Record Reviews

MICHAEL GIBBS ~ REVISITING TANGLEWOOD 63: THE EARLY TAPES JAZZ IN BRITAIN 24 (Barcode: 5060774190227) ~ UK ~ Big Band Jazz Recorded: 1970 Released: 2021 This is an archival album by British trombonist / composer / bandleader Michael GibbsFind albums by this artist, which presents two radio broadcasts of live sessions, recorded in May and November of 1970. The lineups of the Orchestra / Big Band (thirteen or sixteen members respectively) consists of Top British Jazz musicians at the time, some of which took part in the recording of the seminal “Tanglewood 63Find albums with this title” album, which was recorded shortly after the second session. The collective personnel includes: trumpeters Henry LowtherFind albums by this artist, Nigel CarterFind albums by this artist and Harold BeckettFind albums by this artist, trombonists Malcolm GriffithsFind albums by this artist, Chris PyneFind albums by this artist and Gibbs, tuba player Dick HartFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Stan SulzmannFind albums by this artist, Alan SkidmoreFind albums by this artist, Jim PhillipFind albums by this artist and Tony RobertsFind albums by this artist, pianist Mick PyneFind albums by this artist, guitarist Chris SpeddingFind albums by this artist, bass guitarist Roy BabbingtonFind albums by this artist, bassist Jeff ClyneFind albums by this artist, drummers John MarshallFind albums by this artist and Clive ThackerFind albums by this artist and finally vibraphonist / percussionist Frank RicottiFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven tracks, four from the first session and three from the second. Those include all five compositions included on the “Tanglewood 63” album. In addition, it also presents “Country RoadsFind albums with this title”, written by Gary Burton and Steve Swallow, which appeared first on the Burton’s 1968 album by the same name, which included a couple of compositions by Gibbs and one co-composed piece by Gibbs and Burton, and which would have to wait for a couple of years to appear on the 1972 Gibbs “Just AheadFind albums with this title” album. The last track is “June The 15, 1967”, which appeared initially on the Burton’s 1967 “Lofty Fake AnagramsFind albums with this title” album, which also included two compositions by Gibbs, including this one, and which would have to wait for forty-two years to appear on the 2012 Gibbs “Back In The DaysFind albums with this title” album. The music is, as everything Gibbs ever recorded, absolutely heavenly, both as far as the compositions and the performances are concerned. The formidable team of musicians, under his direction, is able to achieve peaks never earlier encountered in British Jazz orchestral music, and these archival recordings are absolutely fascinating, especially when compared to the final version of most of the music included here, recorded on the “Tanglewood 63” album. So far, this is definitely my favorite release on the new Jazz In BritainFind albums on this label label, which does a splendid job digging out treasures from dusty vaults, especially so because this album also offers the best sound quality of all their releases so far. So as usual, hats off for the team behind the label and waiting for more of your gems. A bit more attention to details won’t hurt…

Updated: 29/06/2021Posted: 28/06/2021

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