Over a career that spanned more than 60 years, Red Norvo played with numerous musical legends, including Frank Sinatra, Charlie Parker, and Dizzy Gillespie. and is ideal for an introduction to the Bley magic. Below is a countdown of the 25 best jazz vibraphonists, ranging from the great trailblazers of the past to todays generation of mallet maestros who are keeping the instrument alive and relevant in the 21st century. Hes the guy people like Tony Miceli and David Friedman look up to (I know, theyve told me and him) I mean the guys a master bebop vibraphone player. But there's a new school of modern Jazz artists re-imagining and . A Swede playing latin jazz is what was being highlighted. An exciting new addition to the Blue Note roster, Chicago-born Ross whose debut album, KingMaker, was released in 2019 is a post-bop vibraphonist who has played with legends like Herbie Hancock but is better known for his contributions to modern jazz albums by Makaya McCraven, James Francies, and Marquis Hill. The piano and organ were considered more socially acceptable instruments for young women to play, and few serious fans of jazz would be unfamiliar with the names Mary Lou Williams, Marian . In 2020 she was named Downbeats Rising Star of the vibraphone. Image: Blank Records. Stephane Grappelli Jean-Yves Thibaudet Great Britain Reginald Foresythe Iceland Chris Albertson Switzerland Claude Nobs United States Patricia Barber Andy Bey Ralph Burns Gary Burton Tevin Campbell Dave Catney Tiny Davis Spencer Day Lea DeLaria George Hannah Fred Hersch John Holiday Tony Jackson Dave Koz Ruby Lucas Johnny Mathis Ma Rainey Rhythmically fluent and harmonically astute, Harris attacks his instrument with an infectious energy that has helped to revitalize public interest in the jazz vibraphone in the 21st century. The multi-instrumentalist John Sangster was a giant on the Australian jazz scene for many decades. Seton Hawkins wrote in Hot House magazine: "As a versatile drummer and gifted vibraphone player, Sasha wields a technique and musical sense that portends a thrilling career. How Much Does A Steinway Grand Piano Cost? Here are just a few keeping an eye on. Theres no doubt that New York-born Hyams would be a better-known musician if she hadnt retired prematurely; putting away her mallets when she married in 1950 at the age of 27. She has toured and continues to do so with her own, Recommended album: Ella: Accentuate the Positive (2017) a celebration of Ella Fitzgerald, Described by Jazziz magazine as honouring Ella Fitzgerald with exceptional warmth and sincerity this release on Okeh Records is a great introduction to the growing catalogue of a fascinating, She accompanies herself on Brazilian guitar, using complex contrapuntal rhythms in odd meters showing her as much as a virtuoso guitarist as a, This Carla Bley album features supremely melodic and playful tunes such as. Her time in the spotlight was a brief but spectacular one; besides leading her own groups, she rose to fame playing with reed meister Woody Herman, saxophonist Flip Phillips, and pianist Mary Lou Williams, all in the 1940s. She recorded more than a hundred records in her career and was a mentor to legends such as Thelonious Monk and Dizzy Gillespie. A Londoner with Caribbean ancestry, Theon Cross is a virtuosic and in-demand tuba player who has not only reawakened interest in the big, unwieldy brass instrument that went out of fashion in jazz in the 1930s but also broadened its musical horizons. A future star in the making, this Californian flautist and vocalist recorded her first album when she was nine and has since performed with jazz greats Herbie Hancock and Hubert Laws as well as featuring on albums by contemporary leaders such as Joshua Redman, Ambrose Akinmusire, and Christian Scott. African-American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, bandleader and actor . Interesting reading. Freddie Hubbard Joe Henderson, Bobby Hutcherson, Tony Williams, Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Recorda-Me, Live Town Hall 1985. A stalwart of Kamasi Washingtons touring band, Hollywood-born Mosley is a double bass player who was taught by the legendary Ray Brown, but whose use of effects pedals make him a fiercely contemporary artist in his outlook. Lil Hardin Armstrong. Select from premium Vibraphone of the highest quality. Shes also recorded with Sons Of Kemet, Ezra Collective, and Makaya McCraven. Vibraphone performance continues to be an expanding field of music. Like his contemporary Bobby Hutcherson, Burton revolutionized vibraphone playing using four mallets (as opposed to the customary two), widening the instruments harmonic palette and expressive capability. Lionel Leo Hampton (19082002), was a U.S. bandleader, jazz percussionist, and vibraphonist. Certainly nobody could argue that the provenance of these women is not equally as glittering as that of their male collaborators. Connect your Spotify account to your Last.fm