Eric Gale

Eric Gale - Multiplication - 1977 - Columbia

The late famed session jazz guitarist Eric Gale (not to be confused with Eric Gales) may not be a household name on the jazz scene, but in a long career, he was highly sought after as a top session player. He appeared on over 500 albums, and recorded with artists that included Billy Joel, Quincy Jones, Van Morrison, Lena Horne, Gábor Szabó, Chuck Rainey, Grover Washington Jr., Phil Upchurch, Tom Scott, Patti Austin, and Paul Simon. "Multiplication" is highly polished late 70s jazz fusion. It’s mellow, uncomplicated, cool, and Eric used a tight funk approach on some of the tracks. The album is a joy to listen to and is not just for jazz fans. This is an underrated album that received some poor reviews on it’s release in 1977. The competition was stiff then wasn’t it? Who can ever forget the great music of David Soul, Baccara, Boney M, and the Muppets! (lol)! Well, ok. We also had 10 cc, David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, and Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers. However, the fact remains that this kind of jazz guitar music did not overwhelm the music critics in the mid to late ‘70’s, and still doesn’t! “Those who can – do. Those who can’t - criticize!” Give Eric’s "Ginseng Woman" album a listen and support real music [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 85.3 Mb]

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 Oh! Mary Don't You Weep - Trad. 7:20
2 Thumper - Eric Gale 5:50
3 Multiplication - Eric Gale 5:20
4 Morning Glory - Lee Ritenour 8:25
5 Gypsy Jello - Richard Tee 4:49
6 Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child - Trad. 5:18

MUSICIANS

Eric Gale - Guitar
Willie Weeks - Bass on Tracks 1,2,5,6
Alphonso Johnson - Bass on Tracks 3,4
Anthony Jackson - Additional Bass on Tracks 3,4
Bob James - Fender Rhodes, Oberheim Polyphonic Synth., Clavinet
Richard Tee - Piano, Organ
Steve Gadd - Drums
Andrew Smith - Additional Drums on Track 3
Ralph MacDonald - Percussion
Eddie Daniels - Tenor Saxophone
Jerry Dodgion - Alto Saxophone
George Marge - Baritone Saxophone
Grover Washington,Jr. - Saxophone Solo on Tracks 3,4,5
Hank Crawford - Saxophone Solo on Track 6
Randy Brecker, Jon Faddis, Marvin Stamm, Lew Soloff - Trumpet
Wayne Andre, Paul Faulise - Trombone
David Taylor - Bass Trombone
David Nadien, Max Pollikoff, Marvin Morgenstern, Harry Lookofsky, Matthew Raimondi, Max Ellen,
LaMar Alsop, Harold Kohon, Harry Cykman - Violin
Emanuel Vardi, Barry Finclair - Viola
Richard Locker, Charles McCracken - Cello

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Eric Gale, a guitarist best known for his work as a side musician with numerous pop and jazz luminaries, died on May 25 (1994) in a hospital in Baja California, Mexico. Mr. Gale, who lived in Los Angeles, was 55. The cause was lung cancer, said his daughter Gretchen, of Brooklyn. Mr. Gale played guitar on over 100 pop, jazz, and blues recordings, including those of the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Aretha Franklin, Carla Bley, Mose Allison, Marvin Gaye, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Hodges and Grover Washington Jr. Over the course of his 30-year career, he released many solo albums and remained a regular fixture in New York clubs and recording studios. Mr. Gale, who was born in Brooklyn, started to teach himself to play guitar when he was 12. During the 1960's, he performed on the rhythm-and-blues circuit, with King Curtis, Maxine Brown, and Little Anthony and the Imperials. In 1976, he was a founding member of the group Stuff, with Cornell Dupree, Gordon Edwards, Steve Gadd, Chris Parker and Richard Tee. After performing in the Paul Simon film "One Trick Pony," Stuff toured with Mr. Simon. In 1982, Mr. Gale formed his own ensemble. In addition to his daughter Gretchen, he is survived by his mother, Jacqueline, of Brooklyn; his wife, Masako; three other daughters, Eriko, Mariko and Noriko, all of Los Angeles; two brothers, Leslie and Michael, both of Brooklyn, and a granddaughter. [Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company]

BIO (Wikipedia)

Eric J. Gale (Brooklyn, New York, 20 September 1938 - Baja California, Mexico, 25 May 1994) was a leading American jazz and session guitarist. He began playing guitar at the age of 12. Although he majored in chemistry at Niagara University, Gale was determined to pursue a musical career, and began contributing to accompaniments for such stars as Maxine Brown, the Drifters, and Jesse Belvin. He soon began to attract the attention of King Curtis and Jimmy Smith, who began recommending him for studio work. He became known first as a session musician in the 1960s, eventually appearing on an estimated 500 albums. Among the many artists he recorded with were Aretha Franklin, Paul Simon, Lena Horne, Quincy Jones, Grover Washington Jr., Herbie Mann, Esther Phillips, Joe Cocker, Carly Simon, Van Morrison, and Billy Joel. He also had a spell in Aretha Franklin's stage band. The epitome of the guitarist's guitarist, he was also used for many R&B-oriented dates. From the early 1970s he recorded extensively on the CTI label, as a sideman, on his own records, and as part of