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Melvin Gibbs

Melvin Gibbs has been called "the best bassist in the world" by Time Out New York magazine. A well- respected veteran of the New York music scene, he has contributed his singular talents to major artists in many diverse genres of music, appearing on close to 200 albums.

Born in Brooklyn N.Y. his first musical studies were on the congas and Latin percussion, focused on the Afro-Diasporatic rhythms of Puerto Rico, Cuba and Brazil. He studied with Papo Dadiego, later to become known as the maker of Jopa Percussion instruments, who was his next-door neighbor.

After deciding to switch to bass he studied acoustic bass at The Muse is Brooklyn under former John Coltrane bassist Reggie Workman and electric bass privately with Vic Collucci. The first band he joined featured the late Alphonia Tims (Future Funk Now!, ROIR) on guitar, who would later become a formative influence in his musical life. A few months later at a practice room in Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn he would meet another guitarist and kindred spirit, Vernon Reid. He soon joined "Point of View" a jazz-rock fusion band led by Reid as well as continuing to work as bassist-songwriter for a Brooklyn based production company specializing in funk and r&b.

He also freelanced extensively on the local N.Y. music scene with an emphasis on gaining as much hands on experience playing as many different types of music as possible. He placed a particular effort into gaining a strong working knowledge of all the musics of the peoples of the African Diaspora living in N.Y. concentrating first of Caribbean musics such as salsa, reggae, soca/calypso and compas then moving on to Brazilian musics and afro-beat than eventually later on African styles such as mbalax, and chimurunga. He also worked "uptown" in the Harlem jazz clubs playing with Dr. Lonnie Smith and others as well as the alternative "loft jazz" concert scene.

He first came to public notice as a member of the groups Defunkt and the Decoding Society who were mainstays of the in the early '80's downtown N.Y. scene.
(side note- Melvin was also the bassist for the Contortions/ James White and the Blacks/ Flaming Demonics and appears in the video of the Contortions show which features Debbie Harry and Chris Stein of Blondie) where he worked alongside his neighborhood pal Vernon Reid. He also re-connected musically with Alphonia Tims, had who become the protégé of Ornette Coleman and later became the protégé of the late Gil Evans, allowing Melvin the opportunity to be mentored by both of these jazz greats. He also worked with artists such as the seminal guitarist Sonny Sharrock, saxophonist/ composer John Zorn and avant-pop group the Ambitious Lovers.

A series of songwriting sessions with Andrew Hindes, keyboard player for the Waitresses, led to Melvin forming a rock band, Eye and I, with singer D.K. Dyson. A few months later the "B.R.C."—Black Rock Coalition - was formed. Melvin became a founding member of the B.R.C. and Eye and I became one of the original "B.R.C." bands.

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Album Review

Wadada Leo Smith: Fire Illuminations

Read "Fire Illuminations" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic


Eighty-one year old trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith comes out flaring like Bitches Brew era Miles Davis, as Fire Illuminations jumps the funk rock from the break of the muscular conflagration “Ntozake." And the grunge jazz clips along as guitarists Nels Cline, Brandon Ross, and Lamar Smith vie, bite, sting, and quarrel over an insistent bass drum power-groove courtesy of bassists Bill Laswell and Melvin Gibbs, percussionist Mauro Refosco, drummer Pheeroan aKlaff, and the deep space electronics of Hardedge.

5
Album Review

Wadada Leo Smith: Fire Illuminations

Read "Fire Illuminations" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


Trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith fronts lots of different bands and puts out lots of albums. After a busy period when he released five boxed sets, totaling 27 CDs, here he debuts his new all-star ensemble Orange Wave Electric, with the download-only offering, Fire Illuminations. As the band name implies, the sound is electric, featuring three electric guitarists, two electric bassists and an electronicist, joining the leader's horn, percussionist Mauro Refosco and drummer Pheeroan aKLaff. For comparison's sake--and using ...

Album Review

Dave Douglas: Marching Music

Read "Marching Music" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


Gli intenti che stanno alla base del nuovo disco di Dave Douglas e la data di registrazione sono significativi. Come scrive il trombettista nelle note di copertina, il progetto è stato concepito come musica da ascoltare in cuffia durante le manifestazioni di protesta a favore del clima, dei diritti civili e di tutte le altre azioni a sostegno della giustizia sociale. Si potrebbe pensare che sia stato registrato nella primavera dello scorso anno, a seguito delle rivolte ...

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Album Review

Melvin Gibbs' Elevated Entity: Ancients Speak

Read "Ancients Speak" reviewed by Chris M. Slawecki


Bassist/composer/producer Melvin Gibbs is best-known among jazz fans for his run with the Ronald Shannon Jackson Decoding Society and among rock fans as bassist for what most devotees consider the best version of The Henry Rollins Band. Now leading his own band, Gibbs explores “the Black Atlantic continuum" that runs from Harlem and NYC in North America through the American south, down through the Caribbean and into Brazil, on Ancients Speak. “It's the randomness of the explosive situation, how this ...

