He is one of the few artists who have managed to be showered upon by a lot of praise by the renowned John McLaughlin, Allan Holdsworth and the late Shawn Lane. Alex Machacek, the Austrian jazz fusion guitarist is one lucky fellow to be in the league of a selected few who is regarded as the best of the best.

In Mumbai to perform at a concert, the bespectacled and strapping lad who has visited India before, left the audience at the St Andrews auditorium in Mumbai speechless with his mighty grit and grandeur in playing the ‘headless’ guitar. Organized by First Edition Arts – a company that curates and promotes Indian and International performing arts programmes, the three member band known and advertised since the last three weeks as The Alex Machacek Trio, also had on Lebanese born left handed bassist Rami Lakkis and American drummer Dana Hawkins.

Alex played songs from his albums and also tracks from his forthcoming album ‘Fat – 2’. While he stated he played most songs from the album in an acoustic vein, he mentioned that these would be available in the usual studio setting later. The 100 minute concert saw about 18 to 20 songs in a gig that saw music lovers and guitar worshippers in attendance.

Alex has over a dozen albums with various collaborators from Gary Husband to Raphael Preuschl, Terry Bozzio.

Machacek lives in Los Angeles with his wife Sumitra Nanjundan, an Indian American and has infact also produced her solo album ‘Indian Girl’ for her, in which he is himself featured in one of the songs.

By Verus Ferreira