Tag: David Gibson

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Trombonist David Gibson’s “End of the Tunnel” ( * *, Positone) sneaks up on you with insinuating, rather than flashy, funk grooves and sinewy textures created by a lean quartet of trombone, alto sax, organ and drums. Gibson’s evocative phrasing, which eschews speedy barrages of notes in favor of concentrated punches of melody and rhythm that get under the skin, is also a key. So are the varied sonic atmospheres produced by organist Jared Gold.

Gibson’s approach often winks at Grachan Moncur III from the ’60s Blue Note days, an impression furthered by the pairing with Julius Tolentino’s alto sax, since Moncur ran with alto great Jackie McLean back in the day. The album even goes out with a revival of the McLean-Moncur anthem “Blue Rondo.” I wish the original material were stronger, but to the band’s credit, the music retains a contemporary bite rather than treading on nostalgia.

Mark Stryker/Detroit Free Press

thejazzword.blogspot.com

New York-based trombonist David Gibson digs deep into the soulful side of 1960s-era jazz with End of the Tunnel his second recording for Posi-Tone Records. With the aid of organist and label mate Jared Gold, Gibson delivers an enticing quartet set of funk grooves and driving swing.

Gibson seems to thrive on patience, shaping his solos with sparse ornamentation, waiting for the opportune moment to fill space with a meaningful barrage. This take-your-time approach works exceptionally well on the dirty funk of Herbie Hancock’s “Blind Man, Blind Man” and Gibson’s own gospel-like composition “Sunday Morning.” Refreshingly unafraid to swing hard, in the style of an elder statesmen like Slide Hampton, Gibson shines on Gold’s medium toe-tapper “Splat.”

The Oklahoma native contributes a handful of his own tunes, from the down-home funk of “Wasabi,” to the unrelenting dirge of “A Place of Our Own,” to the hypnotic intensity of “The In-Whim,” featuring drummer Quincy Davis’ keen awareness.

The front-line sound of trombone and alto saxophone, handled by the fiery Julius Tolentino, is a somewhat uncommon combination creating thick, dark textures. Combined with the organ, this brings unmistakable warmth to the proceedings, giving attention to the strength of the ensemble over any one individual. There is, however, no shortage of exceptional blowing throughout.

lucidculture.wordpress.com

Soulful Late-Night Grooves from David Gibson

Out in the country, trombonist David Gibson’s new cd End of the Tunnel would be a late-night back porch album. Here in New York, it’s more of a fire-escape record, a gorgeously catchy mix of oldschool Memphis organ grooves along with some more straight-up jazz tracks which are just as tuneful if somewhat more tricky rhythmically. It’s party music, some of it with a slinky wee-hours feel, the rest somewhat more boisterous and adventurous. Along with Gibson, the band here is Julius Tolentino on alto sax, Jared Gold on organ and Quincy Davis on drums.

The opening track, Herbie Hancock’s Blind Man, Blind Man sets the stage with a sultry southern soul feel, Gibson playing it low and sweet, the organ stepping hard on the end of his solo to drive it home. Considerably harder-hitting, the aptly titled Wasabi is a classic Booker T. Jones style groove that makes a launching pad for three different personalities: sax soaring overhead, trombone down and dirty and the organ lighting it up at the end with some blissfully atmospheric layers. The monster hit here is Sunday Morning, a brilliantly simple ensemble piece – it’s the great lost theme to the Hairspray movie. The title track is the first of the jazz numbers, absolutely hypnotic with shapeshifting overlays of sax, organ and trombone, Gold moving methodically through an endless procession of chord changes, Gibson bringing it out of the maze and back to earth. Pensive and unresolved beneath its warmhearted hooks, A Place of Our Own never really finds itself because the drums keep it from setting down roots. Splat, by Gold, works a cool Memphis theme more expansively than any of the classic 60s soul bands did; by contrast, The In-Whim moves toward psychedelia, riding a series of rises and falls over a deceptively simple tune.

