Terry Gibbs And His Exciting Big Band - Explosion!

Who would have thought that Terry Gibbs could inspire such Olympian commenting??!!??  Why stop now??  Let's keep this party goin...

Here we find the exact same band, at the exact same venue, The Summit in Hollywood.  That's about where the similarities end.  Yes, Explosion is every bit as exciting, but everything has been elevated beyond where the last one left off.

When I say everything, I'm not exhagerating.  Firstly, the song times are longer which means more space for solos.  Gibbs takes a step back and we get to hear more from the trumpet section, as well as the saxes.  The solos themselves are much more pronounced and longer as well.  The arrangements are much more detailed and complex, but not to the detriment of the song.  Infact this complexity I'm speaking of finds the band jamming in more exciting grooves and feels.  Of course, with so much more in the pot, the level of intensity amongst the players is elevated as well.  This is heard through audible soul calls and shouts of joy.  When I say shouts, I am talkin about some of the fellas screaming in ecstacy - it's awesome!!

Finally, even the recording itself is a step above.  Aside from clarity, there's an immediacy from the music that simply wasn't there on the last post.  A wonderful tonal balance which is best defined by the horn section.  The ensemble work is powerful and punchy, but always warm and thick.  When soloing, we get that biting detail that gives emotional weight to the music.

Overall it's a great testimony to how incredible Gibbs was as a leader, able to get the best out of so many huge talents.  Where "The Exciting Big Band" LP seems more for dancing, on Explosion we get all that plus a show of pure technical prowess.  I know you guys are gonna dig it!!  Contemporary added this to their series, if anyone has it I would love to hear some thoughts on the comparison.  I'm sure the disc is much cleaner, but the music on this LP is really rich.

This Mercury (MG-20704) side is in excellent condition.  As we have discussed how everything is elevated, the noise is no exception.  As always, I have worked as closely as I can without disturbing the tunes.  Overall it comes and goes, mostly getting buried within the signal.  I think it's a real enjoyable listen regardless.  Ripped at 24/44.1 wav and dithered to 16/44.1 FLAC, the Gibbs fest continues -  at the Crypt!!  Enjoy!!

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Mercury MG-20704

Recorded Live At The Summit, Hollywood, CA

1961

Bass – Buddy Clark
Drums – Mel Lewis
Piano – Pat Moran
Saxophone – Bill Perkins, Charlie Kennedy, Jack Nimitz, Joe Maini, Richie Kamuca
Trombone – Bob Edmondson, Frank Rosolino, Vern Friley
Trumpet – Al Porcino, Conte Candoli, Frank Huggins, Ray Triscari, Stu Williamson
Vibraphone – Terry Gibbs

The Exciting Terry Gibbs Big Band 1959

Some of you old school Cryptheads will recall the series we ran on Terry Gibbs big band back at the old Crypt.  During the late 80's, Contemporary reissued several of these fantastic albums originally released on Mercury and Verve.  They dubbed the band the "Terry Gibbs Dream Band" and using new artwork, titled the albums by volume.  As great as their efforts were, they missed this great debut album - Launching A New Band.

This side sounds just as the others do and includes that amazing cast of all star west coast players.  Bill Holman provides the impeccable arrangements.  I would say that overall the band is a touch less frantic when it comes to their pace, but not Gibbs soloing!!!  The vibes are definitely the centerpiece here and Gibbs doesn't disapoint delivering high flying solos everywhere he can.  The tunes run short and yet he somehow still manages to get his chorus' in.

Along with this album, I am including the first volume of Contemporary's Dream Band series.  This album was not a reissue and was infact debuted to ring in this look at Gibbs' big band.  It's a live concert recorded at the Seville in Hollywood from 1959.  This is the same year that "Launching" was released and we find the band giving live treatments of several tunes from the album.  The two albums make a great pair.  Personally, I prefer the live album as the band feels much more loose.

