Readers have seen this name more than once in the reviews of his releases on the site. Two years ago, we also published a review of the previous album of the Dave Zinno’s Unisphere ensemble called “Stories Told” (2019). And after 2019, as you know, came the year marked by the sign of the COVID-19 pandemic …. … It seems to me that it is just right to introduce a special concept: “post-covid jazz”. Thousands of musicians locked in their homes during a lockdown, deprived of the opportunity to perform in front of an audience, have only one option left: to compose music and hope that the clouds will someday dispel. Some people still managed to give network concerts, but the bulk of them worked at home, for the future. And in 2021, a lot of albums appeared based on these materials, albums in the music of which one can almost physically feel the performers’ joy from the possibility of new meetings, while at least in the studio. “Fetish” is one of them. When Zinno and the musicians of his band gathered in the studio in November 2020, each of them brought the material he had accumulated. It has accumulated in as many as 16 songs. As a result, a 12-track program was selected for recording the album. All the musicians who played on “Stories Told” participated in the recording of the album, plus they were joined by Zinno’s old partner, Argentine keyboardist Leo Genovese, famous for his performances with Esperanza Spaulding, and also, as a guest, another, in addition to Raphael Barata, a Brazilian trombonist Rafael Rocha.
The album contains compositions and arrangements by Ray, Tucker, Genovese, Bloom and, of course, Dave Zinno himself – “Fetish”, “So Close So Far”, and “Nile”. The music of the ensemble, which is still mostly hard-bop in style, breathes with energy, joy of musicians’ communication with each other and, of course, mastery that has not disappeared anywhere. The album was recorded in two sessions, six hours each. As Dave himself says, “This project is the culmination of a year without live music. This record contains all the energy and emotions that have accumulated and have not found a way out for such a long time. Hopefully people will feel what we felt while making this album.” Zinno doesn’t have to worry – you can really hear it in the music of “Fetish”.
The history of this project is very dramatic. The album, conceived as a tribute from his son – the father, the famous drummer and band leader of “The Thrasher” Gerry Gibbs – the 96-year-old legendary Terry Gibbs, who played with Benny Goodman, Charlie Parker, Art Blackie, Dizzy Gillespie etc., who composed more than 300 compositions, who recorded 65 solo albums and was the # 1 vibraphone player from 1950 to 1955 according to DownBeat and Metronome polls, turned into a double tribute with a very sad connotation. However, let’s go in order …
The double album Songs From My Father amazes with its monumentality. Gerry has selected 18 compositions from different years from the vast creative heritage of his father. Known for his signature Thrasher Dream Trio chamber ensembles, Jerry decided to entrust the performance of this music to several Thrasher Dream Trios, composed of the outstanding jazz musicians of our time. There are four of them in the album. Chick Corea and Ron Carter play in one with him, Kenny Barron and Buster Williams in the other, Patrice Rushen and Larry Goldings in the third (the only trio where a Hammond organ sounds instead of bass) and in the fourth – Jeff Keezer and Christian McBride. How do you like the team? In my opinion, just fantastic!
