Alison Gibbs

Terry Gibbs - Dream Band (1959) {Contemporary CCD-7647-2 rel 1986}
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© 1959, 1986 Contemporary / Fantasy | CCD-7647-2
Jazz / West Coast Jazz / Big Band / Vibes

The first of a wonderful series of recordings that he made with The Dream Band in the late 50s and early 60s which still sound fresh today. The band contained 'anyone who was anyone' playing in the West Coast at that time. The music on this CD, not released for the first time until 1986, features the formerly little-known Terry Gibbs Big Band, an orchestra that worked fairly regularly in Los Angeles from 1959-1962. The repertoire is primarily swing-era standards, but the arrangements (by Bill Holman, Bob Brookmeyer, Al Cohn, Marty Paich, and Manny Albam) are fairly modern for the time; the all-star group's ensembles are tight and such colorful soloists as vibraphonist Gibbs, valve trombonist Bob Enevoldsen, trumpeters Stu Williamson and Conte Candoli, tenorman Bill Holman, pianist Pete Jolly, and altoist Joe Maini are heard from.

Terry Gibbs Dream Band - Volume Two: The Sundown Sessions (1959) {Contemporary CCD-7652-2 rel 1987}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 301 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 112 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 19 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1959, 1987 Contemporary Records | CCD-7652-2
Jazz / West Coast Jazz / Big Band / Vibes

The legendary Terry Gibbs Dream Band, a notable unit that from 1959-62 made a few albums for Mercury and Verve, was well served by the five CDs of previously unreleased material released by Contemporary in the late 1980s. Vol. 2 has charts by Bill Holman, Al Cohn, Manny Albam, Lennie Niehaus and Med Flory on six swing-era songs and four later tunes, including Gibbs' "The Fat Man." Of the soloists featured during this live set, which also resulted in part of Vol. 3, vibraphonist Gibbs, trumpeter Conte Candoli, altoists Joe Maini and Charlie Kennedy, Bill Perkins on tenor and pianist Lou Levy are most notable. Recommended for fans of swinging big bands.

Terry Gibbs Dream Band - Flying Home, Volume 3 (1959) {Contemporary CCD-7654-2 rel 1988}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 337 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 122 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 23 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1959, 1988 Contemporary Records / Fantasy | CCD-7654-2
Jazz / West Coast Jazz / Big Band / Vibes

The third CD in this five-volume series draws its material from the same live sessions that resulted in the first two Terry Gibbs Dream Band releases, but contains all previously unheard performances. Ranging from well-known standards ("Avalon," "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" and "Flying Home") to more recent tunes ("Airegin" and Gibbs' "It Might As Well Be Swing") and originals by arrangers Bill Holman, Bob Brookmeyer and Al Cohn, the music stays consistently colorful and swinging. Gibbs had some of the top L.A.-based players in his big band, which lasted from 1959-62, and among the key soloists on this set are trumpeter Conte Candoli, Bill Holman, Bill Perkins and Med Flory on tenor, and altoists Joe Maini and Charles Kennedy.

Vibraphonist Terry Gibbs sounds fine on this Latin jazz date, which also includes altoist Frank Morgan, pianist Sonny Bravo, bassist Bobby Rodriguez and three percussionists, including Tito Puente playing timbales on three of the nine numbers. Most of the tunes are bop and swing standards (such as"Scrapple From the Apple," "Groovin' High," "Good Bait" and "Sing, Sing, Sing") and have excellent spots for Gibbs, Morgan and the percussion section. A fine date.

"Memories Unsettled" explores music that has too often been marginalized from the historical musical canon. Sun Min Kim and Hilary Glen joined forces during the height of the pandemic, forming the Gibbs Street Duo. This piano-cello duo tours colleges and universities across the country, sharing their inspiring music with students, faculty, and other patrons of the arts. The album features composers from diverse backgrounds including Dorothy Rudd Moore, James Lee III, Ching-chu Hu, and HyeKyung Lee. Moore’s Dirge and Deliverance is a sonata in two movements written in 1971 that uses music to reflect on the Black experience in 1960s America. Abraham’s Sons written by James Lee III was written in 2013 to express horror and outrage at the killing of Trayvon Martin. Through these pieces and more like them, the Gibbs Street Duo demonstrate the power and relevance of music as a catalyst for change.