Gabriel Amato Bio Although sometimes difficult to label and musically classify, singer-multi-instrumentalist, recording artist, Producer, composer, super-musician, guitarist extraordinaire and guitar inventor with two U.S. patents, Best describe Gabriel Amato in a sentence. However, one needs to expand on the super-musician label in order to fully describe this one-of-a-kind musical talent that is Gabriel Amato. Gabriel is a true virtuoso and accomplished musician on guitar, fretless bass, piano, drum kit, vibraphone, and recorder. Inspired by his love for the music of the Beatles, his musical journey began in 1962 by teaching himself the guitar at age five while rejecting all efforts at formal training. Early influences include both American and English guitar legends Jimi Hendrix, Wes Montgomery Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. Gabriel was covering Hendrix songs by the tender age of nine and was demonstrating his guitar prowess with the likes of Purple Haze, Mississippi Queen, and Whole lotta love. Although Gabriel enjoyed the material of his early guitar heroes, He really only wanted to learn technique from each of them while inventing his own unique style. During the 1970’s he became increasingly interested in British Progressive Rock and particularly with the super-bands such as Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, and Gentle Giant. Gabriel became enamored with the playing of Steve Howe, and could play just about any Yes tune, note for note, while still only a freshman in high school. Growing up in a New Jersey suburb, Gabriel always had a Basement band and developed a habit of learning and composing on everyone’s instrument left at his house between sessions. Although guitar remained his first love, It wasn’t long before his musicianship on the other instruments caught up to par with his extraordinary guitar playing. After following and roadying with the genius band Gentle Giant, Gabriel fully understood what his talent was capable of achieving and set out to become a world class vibist and composer of his own brand of progressive music. In the 1980’s, Gabriel’s study of great music took him down the pathway other greats long before him had discovered. Clifford Brown, Mcoy Tyner, Chick Corea and Gary Burton, Buddy Rich and Jack Dejonet. Allen Holdsworth and other innovators. Gabriel befriended and played with Jaco Pastorious and other equally gifted and renowned artists. Against this backdrop, Gabriel knew in his heart he was a very gifted and talented musician and in order to live up to his full potential he must fully dedicate himself, at whatever sacrifice, to his instruments and music. And dedicate himself he did. He took on a selfless commitment to study the many facets of music including audio engineering and instrument design. While performing in Florida, C.B.S. Italia sought him out To play bass on and produce the fourteenth album of the legendary Italian progressive rock band Banco. This led to a live Virgin c.d. and a European theater tour as a featured artist with the famous international recording artist Ricardo Cocciante. Go to the gallery section to view live television clips of Gabriel being featured with Cocciante. In order to perform his music to it’s fullest, Gabriel designed instruments that would “cooperate” with his ability level and was able to seek out world class Luther’s to assist him with his goals. These instruments can be heard on his new release Handshadows, and seen in the ”my instruments” section. The music of Handshadows Handshadows is a culmination of all of his early influences and one can immediately hear that the music can only be sung and played only by a grand master of each instrument. Gabriel Amato is truly a one-of-a-kind musician and this is what makes Handshadows so unique and special. No other musician on the planet is known to have achieved such an extremely high level of musical talent on as many instruments as he has and in as many musical disciplines including Jazz, Classical, and Progressive Rock. Listening to the music of Gabriel Amato, is like enjoying many of the world’s greatest musicians assembled together into a super band. The early musical influences that stayed with Gabriel Amato throughout his life are played out in complex multiplicity in track five- I lost my cat. Written when only fifteen years old, it is best described as Gentle Giant like without the medieval flare. Instrumentally speaking-it is an unusual blend of influences such as Jazz, Blues, Art-rock, and 20th Century Classical Music coupled with tricky time signatures, counterpoint, and complex rhythms. It starts out with very fast Roy Buchanan like electric guitar and bass lines in tight unison over an upbeat acoustic rhythm guitar played in 10/4. It then moves to a grand sonic sound reminiscent of yes complete with choir (a.k.a. Rick Wakeman Melotron) and hauntingly sustained guitar notes with deftly controlled volume characteristic of Steve Hackett of early Genesis. From here the music turns jazzy with a Steve Morse style melodic guitar solo over a fretless bass line clearly influenced by one of Gabriel’s most respected bassist’s and friend - Jaco Pastorius. Back to the 10/4 Gentle Giant like theme complete with vibraphone then the recurring melody played again only this time in the manner and style of a George Benson-Joe Diorio fat bodied clean electric jazz guitar with startlingly chromatic lines with exceptionally tasteful phrasing. This back and forth formula continues throughout the piece. The intermingling of musical styles and influences by world class musicians is heard throughout the album and is what makes the music of Gabriel Amato uniquely special and incredibly artistic. So in summary, imagine a super group or “dream team” of world class musicians collaborating on a lofty project and playing they’re own designed instruments together in a studio on seven tracks of some of the most extraordinary and artistic music ever produced. That is what Handshadows is in a nut shell-The language of the Worlds best musicians mastered to perfection by a single artist and fused into progressive compositions making new inroads in modern music. Its revolutionary in a sense as no other solo musician has possessed the exceptional talent necessary to attempt such a project. By David Gaetani