Songs From My Father (Whaling City Sound)

Songs From My Father (Whaling City Sound)

Gerry Gibbs Thrasher Dream Trios

Released August 6, 2021

Arts Fuse 2021 Jazz Critics Poll Top 30 New Album

YouTube:

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_m47rTK1cJLzqtuOF0wYwwygwnqY_B7DQM

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/album/3CTuAvuUMrDE3QY4HG0V9l?si=jtMhLUuaT_2eqkfPsmMbCA

About:

Songs From My Father is the much-anticipated new album from renowned musical polymath Gerry Gibbs. On his thirteenth release as a leader, drummer-percussionist-bandleader Gibbs presents a smashing double-disc masterwork featuring four iterations of his acclaimed Thrasher Dream Trio. Under his astute direction, Gibbs and his band of jazz titans pay homage to the musical legacy of Gerry’s 96-year-old father, Terry Gibbs. To honor Terry, one of the last living architects of bebop and innovators of the vibraphone, Gerry selected 18 tunes from his father’s vast discography and interpreted the timeless material through his own refined compositional lens with inventive, modern arrangements. In the throes of a global pandemic, Gibbs then went on a nationwide trek to capture recordings of himself alongside a long list of his friends and collaborators – the finest improvisors of our time. Notably, Songs From My Father features the last recorded performance of the great Chick Corea, and includes one of Chick’s tunes composed specifically for this project. With Gibbs in the drum chair, his Thrasher Dream Trios include Chick Corea and Ron Carter, Kenny Barron and Buster Williams, Patrice Rushen and Larry Goldings, and Geoff Keezer and Christian McBride. With this monumental new recording, Gerry Gibbs cements his standing as one of the most creative and forward-thinking musicians on the contemporary jazz scene.

Track Listing:

Disc 1

1. Kick Those Feet (Terry Gibbs) 05:05

2. Smoke ‘Em Up (Terry Gibbs) 05:07

3. Bopstacle Course (Terry Gibbs) 04:04

4. Nutty Notes (Terry Gibbs) 04:19

5. Take It From Me (Terry Gibbs) 04:13

6. Sweet Young Song of Love (Terry Gibbs) 07:54

7. The Fat Man (Terry Gibbs) 05:03

8. Lonely Days (Terry Gibbs) 06:54

9. Hey Chick (Terry Gibbs) 05:27

Disc 2

1. Townhouse 3(Terry Gibbs) 05:06

2. T & S (Terry Gibbs) 05:43

3. AM (Terry Gibbs) 03:25

4. Waltz For My Children (Terry Gibbs) 03:28

5. Hippie Twist (Terry Gibbs) 04:35

6. Lonely Dreams (Terry Gibbs) 05:53

7. For Keeps (Terry Gibbs) 04:56

8. Pretty Blue Eyes (Terry Gibbs) 05:05

9. Gibberish (Terry Gibbs) 04:21

10. Tango For Terry (Chick Corea) 05:57

Personnel:

Gerry Gibbs: drums

Chick Corea: piano (Disc 1: 3, 6; Disc 2: 5, 10)

Ron Carter: bass (Disc 1: 3, 6; Disc 2: 5, 10)

Kenny Barron: piano (Disc 1: 1, 5; Disc 2: 2, 9)

Buster Williams: bass (Disc 1: 1, 5; Disc 2: 2, 9)

Patrice Rushen: keyboards (Disc 1: 2, 8; Disc 2: 1, 4, 7)

Larry Goldings: organ, Hammond B3 (Disc 1: 2, 8; Disc 2: 1, 4, 7)

Geoffrey Keezer: keyboards (Disc 1: 4, 7; Disc 2: 3, 6, 8)

Christian McBride: bass (Disc 1: 4, 7; Disc 2: 3, 6, 8)

Terry Gibbs: vibraphone

Recorded November 2020-2021

Executive Producer: Neal Weiss

Produced by Gerry Gibbs

Mastered by Mike Marciano

Review:

Songs from My Father. What a marvelous idea!—and not simply for the sentiment. Drummer Gerry Gibbs’ father happens to be Hall of Fame vibraphonist (and sometime song writer) Terry Gibbs, who is still on the scene at ninety-seven (and, in fact, making a guest appearance on the first disc of this superlative two-CD set). Eighteen of the elder Gibbs’ songs, written between 1949 and 1985 (and one more, “Tango for Terry,” by the late Chick Corea) are performed by four of his son’s well-chosen (and well-named) Thrasher Dream Trios, whose members include pianists Kenny Barron, Patrice Rushen, Geoff Keezer, Corea (the last recorded appearance before his passing in February 2021), organist Larry Goldings and bassists Ron Carter, Buster Williams and Christian McBride—most, if not all, of whom will one day earn the same Hall of Fame status accorded Terry Gibbs.
As the elder Gibbs came of age in the bop era—gigging with a Who’s Who of jazz luminaries including Woody Herman, Buddy Rich, Benny Goodman, Chubby Jackson, Mel Torme and Louie Bellson, and later leading his Los Angeles-based Dream Band—most of his engaging themes can trace their roots to bop, and the trios take to them like ducks to water. The line-ups are traditional piano-bass-drums save for Dream Trio 3, on which Goldings’ Hammond B3 organ complements Gibbs and pianist Rushen. Their appearances are close to evenly divided, with Trios 1 and 2 performing on four tracks each, Trios 3 and 4 on five apiece, and everyone (plus Terry Gibbs, whose extended vibes solo is as sharp and resourceful as ever) having an absolute blast on “Hey Chick,” which closes the first disc. The title is no doubt coincidental, as the tune was written in 1961 when Corea was a mere twenty years old.
“Hey Chick” follows “Lonely Days,” the nearest pretense to a ballad on the first disc. The same holds true for the most part on the second disc, as swinging is what Terry Gibbs was (and is) about. Trio 3 comes out blazing on the disc’s sunny, samba-like opener, “Townhouse,” wherein Goldings adds color with some bird-like special effects, as does Trio 2 on the lively “T&S,” as Barron crafts a stunning solo while Gibbs and Williams lend rhythmic backbone. Gibbs, Keezer and McBride keep the fire burning on “4 AM,” as they do on “For Keeps” and “Gibberish.” “Waltz for My Children” (Trio 1), the disc’s lone serenade, showcases Corea in typically masterful form. The first seven tracks on the first disc— from “Kick Those Feet” (1964) to “The Fat Man” (1958)—are exemplary, as are the others on the second disc, from the dynamic “Hippie Twist” to the well-grooved “For Keeps,” and especially the melodious “Pretty Blue Eyes.” While none has entered the rarefied pantheon of jazz standards, several could—and even should—be gauged by that barometer. At the very least, they should be played more often; they are that good. And so, it goes without saying, are the trios Gerry Gibbs has assembled to give them life. Songs from My Father is more than a marvelous idea; it is a musical treat from end to end, and a well-deserved show of appreciation from son to father for the guidance and wisdom that have assuredly helped shape his impressive career.

Jack Bowers (All About Jazz)