Rising Fusion Guitar Hero Alex Machacek Unveils
Astonishing Chops and a Flood of Ideas on FAT
Scheduled for September 18th release
on Abstract Logix
(Los
Angeles) - Alex Machacek, the amazing fusion guitarist, has done it again.
Combining mindboggling fluidity, daredevil string-skipping technique and
audacious intervallic leaps on the guitar (ones that will make even the most
ardent Allan Holdsworth fan take notice), has taken his penchant for precision
ensemble playing and created a collection of audible art that rivals the late,
great Frank Zappa’s. Machacek takes the lead on FAT (Fabulous Austrian Trio),
to be released on September 18th through Abstract Logix.
The
extraordinary Austrian native, and current California resident, has upped the
ante on all of his previous outings with FAT (Fabulous Austrian Trio). As heard
on the rhythmically complex and slightly tongue-in-cheek “Why Not (aka Disco
Polka),” and the equally intricate “Safe Word”, Machacek is ably accompanied on
his sophomore outing by superb drummer Herbert Pirker and outstanding bassist
Raphael Preuschl. This trio appeared together on various tracks from
Machacek’s impressive 2005 debut, {Sic}, from Abstract Logix.
Machacek
recalls, “My last recording was 24 Tales, a ‘re-composition’ of an existing
51-minute long drum solo by Marco Minnemann, and the focus there was on
composition. On FAT, I wanted to have more improvisations and more emphasis on
interplay…just like a band, so to speak.” That kind of organic interplay can be
heard between Machacek, Pirker and Preuschl on the ethereal ballad “What A Time
To Be Me” and the spacious “Let’s Not Argue,” the latter which has Alex playing
baritone guitar. As a kind of relief from the astounding intricacy and unisons
demonstrated elsewhere throughout FAT, there is the gorgeous solo bass piece
“Ton Portrait” (a nod to the late, great Jaco Pastorius’s anthemic “Portrait of
Tracy”) and the atmospheric closer, “Let's Not Argue,” which incorporates a
great deal of breath between the notes while still showcasing Machacek’s
inimitable six-string facility. The guitarist reserves his most lyrical playing
for “D-Lite” and on “The Life of Herbert P.” he creates a ‘re-composition’
around an existing drum solo by Pirker. The Fabulous Austrian Trio also
generates some potent swinging momentum on the album’s jazziest number, “Studio
Swing.”
Machacek
will play an album release party on September 2nd at Porgy & Bess
in Vienna, Austria. www.porgy.at
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