Not only is Andreas Kapsalis quickly building his reputation as the most important torch bearer in the tradition of the one-man guitar army since Michael Hedges left his legacy with the music world, he’s also raising the bar for the 21st century film score; a composer who uses his idiosyncratic style to create an impressonable perspective on the silver screen. With the release of the Andreas Kapsalis Trio’s self-titled album (2005, O.I.E.), Kapsalis consummates the alliance between eight-fingered guitar virtuosity and outstanding melodic theme and variation. This album also helps to tell the story of an unusual musical journey. For Kapsalis, this journey began by accident. When he was 18 years old, the self taught musician severed a tendon in his left hand, while working as an apprentice to a luthier. It was during this time that he decided to turn that accident into an advantage. “I started to experiment with playing chords and scales and relearning the guitar while I was in the cast,” Kapsalis explains. “I had no use of my left hand, so my right hand was all I had to produce sound. I just started writing songs and reworking songs I had composed earlier on with my new found (eight-finger) technique. All of a sudden, I was doing things I couldn't dream of doing before the mishap - I could harmonize with myself."
For the next six years Andreas continued to champion the two handed guitar technique, gaining inspiration from keyboard players like Jimmy Smith and Dave Brubeck, alongside modern composers including Copeland, Prokofiev, and Steven Reich. “There are so many things that you can do with the technique. It enabled me to learn how to play scores and piano pieces that I previously had trouble with earlier on, due to the lack of available digits - to fill out the range. You can’t play more than six notes at once, but some of the harmonies and scale runs that were impossible before are now possible. So the advantages keep opening up.”
By 2001, two-time Grammy award-winning producer, Jim Tullio, caught wind of Andreas Kapsalis and his unique approach to guitar, and pressed him to record. Under the supervision of Tullio, Kapsalis recorded a handful of original compositions, in addition to a version of Dave Brubeck’s “Blue Rondo a la Turk”, which won Kapsalis acclaim from Brubeck who wrote: “I am very impressed that Andreas could cover on guitar what I had written for piano.” Tullio was also instrumental in helping Andreas realize that his true potential as a pure acoustic guitarist, encouraging him to utilize his talents to cover the melody, harmony, and bass lines simultaneously, with the support of two percussionists.
It was through this intriguing vision that helped to persuade drummer Jamie Gallagher to join Kapsalis on his quest for embracing an unexplored musical path. The two shed for 6 months as a duo, composing and arranging the material, and then eventually began auditions for a percussionist, to round out the group as a trio. After performing for another 6 months with a handful of talented prospects on the Chicago underground scene, Gallagher knew to permanently enlist Darren Garvey in the fall of 2002, a friend and musician he had collaborated with since age 19. Garvey, a multi-faceted instrumentalist, rounded out the trio exceptionally well, adapting to the experimental style of the group.
It’s a style that is often described as “Tribal Mediterranean.” Kapsalis states that “we enjoy arranging intellectual compositions - music that you have to think about, but at the same time, we love the intensity of a simple piece of bubble-gum music. We’re essentially coupling together these two components within the songs. We also love introducing elements of Greek music into the sound, such as the old folk melodies I remember listening to from my childhood, as well as odd-time signatures, but try to do it with a light hearted feel.” There are also elements of Americana, Flamenco, African, and Middle Eastern music included in the mix, but no one genre ever becomes most prominent.
In late 2004, the Andreas Kapsalis Trio completed their self-titled debut release under the guidance of producer Tim Sandusky. Andreas often creates the effect on this album that his sound is coming from six hands, not two. In reality, there are no guitar overdubs and no effects. Featuring tracks such as “Music to Spy to” and “El Mariachi,” the release captures the true essence of the trio, showcasing the group’s unorthodox percussive approach on traditional acoustic instruments. Through this recording one can indulge in the polyphony between Kapsalis’ guitar orchestra, and the pulse of African and Middle Eastern drums, grazed by the eerie unsheathed shrill of a bowed cymbal.
Andreas Kapsalis recently began his movie scoring career at the Sundance Institute, where he was invited as a lab fellow in 2005 for the composers’ forum. This opportunity introduced Andreas to London film directors Marc and Nick Francis, who subsequently commissioned Andreas to score their latest documentary Black Gold. With the addition of Andreas’ music, Black Gold premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, where it received the “Official Selection” award. Bringing his expertise to film scoring is a natural step as proven by Black Gold. Beyond this project, Kapsalis has been working hard on music for future films, and continues to make waves in the film industry.
The Trio, now in its 4th year, insists on setting its own trend, creating music that conveys a level of intensity and emotion that is truly one of a kind. Not only have they become a force representing Chicago’s vast music scene, but they continue to branch out, performing in venues across the Midwest and beyond, in support of their debut recording. Andreas Kapsalis graciously adds that: “I’m fortunate enough to have two willing people to go on my crazy journey with me. Every time we perform it seems as if that group of listeners walks away with so much. That’s so fulfilling. It’s hard to imagine there’s anything better than that.”
For more information, visit their website: http://www.andreaskapsalis.com
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