They go back to the soul music with Preachin’, Gibson slyly refusing to cede ground to anyone else until he’s almost invisible, Gold taking it up robust and warmly optimistic. The closing cut is Jackie McLean’s Blue Rondo, a good fit with its blend of jazz and soul, bustling sax and drum breaks. It’s one of the great party albums (or post-party albums) of the summer of 2011, out now on Posi-Tone.

www.allaboutjazz.com

Words like “funky” and “groovy” are often bandied about by musicians, reviewers and fans alike. Once upon a time they represented the heights of popular musical achievement; today, they’re a little anachronistic, their use more ironic than laudatory. Then something comes along that epitomizes both terms, and reclaims them as badges of honor. Trombonist David Gibson’s End Of The Tunnel is such a recording, a quartet album of music that reminds the jazz world just how great funky and groovy music can be.

This is a straight-ahead album, no doubt. But it’s straight-ahead with enough twists and turns to ensure a freshness and vibrancy to the music. Partly, this is due to most of the tunes being originals: five from Gibson and two from organist Jared Gold. But it’s also due to the musicians’ performances, which sparkle with life and invention rather than merely reproducing the styles and ideas of others.

The interplay between these four musicians is superb—innovative, swinging, fun. On “Wasabi,” for example, the quartet weaves up-tempo patterns in and out of each others’ lines with ease. When things slow down, the players are just as adept at creating evocative musical moods. “Sunday Morning” is underpinned by Gold and drummer Quincy Davis’ relaxed but slinky rhythms, while Gold’s “Splat” and “Preachin,'” are both fairly gentle, mid-tempo, shuffles. Gibson’s “The In-Whim” is the standout tune, with some jerky, jagged rhythm playing from Gold and Davis, and intriguing unison passages from the trombonist and alto saxophonist Julius Tolentino.

The originals are bookended by Herbie Hancock’s “Blind Man, Blind Man”—Gold and Davis providing a seriously cool groove—and Jackie McLean’s “Blue Rondo,” with Tolentino and Gibson trading phrases over Gold’s stabbing organ chords and Davis’ driving percussion. The choice is well-made, a reminder of the music that inspires and inhabits both Gibson and Gold’s writing. But it’s the original compositions that add a real spark of innovation and good-time grooves to End Of The Tunnel.

Track Listing: Blind Man, Blind Man; Wasabi; Sunday Morning; End of the Tunnel; A Place of Our Own; Splat; The In-Whim; Preachin’; Blue Rondo.

Personnel: David Gibson: trombone; Julius Tolentino: alto saxophone; Jared Gold: organ; Quincy Davis; drums.

jazzwrap.blogspot.com

steptempest.blogspot.com

“End of the Tunnel” is the second Posi-Tone release for composer/trombonist David Gibson. It’s also th second to feature his quartet of Julius Tolentino (alto saxophone), Jared Gold (organ, bass pedals), and Quincy Davis (drums).  The 9 tracks move from the “soul-funk” of Herbie Hancock’s “Blind Man, Blind Man” to the Crusader’s influenced “Wasabi.”  Davis’s drums snap and crackle on the latter, providing plenty of push for the soloists.  Tolentino stays away from cliche on his solos (no David Sanborn clone, he), rarely, if ever, overplaying – his solo on Gold’s “Splat” is filled with creative twists-and-turns while the fire he displays on “The In-Whim” inspires Gold and David to really dig in.  On the same track, Gibson dials down the heat for the first few choruses before he, too, kicks it in.

But the emphasis is on the soulful side on the majority of the tracks.  Gibson steps up on Gold’s “Preachin’“, a tune drenched in a gospel feel, with a wonderfully understated solo while the composer grooves beneath him and Davis hits hard. One can imagine the “amen corner” shouting “hallelujah” during the excellent organ solo, egged on by the Davis’s righteous drumming.  “Sunday Morning“, too, has that gospel but filtered through the Crusaders and Joe Zawinul’s “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy.”  The quartet plays off the “in-the-pocket” drumming and full organ chords, especially in sweet trombone solo. The CD closes with a driving take of Jackie McLean’s “Blue Rondo” with its cleanly executed boppish theme. Gibson and Tolentino trade choruses for the first 75% of the tune before Davis rocks and socks it to the reiteration of theme and a quick out.

