There was not one, but two tremendous—and tremendously successful—albums in a single year by the same band. The Thrasher Dream Trio, featuring bandleader/drummer Gerry Gibbs and his very special guests Kenny Barron and Ron Carter, had one heckuva 12-month period. Consider the facts:
First, Thrasher Dream Trio spent four months on JazzWeek chart to kick off 2014 and topped the chart in the big #1 spot for a full six weeks. The band's second recording, We're Back, an innovative survey of jazz-suffused R&B covers, has quickly gone from "most added" to #1 in just a few weeks and remains there as we speak, exploding on jazz radio and turning DJs into converts daily.
Some high profile projects fail to live up to expectations. Not so here. Both discs, spun from the magic fingers of Gibbs, Barron, and Carter, are exhilarating excursions of rich jazz adventure. The first disc is, by turns, comfortable and exploratory, turning up lots of terrific moments. For example, Herbie Hancock's "The Eye of the Hurricane," accelerates out of the gate with virtuosic intensity and never lets up; and Monk's "Epistrophy," which kicks off the album, is tasteful, simply perfect, up-tempo playing.
On We're Back, the inventive jazz performances of Gibbs, Carter, and Barron, filter beautifully through a prism of material by Earth, Wind and Fire, Stevie Wonder, Roberta Flack and Marvin Gaye. The recording, which also features red-hot, world-class guests Warren Wolf (vibraphone), Larry Goldings (B-3), and Steve Wilson (woodwinds)—takes familiar tunes and morphs them into sizzling jazz standards.
Both recordings are remarkable modern-day classics starring three musicians at their peak. Joe Lovano affirms, "Gerry Gibbs has put together another fun and swinging session with a new spin on some of the best loved R&B classics of the day… This recording will capture you from start to finish! Enjoy!"
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