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Album Review

Melvin Gibbs Elevated Entity: Ancients Speak

Read "Ancients Speak" reviewed by Glenn Astarita


Bassist Melvin Gibbs is a multi-talented and pivotal figure on New York City's downtown scene. On Ancients Speak, co-produced by renegade guitarist and experimental composer Arto Lindsay, Gibbs mixes a potpourri of African vocals, hip hop, Latin grooves, rap, and tribal chants, along with divergent stylizations that transform into a distinct entity.

Ancients Speak helps launch a new label, LiveWired Music, with a curious polytonal gumbo--yet Gibbs remains a merchant of good cheer throughout, providing a fluid undercurrent ...

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Technology

Music Creators See Massive Tech Earning Billions While 'Strip-Mining Artists' Work' [Op-Ed]

Music Creators See Massive Tech Earning Billions While 'Strip-Mining Artists' Work' [Op-Ed]

Source: HypeBot

Necessity has proven to be the mother of re-invention, with the digital reboot of the music industry compelling them to learn a number of new tricks in order to stay afloat, as well as forcing them to become stronger advocates for their rights. In this piece Melvin Gibbs calls on artists to and Washington to defend the rights of creators against the pillaging of big tech companies. Guest post by Melvin Gibbs of the Content Creators Coalition The music industry's ...

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Recording

Melvin Gibbs' latest free download highlights Afro-Cuban song and rhythm

Melvin Gibbs' latest free download highlights Afro-Cuban song and rhythm

Source: Melvin Gibbs

Melvin Gibbs' free music series Phree-dem Downloads enters its ninth and penultimate week with a composition based around the singing and rhythm of the Lukumi of Cuba. “Talkin' to the Queen" features John Medeski, Graham Haynes and Alex Harding performing live with Melvin Gibbs' Liberation Theology band. This track is built around a traditional song for the African spiritual entities known as Orishas performed by a three person group featuring Alex Rodriguez on lead vocals.This song also includes Felix Sanabria ...

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Recording

Melvin Gibbs' Phree-dem Downloads series reaches week 8

Melvin Gibbs' Phree-dem Downloads series reaches week 8

Source: Melvin Gibbs


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Recording

Melvin Gibbs presents Phree-dem Download 7: Osétura

Melvin Gibbs presents Phree-dem Download 7: Osétura

Source: Melvin Gibbs


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Recording

Melvin Gibbs' free download series stirs a "Bitches Brew" in week six

Melvin Gibbs' free download series stirs a "Bitches Brew" in week six

Source: Melvin Gibbs

The Phree-dem Downloads free music series presented by bassist/producer Melvin Gibbs continues into its' sixth week with the composition “HeruGlyphic." Gibbs features keyboard player Onaje Allan Gumbs on this track from his “Melvin Runs The Hoodoo Down" project This project, which takes the music of the Miles Davis' album Bitches Brew as it's starting point, is based on a production technique Melvin calls “infrapolation." “HeruGlyphic" also features Alex Harding on bass clarinet and the beatboxing of Napoleon Maddox of the ...

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Recording

Phree-dem Download 5: Melvin Gibbs' Liberation Theology - "No He Didn't" featuring John Medeski

Phree-dem Download 5: Melvin Gibbs' Liberation Theology - "No He Didn't" featuring John Medeski

Source: Melvin Gibbs

For the fifth week of bassist/producer Melvin Gibbs' free download series he presents a track from his Liberation Theology project recorded live in concert. This composition begins with traditional Lukumi (Afro-Cuban Yoruba) bata drumming and a chant for the Orisha (African Saint) Shango which then leads into a fiery groove featuring the soloing of John Medeski on organ. Other member of the group include: Alex Rodriguez: lead vocal/ bata drum Michael Rodriguez: background vocal/ bata drum ...

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Recording

Melvin Gibbs' free music download series enters third week

Melvin Gibbs' free music download series enters third week

Source: Melvin Gibbs

Phree-dem Downloads, Melvin Gibbs' free music series continues into its third week with the composition “Ra's Mirror." This track features multi-instrumentalist Casey Benjamin (Kanye West, Mos Def, Stefon Harris) on three different instruments: flute, keyboards and EWI (electronic wind instrument). Bassist/producer Gibbs showcases Mr Benjamin on a track created for his “Melvin Runs The Hoodoo Down" project. This project, which takes the music of the Miles Davis' album Bitches Brew as it's starting point, is based on a production technique ...

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Recording

Melvin Gibbs' Phree-dem Downloads Week 2 features Pete Cosey and John Medeski

Melvin Gibbs' Phree-dem Downloads Week 2 features Pete Cosey and John Medeski

Source: Melvin Gibbs

The Phree-dem Downloads free music series continues into its' second week with the composition “Pete's Mojo." Bassist/producer Melvin Gibbs features Miles Davis (Get Up With It, Dark Magus, Agartha) alumni Pete Cosey on guitar and John Medeski on organ and electric piano on this track from his “Melvin Runs The Hoodoo Down" project This project, which takes the music of the Miles Davis' album Bitches Brew as it's starting point, is based on a production technique Melvin calls “infrapolation." “Pete's ...

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Bass, electric

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Fire Illuminations

Kabell Records
2023

buy

Marching Music

Greenleaf Music
2020

buy

Ancients Speak

LiveWired Music
2009

buy

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