods Steve Vai and Joe Satriani, but his solo albums prove that he is more than a second banana. He immediately flaunts his formidable ...

Gambale/Hamm/Smith: The Light Beyond

by Todd S. Jenkins
October 1, 2000

Half of Vital Information unites with a former chops-metal icon to produce their second masterfully hewn fusion disc. Gambale and Smith are true giants of the fusion industry, and Hamm proved long ago that he was up to more than backing hair-god guitarists like Steve Vai and Joe Satriani. From the very first notes the astonishing empathy and gifts of these three men are in your face. This is a 5K run through a musical mine field, the players deftly ...

Gambale/Hamm/Smith: The Light Beyond

by John W. Patterson
August 1, 2000

If I had to find patterns or echoes of another guitarist in Gambale’s chordal progressions, breakdowns, and eruptions into vitriolic riffs of ostinatos and legatos, all being sweep-picking showcases – I’d have to say I keep hearing Mahavishnu John McLaughlin’s style in his Mahavishnu Orchestra daze of fusion. Listen to opening cut, “Katahdin” for evidence. And next track, Gambale surprises me with signature Allan Holdsworth voicings; those dream-laden, chordal noodlings and odd maneuvers of scale. This gives Hamm room to ...

Frank Gambale - Stuart Hamm - Steve Smith: The Light Beyond

by Glenn Astarita
August 1, 2000

Fusion and Rock superheroes, guitarist Frank Gambale, bassist Stuart Hamm and drummer Steve Smith reunite for their second “Tone Center” release, titled - The Light Beyond. Throughout, the musicians meld strong, memorable compositions with aggressive soloing and cagey dialogue. On the opener “Katahdin”, Gambale utilizes his impressive and well documented – sweeping technique – intermingled with thoughtful lines, legato and suspenseful themes while Hamm and Smith hammer out the rhythms with effortless control amid vivacious interplay. The composition, “Yang” might ...