account and scrobble everything you listen to, from any Spotify app on any device or platform. Cost: Reserved seats are $25 adults, $20 students k-12 and seniors 65 and older. Harris is known for his crisp style and an ear toward a classical composition style in his original works. From Springfield, Ohio, Lytle began his career as a drummer for Ray Charles and Gene Ammons before taking up the vibraphone in 1955. See the video below for his explanation! After serving her apprenticeship with the Mercury Prize-nominated London jazz aggregation SEED Ensemble, Carmichael released her Hutchings-produced debut album The River Doesnt Like Strangers in late 2021, which impressed via its juxtaposition of lean, Caribbean-inflected grooves with lush atmospheric soundscapes. But jazz wasnt on instrument maker Herman Winterhoffs radar when he conceived the vibraphone in 1916 as a device that combined the resonance of a pipe organ with the attack of a marimba, a percussion instrument played with mallets. Nothing sounds cooler in jazz than the limpid, bell-like chimes of a vibraphone as its notes cascade over a swinging groove. Returning to jazz in 1960 after a seven-year stint of work in education, she worked with Earl Hines, Max Roach and husband Richie Goldberg, touring Japan and enjoying an unprecedented 10 week stint at Ronnie Scotts. Everyone's heard of Louis . This was a terrific article. A supremely versatile and prolific vibes player with a gorgeously translucent sound, Richards credits ranged from Frank Sinatra to Frank Zappa. 1930s - The first two major players of the vibraphone in jazz were Lionel Hampton and Red Norvo. Born in San Francisco in 1998, female vibes player Sasha Berliner is now based in New York City and is taking the jazz world by storm, winning Letter One's "Rising Stars" jazz award. The new-found love of the vibraphone is due to both its versatility (jazz and symphonic) and because of its sustaining power, sensitivity and musicality. He hit the lower rings of the US Hot 100 in 1965 with his single Soul Sauce, a revamp of Dizzy Gillespies Afro-Cuban groove, Guachi Guaro.. Plus a playlist. In the 18 years that Sara Caswell has been on the New York scene, she has collaborated with a long list of well-known players (Brad Mehldau, Linda May Han Oh, Amina Figarova, Miho Hazama, etc.) Originally from Baltimore, Wolf was a child music prodigy who learned an array of instruments (including the vibes) at a young age and eventually studied at the Berklee College of Music. Click the answer to find similar crossword clues . He was the first jazz performer to use and master the vibraphone. Despite high album sales, she never saw much financial success from her recordings, moving for a time into music business. He never finished his studies, instead leaving in 1964 to join Stan Getzs jazz combo, and his career took off during that time. His mother taught piano, and his father played trombone, and by age 5, Ayers was already showing musical prowess, playing the piano and picking up other instruments. . Stefon Harris 8. She was both the first woman, and at 21, was the youngest individual in the poll's history to be granted the win. This article has my Apple Music LIT my playlist is now beautiful, A really great collection of artists. Duke Ellington. Talk about glaring omission, how about Charlie Shoemake? He describes with great joy evenings where he played in the Big . I started out as a jazz musician before becoming a booking agent and manager. Heavily influenced by the bebop argot of Milt Jackson, Detroit-born Pike played with a mixture of flamboyant brio and nuanced sensitivity during a recording career that spanned seven decades. Under the monicker Hyper+ Electroacoustic Trio (with Colussi), Fazzini and Fedrico share their sonic research with different guests as trumpet player Amir ElSaffar . Starting out playing drums at eight years old, San Francisco-born Berliner is a composer and educator who got hooked on jazz at an early age and switched to the vibes at 13. American jazz vibraphonist Gary Burton collaborated with American jazz singer Rebecca Parris on the 1993 album 'It's Another Day'. You can never have enough crystals. Affiliate Disclosure: as an Amazon Associate we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases. Stefon Harris (b.1971) [P] Steve Hobbs [P] Jay Hoggard (b.1954) [P] Bobby Hutcherson (1941-2016) [P] Marjorie Hyams (b.1920) [P] Milt Jackson (1923-1999) [P] Khan Jamal (b.1946) [P] Joe Locke (b.1959) [P] Matthias Lupri (b.1964) [P] Johnny Lytle (b.1932) [P] Mike Mainieri (b.1938) [P] Jon Metzger (b.1959) [P] found great success after performing at the Palomar in Los Angeles. Mulatu Astatke 11. More than ever, monstrously talented young women are rising through the ranks of jazz instrumentalists, challenging the male-dominated status quo. Born in Paris and raised in the US, drummer/composer McCraven is a self-proclaimed beat scientist who keeps his eye firmly on