Carsten Pieper
I have to admit that I didn't know Michael Gibbs, who is a great sax player, until this weekend's special offer by the honorable Cuneiform Records. If (modern) big band music is your thing, get this! The compositions, the arrangements and the musicians are very good!
PS The download comes with a "digital booklet" with credits and linernotes. I like that!
Hard to pick a favorite, I chose the classic 'Round Midnight, but e.g. Jail Blues or With All Due Respect are great, too.
Favorite track: ’Round Midnight.
"Gibbs music is full of intriguing inner detail that does not deflect from the ultimate destiny of his pieces." – BBC Music Magazine
"Mike Gibbs' ingenious arrangements suggest a pop art incarnation of a traditional big band -- assembled from blistering guitar riffage, fiery brass and deeply idiosyncratic rhythms ...[his music]...nevertheless retains the soulfulness of conventional jazz, and for all its mind-expanding consciousness, the music speaks to the body as loudly as it does the intellect. Most impressive is the tactile sumptuousness of Gibbs' sound -- the music boasts as many tints and textures as a Pantone Color Guide." – All Music Guide
Brit-jazz composer and arranger Michael Gibbs was born in 1937 in Zimbabwe. Starting in 1959, he studied in Boston at the Berklee College of Music, the Boston Conservatory , Tanglewood and the Lenox School of Music, where he studied with a who's who of contemporary jazz and modern composition: George Russell, Gunther Schuller, Iannis Xenakis, Aaron Copland, Lukas Foss and others. In 1964 he moved to the UK, where he engaged himself in the rapidly emerging contemporary UK jazz scene. Starting in the late 60s and continuing into the mid 70s, he recorded a number of highly acclaimed and influential albums featuring many of the most prominent British-based jazz players who, like Michael, were beginning to flirt with jazz/rock. Since the mid 70s he has worked as a educator as well as a free-lance arranger, doing arrangements and orchestrations for major names such as Joni Mitchell, Pat Metheny, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Peter Gabriel among many others, while too infrequently recording his own music.
Back In The Days is an audiophile recording of this great, too infrequently heard jazz composer and arranger fronting a well-honed 18-piece big band in a program of original modern jazz plus three specially arranged classics. The band is chock-full of great soloists and ensemble players and the legendary vibes player Gary Burton is a featured soloist.
After too many years of lack of consideration strictly because they were not Americans, the profile and interest in the 60s/70s wave of British jazz talents has never been higher and Gibbs is one of the major names in the field. From beginning to end, Back In The Days is a delight for fans of Brit-jazz, contemporary jazz and modern big band music!
credits
released January 31, 2012
1. The Time Has Come (Michael Gibbs) (a)
solos: Gary Burton (vibes), Stephan Diez (guitar)
2. Back Where I Belong (Vladyslav Sendecki) (e)
solo: Reiner Winterschladen (trumpet)
3. June the 15th 1967 (Michael Gibbs) (c)
solo: Vladyslav Sendecki (piano)
12. Country Roads (Gary Burton and Stephen Swallow) (a)
solos: Gary Burton (vibes), Reiner Winterschladen (trumpet)
Arranged and conducted by Michael Gibbs.
NDR Bigband personnel:
(a) November 24, 1995:
Lennart Axelsson (tp), Ingolf Burkhardt (tp), Johannes Faber (tp), Reiner Winterschladen (tp), Joe Gallardo (tb), Wolfgang Ahlers (tb), Egon Christmann (tb), Lucas Schmid (btb), Fiete Felsch (as), Peter Bolte (as), Christof Lauer (ts), Lutz Büchner (ts), Thomas Zoller (bari), Stephan Diez (g), Lucas Lindholm (b), Thomas Alkier (dr)
(b) February 1, 2002:
Dirk Lentschat (tp), Ingolf Burkhardt (tp), Claus Stötter (tp), Reiner Winterschladen (tp), Joe Gallardo (tb), Dan Gottshall (tb), Stefan Lottermann (tb), Ingo Lahme (btb), Fiete Felsch (as), Peter Bolte (as), Christof Lauer (ts), Lutz Büchner (ts), Frank Delle (bari), Simon Nabatov (p), Ed Harris (g), Lucas Lindholm (b), Ian Thomas (dr)
(c) February 18-21, 2002:
Lennart Axelsson (tp), Ingolf Burkhardt (tp), Claus Stötter (tp), Reiner Winterschladen (tp), Joe Gallardo (tb), Dan Gottshall (tb), Stefan Lottermann (tb), Ingo Lahme (btb), Fiete Felsch (as), Peter Bolte (as), Christof Lauer (ts), Lutz Büchner (ts), Frank Delle (bari), Vladyslav Sendecki (p), Stephan Diez (g), Lucas Lindholm (b), Mark Mondesir (dr), Marcio Doctor (perc)
(d) September 3, 2002:
Rüdiger Baldauf (tp), Ingolf Burkhardt (tp), Claus Stötter (tp), Reiner Winterschladen (tp), Jon Welch (tb), Joe Gallardo (tb), Dan Gottshall (tb), Ingo Lahme (btb), Fiete Felsch (as), Peter Bolte (as), Christof Lauer (ts), Lutz Büchner (ts), Frank Delle (bari), Lucas Lindholm (b), Vladyslav Sendecki (p), Stephan Diez (g), Ian Thomas (dr), Marcio Doctor (perc)
(e) December 15, 2003:
Lennart Axelsson (tp), Ingolf Burkhardt (tp), Claus Stötter (tp), Reiner Winterschladen (tp), Joe Gallardo (tb), Dan Gottshall (tb), Stefan Lottermann (tb), Ingo Lahme (btb), Fiete Felsch (as), Peter Bolte (as), Christof Lauer (ts), Lutz Büchner (ts), Frank Delle (bari), Lucas Lindholm (b), Vladyslav Sendecki (p), Stephan Diez (g), Martin France (dr), Marcio Doctor (perc)
NDR Executive Producer: Axel Dürr except for (a), which was produced by Wolfgang Kunert.
NDR Producers: Axel Dürr (1, 2, 11, 12), Katja Zeidler (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9), and Wolfgang Kunert (10)
NDR Recording Engineers: Johannes Carstens (1, 11, 12), Michael Plötz (2, 3, 4, 5, 6), and Rudi Grosser (7, 8, 9, 10)
Mastered by Michael King.
Portrait photo of Michael Gibbs by David Redfern.
Cover and package design by Bill Ellsworth.
Release coordination and direction by Steven Feigenbaum.
supported by 28 fans who also own “Back In the Days”
I already have the Stickmen releases and the 3 releases of Reuter's soundscapes from several Stickmen tours , and 2 releases with Pat Mastelotto -Totem and ZOOT . This only scratches the surface as this great compilation proves .
Marked Reuter is a true master .
Nick Bradey
supported by 23 fans who also own “Back In the Days”
Fantastic opportunity to get an impression what MoonJune Records is about (fusion, prog rock, avantgarde from all around the world, with a special spotlight on Indonesia ...). Many great artists to be discovered (mostly) and rediscovered (sometimes)!
Also, watch out for their special offers due to their 15th birthday (this is why, in short time, many other MoonJune albums will appear here ;-} ). Carsten Pieper
supported by 23 fans who also own “Back In the Days”
How can music be this good? It's both unlike anything else and such a great example of jazz at its height. With Stavi and Sirkis, Dharmawan has a core trio with an all star pedigree, supported by equally powerful featured artists. Peter Jones