Slade Stomp

It’s been three years since the release of the “Blu di Genova” CD, acclaimed by the music press all over the World (The Washington Post wrote: “…spinning a thick weave that sometimes calls to mind what a duet by Doc Watson and Leo Kottke might sound like.”) and here we are with “Slade Stomp”, the 10th CD of the career of the Genovese artist and the first to be recorded by Beppe “alone” with his 6 and 12 strings acoustic guitars, the 14 strings Italian harp-guitar from the turn of the previous century, the slide guitar and his voice. Some tunes are for solo guitar showcasing the new “crosspicking techniques” invented by Beppe (like the “Ave Maria”), some others are recorded with several overdubbings, one tune “1000 Flatpickers at the Court of King Norman” has been recorded with 119 overdubbings on separate tracks to get the vibe of a “real” guitar orchestra. I wanted to please all my fans asking me to produce a CD played just by me. In the process of the production I realized that most of my new compositions were inspired from the acoustic guitar masters (from the present and the past) that, in a way or another, represented a lot in my artistic life and most of all in the creation of my own personal style. The concept of “Slade Stomp” is this: tunes that I wrote or arranged dedicated to the great masters. “Slade Stomp” is also the title track that I dedicated to Charles Sawtelle, great American master of flatpicking and a good friend of mine who left us few years ago. His “mysterious” and ironic style is really suitable with the concept of my CD. Two bonus “live” tracks complete the CD: the first track was recorded during a concert in Berkeley, CA where I performed together with American mandolin legend David Grisman; the second track has been recorded at the Teatro della Corte in Genova, Italy during the Acoustic Night 2004 together with Gene Parsons and Martino Coppo. John Weingart “Music you can’t hear on the Radio”, WPRB: "Each tune and song on Beppe Gambetta’s new CD, Slade Stomp is a delightful revelation, whether it is an entirely new interpretation of a Woody Guthrie song, a masterful medley of Doc Watson compositions, a traditional Italian polka, or one of his own wonderful tunes. Taken as a whole, the album is a rare gem, seamlessly combining Gambetta’s world-class flatpicking guitar playing, great singing, musical creativity, and fluency and respect for the traditional music of two cultures. Except for two bonus tunes where he is accompanied by David Grisman and Gene Parsons, this album is happily focused only on Gambetta and his guitars. I can’t imagine any fan of good acoustic music not thoroughly enjoying Slade Stomp. This is clearly one of the best albums of 2006."