Jack Gardiner, one of today’s most formidable fusion players, has a rock-solid track record of releasing singles that mesmerize fans thanks to his technically mind-boggling fretboard explorations and oh-so tasty approach to phrasing.
His latest track U.T.F.F., which calls upon the expert services of the Strandberg-wielding wizard Owane and bass guitar powerhouse Henrik Linder, is certainly no exception, and acts as a tantalizing teaser for an imminent full-length collaborative effort between the two electric guitar gurus.
The trio waste no time with polite formalities and instead start as they mean to go on, introducing the track’s three-piece-strong main hook, neatly decorated by Linder and his true temperament fingerboard-equipped bass.
Owane momentarily takes up position behind the keys while Gardiner, armed with his Ibanez AZ2204B, launches into his first extended lead effort, pulling out all the tricks he has up his sleeve in the form of otherworldly fingerboard-navigating licks and blinding scale runs.
Lucky for us, we don’t have to wait long for more Gardiner/Owane efforts, with the Ibanez-signature artist revealing that the pair have written a whole EP together, which is due out next Friday (August 13).
Said Gardiner, “I'm so happy to finally announce the new music we've been working on. After Escapades and working together on various demos for Neural DSP, Owane and I thought it could be cool to write an album/EP in collaboration.
“This is the single U.T.F.F,” he continued, “featuring one of our childhood hero's Henrik Linder on bass. A massive thanks to Henrik for adding something totally different to this track.
Chapter One: Shredemption is available to preorder now in a variety of bundle packages, which include tabs for each song, Neural DSP presets and backing tracks.
