Last night vibist Terry Gibbs performed with the Point Loma Nazarene College Big Band at the San Diego City College Theater. The performance was broadcast live over KSDS, 88.3, and worldwide on the Internet via http://www.jazz88online.org/. Gibbs is in great shape for 81, completely relaxed, enjoying himself immensely and continually cracking jokes. He started by asking the (almost) all female sax section their ages. When they were finished, he said, "Geesh, I'm older than the whole sax section combined!" Gibbs seemed to be in the prime of life not something you usually attribute to an 81 year old.
He joked around with Vince Outlaw, the moderator, who also interviewed him during and after the show. It was neat hearing his comments since they had the ring of truth and authenticity. At 81 Terry Gibbs has nothing to hide. Lucky to have been a young man at the birth of bebop, Gibbs adopted many of its elements into his playing style. Like many musicians his age, he could not believe his ears when he first heard Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. He could understand Gillespie better because of his percussive playing style, but Charlie Parker boggled his mind. "Every solo was a complete musical composition." Parker's genius revolutionized jazz, and it's only slightly easier to fathom when you realize that Parker and Gillespie had been gestating for 5 years during WWII. When they hit the public in 1945, people couldn't believe their ears. The world would never be the same.
Unfortunately, Parker died of 4 major organ failures at the age of 35 in 1955. The general public never appreciated his contribution. Another sad story - trumpet genius Clifford Brown died at the age of 26 in an auto accident that also took the life of pianist Richie Powell, but I digress.
Gibbs was in fine form. If age had diminished his playing power, it wasn't noticeable by me. The Point Loma Nazarene band was stiff by comparison, but after all, they're just babies. Maybe they'll loosen up in another 60 years. Or maybe it's just the hallmark of a great performer to be so loose and unintimidated in front of a worldwide audience. Gibbs did a lot of neat things with the band in a teaching kind of role, and had most if not all of the solo space.
Gibbs noted that he went to Julliard on a tympani scholarship. (Multi-talented, he plays drums as well as piano.) After slugging a professor, Gibbs became not a college drop-out but a kick-out. Of course with natural talent like his, who needs a college degree? He's an example of my thesis that natural talent will always trump degreed talent. In fact most musicians are born and not made. Musical talent seems to run in families and is, therefore, genetic. Another digression: I was taking an ear training class from Hal Crook. My girlfriend at the time who had perfect pitch and had never attended a class came with me just to take the final exam for a lark. We were on our way someplace. Her father had been a violinist and conductor so the genes were in the family. While the rest of us agonized, she scored a perfect score and walked out in a few minutes. Now that's natural talent and inherited talent! Of course there are many different kinds of natural talent other than musical. My thesis: one should follow their talent and interests and forget about college degrees.
In summary, now that I've totally digressed away from Terry Gibbs' performance, Terry did a lot more than play the vibes. He gave us little insights into an amazing and fortunate life; he taught; he shared his wisdom. What more could you want? And as he kept reminding us, his CDs were in the lobby! He can be found on the web at http://www.terrygibbs.com/