“End of the Tunnel” won’t challenge the listener with multi-sectioned compositions or “free” playing but seduce one with the crisp drum work, the rolling organ lines, and the fine interplay and solo work of all involved.  For more information, go to www.jazzbone.org.

tedpanken.wordpress.com

David Gibson, END OF THE TUNNEL (Posi-Tone)

A lot of individualistic trombone virtuosos emerged during the ‘70s and ‘80s—George Lewis, Steve Turre, Ray Anderson, Robin Eubanks, Conrad Herwig, Frank Lacy, Gary Valente…I could go on. But outside of Wycliffe Gordon, Clifton Anderson, Ronald Westray, and one or two others, trombone players don’t pop immediately to mind when you think of interesting slide improvisers over the last two decades. Maybe we’re in for a new wave. I’ve dug Marshall Gilkes in recent years, and Gibson has a similarly gorgeous sound and a solo conception that’s thematically cogent and also kinetic through a range of late 20th century food groups. Many dates that draw on the various mid-’60 Blue Note genres sound contrived and stale, but this one has a fresh feeling, as though the participants were recording something fresh contemporaneously — not unlike some of the bebop-oriented improvisers who’ve used Smalls as a base over the last 15 years.  In any event, Gibson dialogues throughout with the excellent alto saxophonist Julius Tolentino, his front line partner; organist Jared Gold, himself a leader on few Posi-Tone dates, combines point guard distribution duties with intelligent shot selection, laying down apropos comp and basslines but also creative solos; drummer Quincy Davis, an A-lister in my book, works the grooves with energy and taste.

www.allaboutjazz.com

David Gibson’s A Little Somethin’ (Posi-Tone, 2009) had a lot to offer, the trombonist garnering attention for its vibrant swing, soul and funk-laced jazz, but it wasn’t a one-man show. He had some help from a stellar support crew, and the same musicians that assisted in fleshing out his vision there return for another go-round on End Of The Tunnel.

While saxophonist Julius Tolentino proves to be a simpatico frontline companion on this outing, Gibson’s main foil is organist/label mate Jared Gold. Gold uses his own distinctive sound palette to dress each piece up in different aural attire that always seems to be perfectly tailored to fit the trombonist. Gold adds alien allure to the hip, head-nodding funk of “Wasabi,” provides rhythmic uncertainty and stagnation-of-sorts on “A Place Of Our Own,” and blends well with both horn men on the head of “Splat.”

While Gibson explores a variety of styles on this album, the strongest performances are nestled within soulful surroundings. Gibson saunters over a relaxed rhythm section with supreme confidence and spirit on his own “Sunday Morning,” and sells Jared Gold’s “Preachin'” with a trombone sermon replete with churchy overtones.

The program’s two non-originals are both connected to the same label and time period—Blue Note in 1963—but they’re vastly different vehicles. Herbie Hancock’s “Blind Man, Blind Man” is Grade A soul-jazz with Tolentino’s slyest soloing, while Jackie McLean’s driving “Blue Rondo,” features some aggressive work from drummer Quincy Davis. Gibson’s decision to use these pieces as the entrance and exit music for an album that largely highlights original music is a bit odd, but it can be seen as a tip-of-the-hat to those artists and to two different musical manifestations—soul and fire—that live within many of Gibson’s performances on End Of The Tunnel.

Track Listing: Blind Man, Blind Man; Wasabi; Sunday Morning; End Of The Tunnel; A Place Of Our Own; Splat; The In-Whim; Preachin’; Blue Rondo.

Personnel: David Gibson: trombone; Julius Tolentino: alto saxophone; Jared Gold: organ; Quincy Davis: drums.