the future of jazz, playing groove-oriented avant-garde jazz with a hip-hop attitude. Despite her early retirement, she remains one of jazzs significant female pioneers. Hard to categorise, Regina has performed many styles of music including jazz, Latin, blues, African and R&B. Modestly describing herself as 99% composer and 1% pianist she nevertheless holds both chairs on various recordings of her work released almost annually since 1974 for WATT and ECM. One of the leading vibraphone specialists of the 21st century, Palo Alto-born Locke began his recording career as a teenage sideman with alto saxophonist John Spider Martin in 1977. The rock legend's son, Wolfgang, took to social media to announce his dad's death. This was Emily Remlers debut album and one can clearly hear her already-distinctive, lyrical and assertive style on the guitar. This native New Yorker made his debut as a professional musician aged 14, playing the vibes in a small combo led by legendary jazz bandleader Paul Whiteman before joining drummer Buddy Richs band, where he stayed between 1956 and 1963. One of the greatest vibraphone players of all time, Roy Ayers was a pioneer of jazz-funk and acid jazz. Looking back on her life, she commented I did it, didnt I? Bobbi Humphrey was first female instrumentalist signed by Blue Note in 1971. A post shared by Vater Drumsticks (@vaterdrumsticks). Lionel Hampton 6. In addition to his significant seven-decades-long career as a jazz musician, bandleader, vibes player, African-American Lionel Hampton (1908 . Gary Burton 9. So, if youre interested, here are 15 famous vibraphone players you should know about. Benny Goodman was a. clarinetist. Sadly, his life was cut short by a methadone overdose in 1971, the day he completed his work for theBroadway Musical To Live Another Summer, To Pass Another Winter. Her 2017 debut album, A Social Call, released by Concord via the revived Prestige imprint, won rave reviews and established Horn as the new voice of contemporary jazz. She studied at Manhattan School of Music in New York, graduating in 1967 with a first class masters degree, a grand prize and special mention. Lauren Kinsella. From jazzs birthplace, New Orleans, this contemporary jazz artist is a trumpeter with a clear, burnished tone who acknowledges the tradition of the music but sees the future of jazz in a fusion of alt.rock, African music, movie soundtracks, and hip-hop. Afterwards, he met the vibraphonist, who presented him with a pair of mallets; it was an experience that ignited Ayers lifelong love affair with an instrument that he later became synonymous with. Arguably the most influential vibraphone player in history, Lionel Hampton was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on April 20, 1908. He established himself early with works such as Knockin on Wood and Please Be Kind.. Though his influences are wide and range from Cannonball Adderley to Prince and Tupac, Wolfs music is rooted in the jazz tradition and offers a contemporary update of hard bop. He helped lead the bebop revolution in the 1940s when he joined trumpeter Dizzy Gillespies band. helped bring about the integration of black and white jazz musicians. A glaring omission: David Friedman. Emily Remler studied jazz guitar at Berklee College of music in the 1970s, listening to greats such as Charlie Christian, Herb Ellis, Joe Pass, Wes Montgomery and Pat Martino. 1950s - Terry Gibbs, Cal Tjader, Mike Mainieri 1960s - Gary Burton, Bobby Hutcherson, Walt Dickerson 1970s - Steve Nelson, Dave Samuels, Jay Hoggard 1980s - Joe Locke 1990s - Stefon Harris Regina has won multiple readers and critics polls for Downbeat, JazzTimes and other publications. Dear Matt, Duration: 6:15 | Level: Medium Discover the best jazz albums of all time. I host Jazzfuel to provide resources and info for both professional musicians and jazz fans around the world. Among his most popular songs is Prelude for Vibes., Bobby Hutcherson was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1941 and started his musical journey by learning the piano as a child. When appropriate, these musicians are quoted and name-checked inside the article itself! She accompanies herself on Brazilian guitar, using complex contrapuntal rhythms in odd meters showing her as much as a virtuoso guitarist as a jazz singer. Who: Sherrie Maricle & the DIVA Jazz Orchestra. Like Bobby Hutcherson, Dickerson was a key figure in aiding the vibraphones transition from bebop to freer modes of jazz expression. Relocation to the US West Coast saw him join saxophonist/flautist Paul Horns combo before becoming an in-demand session player who played on myriad movie and TV soundtracks. In 1930, working as a drummer at a recording session with Louis Armstrong, Armstrong asked him if he could play the vibraphones. I'm looking for people who play: Drums, Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Piano, Bass Guitar. 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