The Andreas Kapsalis Trio, whose roots run deep in the city of Chicago, are a hypnotic and mind blowing act, fact. If you have ever watched the award-winning documentary, Black Gold, then you may already be hip to their sound as their collective talents can be heard throughout on the film‘s score. In a city that gave birth to the Smashing Pumpkins, R. Kelly, Twista and Tortoise -to name but a lines worth- the AKT have undoubtedly cemented their reputation as a Chicago musical force to be reckoned with. It’s about time the city’s best kept secret was let out.
Words: Ade Bankole// Image: Ed Oprondek
The Andreas Kapsalis Trio are as down-to-earth as the floor gets and represent everything that is good about the Chicago music scene; Rich, generous and ever-evolving. Formed in 2001/2, they are Andreas Kapsalis (Acoustic Guitar), Jamie Gallagher (Drums, auxiliary percussion) and Darren Garvey (Percussion, accordion, melodica, glockenspiel, ocean harp) and they are best described as an audacious alliance of eight-fingered guitar virtuosity, outstanding melodic themes, and rhythmic variation on percussion. Elements of americana, flamenco, Greek, African, and Arabic music are part of the mix, each receiving equal time.
In 2001, Andreas met Grammy award-winning producer/composer, Jim Tullio through a mutual friend. Not too long after their introduction, Jim expressed interest in producing the first EP, entitled “Bubblegum Enlightenment,” capturing Kapsalis’ original compositions on solo acoustic guitar, layered with percussion and drum tracks. Tullio encouraged Andreas to follow a new direction in arranging music for an untraditional ensemble. Despite Kapsalis’ scepticism, the blueprint was drafted, and he forged ahead to assemble a trio featuring two percussionists who could be inventive enough to help round out the frame of his composition and guitar style.
Jamie jumped on board towards the end of 2001, but Darren who was still in school at the time did not officially join until a year later. When he eventually stepped in to fill the position, he proved to be as unconventional as a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and performer.
The word virtuoso is thrown about these days like confetti, but for Andreas Kapsalis, the word rings true due to him overcoming a severe hand injury that makes his playing style truly unique:
“I had been playing guitar for about seven years before my hand injury. Due to a carving accident, I severed a tendon in my pinky finger on my left hand (fingering hand) in an area referred to as “no man’s land.” I then had surgery to repair the tendon and was bound to a cast for some time. I became frustrated for not knowing the permanent effects of my injury and it was unclear whether or not the surgery would be a success.
“This eventually led to the initial exploration of extended tapping techniques with my only functioning right hand. So in a nutshell, my technique came from a hand injury and a desperate fear of the worst. My evolution as a player began through those months of relearning the guitar, using my picking hand as a fingering hand. The technique is also a major asset for creating and composing as a guitarist to this day.”
Unless you have walked the streets of Chicago, attended live shows and spoken to fellow musos, it is really hard to appreciate how important the music scene here is in the grand scheme of music in the US. Chicago has a home for almost any type of musical genre or style. Many talented musicians go there in order to refine their musical voices. The audiences are supportive and willing to nurture the growing diverse culture, helping to make it a creative Mecca.
Ironically though, the AKT found it difficult to get the project off the ground. Some Chicago venues and talent buyers resisted booking shows because of the group’s unique instrumentation. But if an instrumental, acoustic guitar, drums and percussion trio can build a reputation and find an audience here, then most artists would not find it all that difficult to carve out a niche in Chicago.
On the subject of the Black Gold documentary, Kapsalis explains how that was initially conceived: “I was awarded a composer fellowship grant from the Sundance Institute in the summer of 2005, which ultimately led to the opportunity to score Black Gold. I met the filmmakers during my studies at the Institute. Five months later, the movie went on to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, 2006. This was my initiation into film scoring, and the success of Black Gold brought about several other opportunities for me to compose for film.”
“Original Scores” is the Andreas Kapsalis Trio’s follow-up album to 2004’s self-titled debut, which along with several downloadable covers, are available on the trio‘s webpage including Pink Floyd’s “Money” and Dave Brubeck’s “Blue Rondo A La Turk, the latter moving the iconic pianist so much that he personally wrote to the trio to thank them for their “interpretation” of music that he had only envisioned on piano.
With much acclaim coming from both sides of the industry and the demand for their sound ever-increasing, the secret is finally out and thankfully so.
Andreaskapsalis.com
Myspace.com/aktrio
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