But what does it mean to implement such a project, and even in a covid year ?! Gerry Gibbs traveled half of America in ten months, coordinating the work schedules of the project participants in order to make these recordings. Terry’s old friend Chick Corea was especially inspired by the idea of this tribute. He wrote the composition “Tango For Terry” specially for the album, which became the final track of the album, and also made arrangements for two more compositions. Gerry and Chick called up almost every week, discussed the progress of the project, and just talked “for life.” And then came the unexpected and black news of Chick Corea’s death. And it so happened that four pieces recorded for this album with his participation turned out to be the last lifetime recordings of this amazing musician …
Shocked by this tragedy, the project participants said goodbye to Corea with dignity. Gerry and his father jointly renamed Terry’s 1961 composition “Hey Jim” to “Hey Chick”, and it was jointly performed for the project by all eight of its members (each with a pair of choruses). In addition, Gerry also edited his father’s vibraphone solo from that old recording from the early 60s into this recording. This piece took a special place in the album, remarkable in all respects. If you love jazz, you just have to hear this unique work – and say goodbye to Chick Corea …
American jazz guitarist Jim Robitaille, who constantly collaborates with the label Whaling City Sound, and looks like and does not look like himself, if you compare his last year’s album A View From Within (a review of the disc is on the site) and the current Space Cycles. Similar, because his compositional imagination and soft, somehow cozy sound, which the authors of the press release for the new album compare with the tradition of Legato, coming from Jim Hall, Abercrombie and Schofield, have not gone away. And it doesn’t look like it, because Space Cycles is recorded in a completely different format – a classic trio with a guitar and a rhythm band. In fact, A View From Within also featured the same trio, but with a significant addition: then there was a saxophonist next to Robitaille on the stage, and not just anyone, but Dave Liebman himself. The main plot of that album was based on the interaction of guitar and saxophone. In Space Cycles, Jim Robitaille reigns supreme. Of course, it is tightly and qualitatively supported by the rhythm group (both musicians, bass guitarist Bill Miele and drummer Chris Poudrier, I have not heard before) – the king, as you know, makes a retinue, and in this sense, Jim’s partners are quite on the level.
Of the ten songs on the album, Robitaille wrote seven. Of the three covers of the program, I, as a person who grew up on Beatles music, was particularly pleased with the jazz version of the Lennon and McCartney song Here, There, and Everywhere. But even more interesting to listen to their own compositions Robitaille. Jim played the title song Space Cycles very temperamentally and with a good drive, but, as I think, at heart he is still more of a lyricist. Both the starting Natural Selection, and the elegiac When We Passed, and the strict Nocturne – here the beauty of the sound of the Robitaille instrument in the slow pace of music is revealed with special force. Jim in all the pieces, both his own and arranged, stylistically remains within the framework of post-BOP. Hand on heart, the modern mainstream is not always interesting to listen to. Unfortunately, many young musicians, having mastered jazz technique perfectly at Berklee and other modern schools, do not always know what they really want to say with it. Jim Robitaille well-versed in the categories of “what”, “how” and “why”. This is probably why listening to his music is both interesting and enjoyable.
Tim Ray Trio on Thursday, March 2, both as part of the Eastern Bank Jazz Series. Tickets for these shows are available online at www.spirecenter.org, call (508) 746-4488.
For more info on Tish Adams’ productions, performances & more: www.tishadams.com
THANK YOU for supporting LIVE MUSIC!
7.10 • 6:30p • Starlight Square • 84 Bishop Allen Dr., Cambridge, MA 02139 • Tim Ray Trio with Terri Lyne Carrington and John Lockwood • Release show postponement due to Covid • Click here for tickets
Sunday April 25th
1 – 3pm
LIVE SHOW: “Tish Adams Presents…” THE TIM RAY TRIO
#ICYMI: Tim Ray Trio performs at the Centre Street Sessions for VAHA New Bedford
This Centre Street Session features two sets by the Tim Ray Trio (5:30p and 7:15p, and streaming thereafter at AHA New Bedford’s Facebook page) with Dave Zinno on bass and Mark Walker on drums.
Until the pandemic shut live music down, Tim was touring as music director and pianist for Tony Bennett, and his recent CD with Terri Lyne Carrington and John Patitucci made the top 10 in the JazzWeek National Radio Chart.
Centre Street Sessions usually take place in the Summer months of June through September outside, in the parking lot of Fiber Optic Center, in the heart of the Historic District and within the Whaling Heritage Historical National Park. Sponsored by AHA, Fiber Optic Center and Whaling City Sound these concerts have showcased many performers and enabled people to enjoy world class music in a relaxed, informal and acoustically comfortable setting.