Each album has been ripped at 24/44.1 wav and dithered to 16/44.1 FLAC.  Dream Band is absolute mint with wonderful recording while "Launching" is near mint with great fidelity as well.  If there is interest for me to re-up some of the older Gibbs posts, please let me know in your comments and I will consider it in the upcoming weeks.  Have fun listening to one of the greatest big bands ever assembled...  enjoy!!!

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Launching A New Band

Mercury SR60112
1959

Alto Saxophone – Charlie Kennedy, Joe Maini
Baritone Saxophone – Jack Schwartz
Bass – Joe Mondragon (tracks: A3, A4, B3, B4), Max Bennett (tracks: A1, A2, A5 to B2, B5, B6)
Drums – Mel Lewis
Piano – Pete Jolly
Tenor Saxophone – Bill Holman, Med Flory
Trombone – Bob Enevoldsen, Frank Rosolino, Vern Friley
Trumpet – Al Porcino, Conte Candoli, Phil Gilbert (tracks: A3, A4, B3, B4), Ray Triscari (tracks: A1, A2, A5 to B2, B5, B6), Stu Williamson
Vibraphone – Terry Gibbs

A1 Opus No.1 2:47 

A2 Moten Swing 3:01
A3 I'm Getting Sentimental Over You 2:37
A4 Let's Dance 3:29
A5 Stardust 3:30
A6 Cottontail 2:56
B1 Begin The Beguine 2:30
B2 Jumpin' At The Woodside 2:46
B3 Prelude To A Kiss 3:04
B4 Don't Be That Way 3:55
B5 Midnight Sun 3:28
B6 Flyin' Home 2:53

It is ironic that the Contemporary label came out with five CDs worth of unknown material by the Terry Gibbs Big Band while Polygram has completely neglected its studio sides by the same group. The music on this set, last available as a Trip LP, was the first by Gibbs' "Dream Band," a swinging outfit of top studio musicians who were based in L.A. at the time. This album is comprised of two arrangements apiece by Bill Holman, Bob Brookmeyer, Manny Albam, Al Cohn, Med Flory and Marty Paich, which pay tribute to Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton and Tommy Dorsey. The tunes are mostly overly familiar (including "Stardust," "Cotton Tail," "Begin the Beguine" and "Flying Home") and clock in around three minutes, meaning that the solos are quite concise, but there are some good individual moments from the vibraphonist/leader, trumpeter Conte Candoli, and trombonist Frank Rosolino. - Scott Yanow / AMG

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The Terry Gibbs Dream Band Vol.1

Contemporary C-7647
1986
Recorded live at the Seville, Hollywood 1959

1 Begin The Beguine 2:28
2 Don't Be That Way 6:26
3 Cottontail 3:43
4 Stardust 3:12
5 Opus One 6:00
6 After You've Gone 3:42
7 You Go To My Head 5:17
8 Let's Dance 3:25
9 The Subtle Sermon 8:24
10 Kissin' Bug 4:45
11 Jumpin' At The Woodside 4:30

Alto Saxophone – Charlie Kennedy, Joe Maini
Baritone Saxophone – Jack Schwartz
Bass – Max Bennett
Drums – Mel Lewis
Piano – Pete Jolly
Tenor Saxophone – Bill Holman, Med Flory
Trombone – Bob Enevoldsen, Joe Cadena, Vern Friley
Trumpet – Al Porcino, Conte Candoli, Ray Triscari, Stu Williamson
Vibraphone – Terry Gibbs

The music on this CD, not released for the first time until 1986, features the formerly little-known Terry Gibbs Big Band, an orchestra that worked fairly regularly in Los Angeles from 1959-1962. The repertoire is primarily swing-era standards, but the arrangements (by Bill Holman, Bob Brookmeyer, Al Cohn, Marty Paich, and Manny Albam) are fairly modern for the time; the all-star group's ensembles are tight and such colorful soloists as vibraphonist Gibbs, valve trombonist Bob Enevoldsen, trumpeters Stu Williamson and Conte Candoli, tenorman Bill Holman, pianist Pete Jolly, and altoist Joe Maini are heard from. There would be five CDs released by this band; this is an excellent set to start with. - 4.5/5.0 "Album Pick" Scott Yanow / AMG