MIKE GIBBS - Revisiting Tanglewood 63: The Early Tapes
Jazz In Britain JIB-24-S-CD
Issued as vinyl and CD. Limited to 500 copies
Line-ups
Tracks 1, 4, 5, 7:
Henry Lowther, Harry Beckett - trumpet; malcolm Griffiths, Mike Gibbs - trombone;Dick Hart - tuba; Tony Roberts, Stan Sulzmann, Jim Phillip - woodwind/reeds; Chris Spedding - guitar; Mick Pyne - piano; Roy Babbington - bass guitar; John Marshall - drums; Frank Ricotti - percussion
Tracks 2, 3, 6:
Nigel Carter, Henry Lowther, Harry Beckett - trumpet; Chris Pyne, Mike Gibbs - trombone; Dick Hart - tuba;
Alan Skidmore, Tony Roberts, Stan Sulzmann - saxophone/flute; Chris Spedding - guitar; Mick Pyne - piano, organ;
Roy Babbington - bass, bass guitar; Jeff Clyne - bass; John Marshall, Clive Thacker - drums; Frank Ricotti - percussion
Tanglewood 63; Five For England; Fanfare; June The 15th 1967; Sojourn; Canticle; Country Roads.
Prospecting in the jazz archives of the sixties and seventies is revealing gold thanks to the work of Jazz in Britain.
The new album, recorded six months before the Deram album, is from the Mike Gibbs’ tape archive, an exciting find that compares well with the original Deram recording. It is separate from and deserving of its own special existence. Resist for a time the temptation to compare the two. just play this one and enjoy its unique qualities. This band in full cry has the joy, sadness and harshness of great music.
‘Canticle’ is the most spellbinding piece on the album. If anything, the recording of the piece commissioned by the dean of Canterbury cathedral is better recorded than the Deram issue. The subtlety and originality of the way that the orchestra is deployed can be enjoyed and wondered at. Here are jazz voices emerging from the ecclesiastical darkness. It took some kind of bravery and daring to include this startling music at such an early stage of Gibbs’ writing life.
Gibbs surrounds himself with great jazz musicians and has faith in them. He also has faith in his own writing to shape the improvisations. Gibbs has alway acknowledged the influence of Gil Evans. In some ways he has equalled the great man. There are a number of occasions where Gibbs has done this on the album. Gibbs creates musical designs for Chris Spedding to drive the whole ensemble forward on ‘Five For England. The powerful drumming by John Marshall on ‘Fanfare’ is another case in point, on first hearing it is shocking.
Listen carefully to ‘Sojourn’. Gibbs wrote this after a visit to his home country of Zimbabwe. The influence of the vast continent is there in the phrasing of the brass and the solo from Stan Sulzmann is particularly appropriate. The writing is layered until it is difficult to tell what is written and what is improvised.
Two new tracks appear on this album that did not appear on the Deram: ‘Country Roads’ and ‘June the 15th 1967’. The latter was written for Gary Burton and features Chris Spedding, Mike Pyne and Frank Ricotti. ‘Country Roads’ is the only piece on the new album not composed by Gibbs. It is a fairly simple piece, sometimes referred to as a head arrangement that Gibbs returned to in his’ Just Ahead’ album recorded in 1972. It is another space for Chris Spedding to give his unique thoughts.
Special mention should be made of Dick Hart who plays tuba. Hart’s playing adds profundity and an extra line to the pieces.
Although the Deram album was well received when it was originally issued, the passage of time has raised the music to a higher level that was not really appreciated at the time. Gibbs’ ability both to blend musicians, musics, genres and rhythms was drowned out by noisier contemporaries and it has taken the issue of the new album to enable us to appreciate the magnificence of this early achievement. The revolutionary way that Gibbs developed writing for a large ensemble in a completely individual way is a joy to observe and listen to. We can also hear that this was real fusion, taking influences from the whole of music, fusion that would not become moribund or juvenile, fusion Gibbs would develop with ingenuity and vitality over the ensuing years.
The sound of this issue is impressive. It has a rawness that was smoothed out on the Deram issue. The only blemish in the production are the pompous sleeve notes. Leonard Bernstein was only known as Lennie to his friends. Aaron Copland was not an emigré composer.
This is an essential album; a glorious key album not just of UK jazz but of jazz.
