by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net
DS Kennedy’s Coffee Roasters is a coffee café with an outdoor patio that brought in some guitar virtuosos for an informal jam last Saturday night. The location and the event were different enough to ignite my curiosity. This coffee shop roasts its own blends of coffee, which is extraordinarily delicious. It is located on San Jose Blvd. near The Loop restaurant at San Jose and Crown Point Road.
Out on the patio, I met Joe Gabala, who was setting up his amp to play some of his classically-styled improvised compositions on electric and acoustic guitars. Joe moved to Jacksonville from Philly two years ago to pursue playing music full time.
Joe graduated from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh with a degree in Music Composition and Performance. In Philly, Joe was a member of a hip-hop act. Since arriving in Jax, he took a job at a logistics company to explore the music scene here. Of course, he noticed that original artists had very few options to playing out. So, he is putting together a solo act with a combination of cover and original material and looking for other musical opportunities.
Before Joe could get started with his set, Mario Herfy, a classical flamenco guitarist showed up, creating an impromptu classical guitar smack-down, which got my adrenalin pumping. Gee, I haven’t run into any flamenco guitarists in years, except Goliath, who is more of a nouveau flamenco artist who improvises on flamenco themes and rhythms.
Nonetheless, Joe and Mario attempted to find a common ground to jam, and they pulled off a few meaningful jams, but it was apples and oranges, so Mario played solo and Joe borrowed Mario’s guitar and played some classical compositions. Yes, the pressure of the moment gripped Joe like a invisible vice, as he pulled off some difficult guitar showcases.
The spontaneity of this hip happening intrigued me, so I was more than happy to listen to some solo classical guitar and excuse a few mistakes. After all, this whole event just happened and took on a vibe of its own with the pungent aroma of DS Kennedy’s coffee roaster in the air. Just smelling this exotic coffee gave me a buzz.
After Joe and Mario had played, a surprise guest ambled onto the patio–Tony Smotherman, who had just gotten back into town after living in Orlando for a year and a half. Tony, who had just stopped by, decided to play some of his classical compositions on his amplified acoustic guitar. Ah yes, things had taken a giant step in guitar artistry at ye ole coffee shop scene. A master had taken the stage.
Of course, Tony’s stellar reputation as an electric guitar avatar is well known in music circles. His innovative new techniques, combining a huge array of different styles, has gleaned Tony much international attention. His two and a half years living in Orlando as a central hub for his travels has been quite productive. In March, Tony released his latest CD on Vision Records titled The Light Within, which went on sale at major outlets. Tony has toured extensively to promote this seminal work. An all-star cadre of world-class musicians worked with Tony on the Light Within sessions, including Planet X keyboardist, Derek Sheninian, bassist Jon Reshard, and drummer Bruce Royal.
For the impromptu patio jam, Tony played some of his classically-styled improvised compositions on which he improvised, developing his themes with a dazzling display of creative ideas using innovative techniques. Tony’s masterful playing brought to mind my recent interview with Todd Rundgren–a musical innovator like Tony who has never allowed himself to be categorized or limited by music business marketers. Tony ended the evening with some memorable guitar wizardry.
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