Contemporary jazz guitarist Slim Gambill reteams with hitmaker Adam Hawley on the single "Light This Candle"

Guitarist Slim Gambill’s solo recording career is about to blow up. Twenty years into his professional career that includes a long tenured sideman feature with multi-platinum, 7-time Grammy winners Lady A, the fretman’s own turn in the spotlight bodes to takeoff to another stratosphere when his new single, “Light This Candle,” begins collecting playlist adds on Monday (October 16). He wrote the Ludlow St. Records release with 12-time Billboard chart-topper Adam Hawley who produced the track.

“Light This Candle” is a slick and sleek Chic-styled, Nile Rodgers-riffing, dancefloor filling, disco and contemporary jazz mashup. Rocking his trademark twin braids, Gambill works out on a cool electric jazz guitar, playing dexterous lead and rhythm licks. Hawley decorates the energizing vibe and funky groove with rhythm guitar, Rhodes keyboards, synths and programming. Carnell Harrell enhances the instrumental bed with additional synth shading while the rhythm section comprised of Grammy-winning bassist Mel Brown and percussionist Ramon Yslas (David Sanborn, Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera) is locked.

“The Daft Punk-y groove and the hook remind me of a rocket taking off in some crazy 1970s sci-fi disco fantasy,” laughed the Nashville-based Gambill, who then explained the true meaning of the song title.

“This single is coming out at a pivotal juncture for me. It’s my fifth release and I think my sound is unique to contemporary jazz. It’s been a gradual process, and every single has done better and better. It’s time to ‘Light This Candle!”  Let’s get this done! I feel like this track is the one that’s gonna take my music over the top, and everything is pointing in that direction, so it’s all systems go,” said Gambill who lensed a video accompanying the single that can be viewed at https://youtu.be/BEN1ui7YTF4.

“Light This Candle” is the second consecutive single from the Gambill-Hawley team. Although both are graduates of the guitar program at the USC Thornton School of Music, saxophone sensation Mindi Abair introduced them. Earlier this year, Gambill hit the charts hard with the Hawley produced “Heavyweight,” resulting in a top 20 hit on the Billboard and Mediabase charts.

On his collaborative chemistry with Hawley, Gambill said, “You really realize why Adam is who he is. His ideas never, ever hit me as, ‘Yeah, I would have done the same thing.’ It’s really quite the opposite. His ideas add a spark that I never would have thought of and that’s what makes for such a killer musical and co-writing relationship.” 

Born in Nebraska and raised in Colorado as Jason Gambill, Slim’s first passion was rock and roll and blues guitar, idolizing Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan. At fifteen, he became mesmerized by George Benson’s music along with seminal jazz figures Freddie Hubbard, Wes Montgomery, Miles Davis and Mahavishnu Orchestra and his path was set…until he deviated by joining Lady A in their formative stages. Gambill became an integral part of the wild ride that rocketed them to global superstardom.

Gambill started his solo catalogue four years ago with the release of the flippantly titled “Fake Jazz & Theme Songs” followed a year later by his sophomore set, “LCD.” Over the last two years, he’s released a few jazz-R&B singles. Previewing his forthcoming album, “A Fine Vintage,” which is slated to arrive next spring, Gambill hopes “Light This Candle” will propel his career trajectory into another galaxy.