Reviewed by Jack Kenny
Jazz In Britain JIB-24-S-CD
Issued as vinyl and CD. Limited to 500 copies
Line-ups
Tracks 1, 4, 5, 7:
Henry Lowther, Harry Beckett - trumpet; malcolm Griffiths, Mike Gibbs - trombone;Dick Hart - tuba; Tony Roberts, Stan Sulzmann, Jim Phillip - woodwind/reeds; Chris Spedding - guitar; Mick Pyne - piano; Roy Babbington - bass guitar; John Marshall - drums; Frank Ricotti - percussion
Tracks 2, 3, 6:
Nigel Carter, Henry Lowther, Harry Beckett - trumpet; Chris Pyne, Mike Gibbs - trombone; Dick Hart - tuba;
Alan Skidmore, Tony Roberts, Stan Sulzmann - saxophone/flute; Chris Spedding - guitar; Mick Pyne - piano, organ;
Roy Babbington - bass, bass guitar; Jeff Clyne - bass; John Marshall, Clive Thacker - drums; Frank Ricotti - percussion
Tanglewood 63; Five For England; Fanfare; June The 15th 1967; Sojourn; Canticle; Country Roads.
Prospecting in the jazz archives of the sixties and seventies is revealing gold thanks to the work of Jazz in Britain.
The new album, recorded six months before the Deram album, is from the Mike Gibbs’ tape archive, an exciting find that compares well with the original Deram recording. It is separate from and deserving of its own special existence. Resist for a time the temptation to compare the two. just play this one and enjoy its unique qualities. This band in full cry has the joy, sadness and harshness of great music.
‘Canticle’ is the most spellbinding piece on the album. If anything, the recording of the piece commissioned by the dean of Canterbury cathedral is better recorded than the Deram issue. The subtlety and originality of the way that the orchestra is deployed can be enjoyed and wondered at. Here are jazz voices emerging from the ecclesiastical darkness. It took some kind of bravery and daring to include this startling music at such an early stage of Gibbs’ writing life.
Gibbs surrounds himself with great jazz musicians and has faith in them. He also has faith in his own writing to shape the improvisations. Gibbs has alway acknowledged the influence of Gil Evans. In some ways he has equalled the great man. There are a number of occasions where Gibbs has done this on the album. Gibbs creates musical designs for Chris Spedding to drive the whole ensemble forward on ‘Five For England. The powerful drumming by John Marshall on ‘Fanfare’ is another case in point, on first hearing it is shocking.
Listen carefully to ‘Sojourn’. Gibbs wrote this after a visit to his home country of Zimbabwe. The influence of the vast continent is there in the phrasing of the brass and the solo from Stan Sulzmann is particularly appropriate. The writing is layered until it is difficult to tell what is written and what is improvised.
Two new tracks appear on this album that did not appear on the Deram: ‘Country Roads’ and ‘June the 15th 1967’. The latter was written for Gary Burton and features Chris Spedding, Mike Pyne and Frank Ricotti. ‘Country Roads’ is the only piece on the new album not composed by Gibbs. It is a fairly simple piece, sometimes referred to as a head arrangement that Gibbs returned to in his’ Just Ahead’ album recorded in 1972. It is another space for Chris Spedding to give his unique thoughts.
Special mention should be made of Dick Hart who plays tuba. Hart’s playing adds profundity and an extra line to the pieces.
Although the Deram album was well received when it was originally issued, the passage of time has raised the music to a higher level that was not really appreciated at the time. Gibbs’ ability both to blend musicians, musics, genres and rhythms was drowned out by noisier contemporaries and it has taken the issue of the new album to enable us to appreciate the magnificence of this early achievement. The revolutionary way that Gibbs developed writing for a large ensemble in a completely individual way is a joy to observe and listen to. We can also hear that this was real fusion, taking influences from the whole of music, fusion that would not become moribund or juvenile, fusion Gibbs would develop with ingenuity and vitality over the ensuing years.
The sound of this issue is impressive. It has a rawness that was smoothed out on the Deram issue. The only blemish in the production are the pompous sleeve notes. Leonard Bernstein was only known as Lennie to his friends. Aaron Copland was not an emigré composer.
This is an essential album; a glorious key album not just of UK jazz but of jazz.
Reviewed by Jack Kenny
