Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Chris Dingman: Waking Dreams

232

Chris Dingman: Waking Dreams

By

View read count
Chris Dingman: Waking Dreams
Judging by Waking Dreams, Chris Dingman has spent a lot of time listening to Bobby Hutcherson's classic Blue Note albums. Given that his instrument of choice is the vibes, it should come as no surprise, but it's uncanny how much Dingman's debut resembles classics like Oblique (1967) and Patterns (1968) in sound and feel. Heck, there's even a Joe Chambers tune on it.

This is not to take anything away from Waking Dreams, which is quite good in parts and stunning in others, a debut recording that is inspired without being imitative. Dingman explains, in the liner notes, that the music—almost all self-penned—is based on the experiences, good and bad, of the past 12 years of his life, and that, when he was unable to devote his full attention to creating music, some of it came to his in dreams, hence the title.

The end result covers a lot of very interesting territory from the gorgeous to the abstract, from the melancholy to the hopeful, all buoyed by the soft chime of Dingman's vibes. He's a terrific player, but his solos always seem embedded in the compositions rather than an opportunity for some mallet theatrics. Many debuts suffer from over-ambition, but Dingman actually has a ton of good ideas that never give off the sense that he's used up all of his tricks. Waking Dreams is a contemplative, introspective exploration of various themes and textures that rewards close listening, yet also work perfectly well as mellow background music.

Standout tracks include "Jet Lag," with its slightly sinister motif worked through in shifting rhythms and points of emphasis, immediately followed by the beautiful ballad "Manhattan Bridge," with its nebulous chord sequence. The title track is one of Dingman's most unforgettable melodies, a catchy series of three-note phrases. And this is all on the first half; the second half, while not having a standout track, is even stronger in sustaining a medium tempo, melancholy groove through the entire sequence. Only the last track, with a misguided attempt at spoken word, disrupts the experience.

The playing by the rest of Dingman's group is exceptional, with pianist Fabian Almazan completely in line with what the leader is after in terms of mood and tone. Loren Stillman plays several different saxophones to great effect, and Ambrose Akinmusire, a trumpeter who has already received wide acclaim, acquits himself well with some nice solos.

On the back on the CD Dingman exhorts his listeners to play the entire disc at one sitting. Waking Dreams is so captivating there'll be no problem doing just that.

Track Listing

Prelude; Vijayanagara; Jet Lag; Manhattan Bridge; Indian Hill; Waking Dreams; Interlude; Same Coin; Shift in the Wind; Reflection; Clear the Rain; Nocturnal; Zaneta; Epilogue: Stillness.

Personnel

Chris Dingman
vibraphone

Ambrose Akinmusire: trumpet; Loren Stillman: saxophones; Fabian Almazan: piano; Joe Sanders: bass; Justin Brown: drums; Chris Dingman: vibraphone; Ryan Ferreira: guitar (3); Erica Von Kleist: flute (2, 8); Mark Small: bass clarinet (8).

Album information

Title: Waking Dreams | Year Released: 2011 | Record Label: Between Worlds Music

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

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

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.