Terry Gibbs 5-STAR Review on Amazon

Vibraphonist Terry Gibbs’s first recording (a radio show) dates to a broadcast of a 12-year-old Terry playing xylophone on Major Bowes’ Amateur Hour in 1936. His recording career on record started in 1946. Gibbs will turn 99 in October 2023 Though this album is officially recorded by his son drummer Gerry Gibbs – who helms the six-piece group called The Terry Gibbs Tribute Band for this CD, the elder Gibbs is here, not only in the fact that he wrote the music – and some of the lyrics – during his career, he appears on one track – the 6-minute “Now’s the Time To Groove” – both on vocals and playing the two-finger piano. (Age has caused Gibbs to stop playing the vibes.)

As another reviewer pointed out, Gibbs co-wrote with such folks as Bobby Troup & Steve Allen. And on 8 of the 15 tracks, the lyrics are by Michael Dees. Except for the previously mentioned “Groove”, the vocals are all handled by singer Danny Bacher.
The CD comes packed in a digipak with essays by both Terry and Gerry as well as photos.

Twenty years ago (when he was “only 78,” he wrote his autobiography “Good Vibes: A Life In Jazz” with assistance from my friend, music journalist Cary Ginell. It won both a Deems Taylor Award and an ARSC Award for Excellence from the Association for Recorded Sound Collections. If you know who Gibbs is, I highly recommend that book (also on Amazon).

Isn’t it great that you can still be recording at 98 – and, better yet, do it with your son.

Steve Ramm
“Anything Phonographic”