This performance was recorded earlier in July in the chapel of the renovated Steeple Playhouse new home of the 70+ year old Your Theatre and formerly the First Baptist Church. Renovation is being overseen and supported by the non-profit Waterfront Historic Area LeaguE (WHALE, www.waterfrontleague.org). Professional quality audio, as well as video, was done by John Farrell of Middlehouse Sound. For the last 8 years, Your Theatre has also produced the widely acclaimed New Bedford JazzFest, held on the waterfront near downtown, and surrounded by New Bedford’s record setting fishing fleet.
December 9th – Friday 7:30pm Tony Bennett and his Quartet in Concert
featuring Tony – voice, Tim – piano/MD, Gray Sargent – guitar, Marshall Wood – bass & Harold Jones – drums
Dodd Auditorium, University of Mary Washington
Fredricksburg, VA
for more info please visit www.tonybennett.com
December 10th – Saturday 7pm Tony Bennett and his Quartet in Concert
featuring Tony – voice, Tim – piano/MD, Gray Sargent – guitar, Marshall Wood – bass & Harold Jones – drums
Pfleger Concert Hall, Rowan University
Glassboro, NJ
for more info please visit www.tonybennett.com
December 12th – Monday 8pm Tony Bennett and his Quartet in Concert
featuring Tony – voice, Tim – piano/MD, Gray Sargent – guitar, Marshall Wood – bass & Harold Jones – drums
Paramount Theater
Charlottesville, VA
for more info please visit www.tonybennett.com January 12th – Thursday 7 – 10pm The Tim Ray Trio
featuring John Lockwood – bass & Mark Walker – drums
Thelonious Monkfish
Cambridge, MA
for more info please visit www.theloniousmonkfish.com
I’m Beginning to See the Light (D. Ellington) 5:37
Monk’s Dream (T. Monk) 5:12
Toys (H. Hancock) 6:27
DE-Train (T. Ray) 3:50
Joy (T. Ray) 6:38
I’ve Been to Memphis (L. Lovett) 5:47
Dolphin Dance (H. Hancock) 3:23
Windows (C. Corea) 5:37
So Tender (K. Jarrett) 5:52
Star Eyes (G. de Paul / D. Raye) 6:51
Peace (H. Silver) 5:22
12 x 7 (J. Lockwood) 3:08
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tim Ray – piano
John Lockwood – bass
Mark Walker – drums
Recorded 2014 in the WGBH Fraser Performance Studio, Boston, MA
Engineering, mixing and editing – Antonio Oliart Ros
Liner notes – Bob Blumenthal
Thanks to Neal Weiss, Dave, Ginny and everyone at Whaling City Sound for all your work to help make this recording possible. Thanks also to John, Mark, Antonio and Bob for their artistry and unparalleled skills. And a big thank you to Tyson for her help in making this project (and all my projects) a better and more rewarding experience.
Tim Ray is a Steinway artist and endorses Steinway Pianos
Mark Walker is a Yamaha, Paiste, Remo, Vic Firth and LP artist
For more information on this recording, or inquiries on booking this group, please visit AgitatedCatMusic.com
🎉Congratulations Aaliyah Fuentes on graduating at Johnson & Wales University! Wishing all the best as she gets ready to leave Mixed Media and graduate with a degree in Media & Communications!🎉 #gradseason🎓 #springintern2024#mixedmedia... See MoreSee Less
🎉Congratulations Aaliyah Fuentes on graduating at Johnson & Wales University! Wishing all the best as she gets ready to leave Mixed Media and graduate with a degree in Media & Communications!🎉 #Gradseason#Springintern2024#mixedmedia... See MoreSee Less
Wishing #JWU’s 2024 Spring Intern Aaliyah Fuentes all the best as she gets ready to leave Mixed Media and graduate with a degree in Media & Communications! linkedin.com/in/aaliyah-fuentes02
Music industry consultant and publicist Ginny Shea has garnered international exposure for her clients through radio and video promotion, print media, and her vast industry network.
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Music industry consultant and publicist Ginny Shea has garnered international exposure for her clients through radio and video promotion, print media, and her vast industry network.