Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » David Gibson: End Of The Tunnel

137

David Gibson: End Of The Tunnel

By

View read count
David Gibson: End Of The Tunnel
Words like "funky" and "groovy" are often bandied about by musicians, reviewers and fans alike. Once upon a time they represented the heights of popular musical achievement; today, they're a little anachronistic, their use more ironic than laudatory. Then something comes along that epitomizes both terms, and reclaims them as badges of honor. Trombonist David Gibson's End Of The Tunnel is such a recording, a quartet album of music that reminds the jazz world just how great funky and groovy music can be.

This is a straight-ahead album, no doubt. But it's straight-ahead with enough twists and turns to ensure a freshness and vibrancy to the music. Partly, this is due to most of the tunes being originals: five from Gibson and two from organist Jared Gold. But it's also due to the musicians' performances, which sparkle with life and invention rather than merely reproducing the styles and ideas of others.

The interplay between these four musicians is superb—innovative, swinging, fun. On "Wasabi," for example, the quartet weaves up-tempo patterns in and out of each others' lines with ease. When things slow down, the players are just as adept at creating evocative musical moods. "Sunday Morning" is underpinned by Gold and drummer Quincy Davis' relaxed but slinky rhythms, while Gold's "Splat" and "Preachin,'" are both fairly gentle, mid-tempo, shuffles. Gibson's "The In-Whim" is the standout tune, with some jerky, jagged rhythm playing from Gold and Davis, and intriguing unison passages from the trombonist and alto saxophonist Julius Tolentino.

The originals are bookended by Herbie Hancock's "Blind Man, Blind Man"—Gold and Davis providing a seriously cool groove—and Jackie McLean's "Blue Rondo," with Tolentino and Gibson trading phrases over Gold's stabbing organ chords and Davis' driving percussion. The choice is well-made, a reminder of the music that inspires and inhabits both Gibson and Gold's writing. But it's the original compositions that add a real spark of innovation and good-time grooves to End Of The Tunnel.

Track Listing

Blind Man, Blind Man; Wasabi; Sunday Morning; End of the Tunnel; A Place of Our Own; Splat!; The In-Whim; Preachin'; Blue Rondo.

Personnel

David Gibson
trombone

David Gibson: trombone; Julius Tolentino: alto saxophone; Jared Gold: organ; Quincy Davis: drums.

Album information

Title: End Of The Tunnel | Year Released: 2011 | Record Label: Posi-Tone Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Eternal Moments
Yoko Yates
From "The Hellhole"
Marshall Crenshaw
Tramonto
John Taylor

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.