An Upper Westside Story

Product Description

An Upper Westside Story by Tobias Gebb and Trio West

Review

I'm honored to review jazz composer-drummer-arranger Tobias Gebb once again. Tobias deals only in virtuosity and dynamics, and utlimately viable & gainful music to soothe our ruffled sensibilities. Tobias & group effectively synthesize their bop lines & musical impressionistic musical figures with stylistic versatility. The group's precise, aggresive, rhythmic patterns & tonal attack will certainly generate a potential........Certainly an outstanding rapport with their ever increasing audience. Tobias Gebb: master of an incisive, clear & seemingly arranged sound. George W Carroll The Musicians' Ombudsman --ejazz news

TOBIAS GEBB & TRIO WEST/Upper West Side Story: These cats introduced themselves last fall with a debut Christmas album that got things rolling nicely. Here they are back with their first official release and they show themselves to be some dandy jazzbos in a real setting. Originals, jazz classics and Beatles come together in a date that works by these jazzy young men in their pork pie hats. Their sense of humor rolls through the music making this a buoyant, bouncy date that s easy to come back to frequently. Hot stuff. 917 (Yummy House) Volume 31/Number 153 April 1, 2008 MIDWEST RECORD CHRIS SPECTOR, Editor and Publisher ©2008 Midwest Record --Midwest Record

Fresh from their holiday jazz debut last November, drummer Tobias Gebb and his eclectic trio are back releasing their first mainstream jazz recording mixing a few originals with a handful of classic standards in one of the best albums of this New Year. With band mate s bassist Neal Miner and pianist Eldad Zvulun, the group has sufficient firepower for an excellent job. Not content, however, Gebb augments the cast the with tenor saxophone of Joel Frahm on select tracks and for the first time, includes two vocals here with Champian Fulton doing the honors. This is without question a terrific album containing a wide range of styles as the liner notes state in describing the music, draws from swing, bebop, hard bop and cool, as well as music from Brazil, Cuba, Spain and even classic rock. Opening up with a beautiful arrangement of the Nat Simon tribute to Ahmad Jamal, Poinciana, What Time Is It the threesome deliver a cool rendition. Brasil Bela (beautiful Brazil) comes across in a warm bossa nova color featuring pianist Zvulun laying down nice chops on a rich melodic piece of music. After the unexpected introduction by sounds from farm animals, The Barnyard turns into a swinging number featuring saxophonist Frahm on his first appearance peeling off several sizzling solos in between timely bass lines from Miner. Gebb and crew change direction on Billy Strayhorn s Star-Crossed Lovers with a soft ballad showcasing Gebb on the brushes as Zvulun plays the melody. Vocalist Champian Fulton is joined by Frahm on a stylish rendition of Autumn Serenade, and another swinging version of Harry Woods s What A Little Moonlight Can Do complete with appreciable scatting and solid tenor jousts from Frahm. The album rounds out with Irving Berlin s How Deep Is The Ocean, a Gebb original with The Monument (Soldiers and Sailors) and a Latin-shaded rendition of the Lennon/McCartney classic, And I Love Her. --Edward Blanco, ejazz news