CD Reviews

Gerry Gibbs and the Thrasher Big Band- Live at Luna

Led by drummer Gerry Gibbs, Gerry Gibbs and the Thrasher Big Band, have released their CD, Live at Luna which brings some attitude to the big band sound without compromising the integrity and tradition of the genre. It’s a quite eclectic live performance that covers traditional jazz styles as well as some swing and bebop. Gibbs’ drumming is right on the mark and some tracks like, “The Caribbean Song” might even have the listener reminisce of some old Buddy Rich recordings.

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According to Gibbs, this project had been a dream of his for the last three years in what appeared to be a Jazz(less), San Antonio, Texas, where Gibbs had been living for nine years. When a new jazz club that Gibbs was part of, called, Carmen’s De La Calle Café, opened; Gibbs was suddenly spending a lot of time there working on projects, and assembling quartets. Once word got around San Antonio, to Gibbs’ surprise, San Antonio had more eclectic jazz musicians then he could have imagined, ranging from straight ahead jazz and bebop, to fusion. These jazz cats within San Antonio, and even Austin, TX, where just awaiting Gibbs’ call to arms. Gibbs put many of them to work creating numerous projects including a ten piece group called the Bitches Brew Orchestra, doing the music of Miles Davis.

The Live at Luna performance is as interesting as the story behind its conception. Gibbs on the drums and his band mates are rock solid, and will surely strike any enthusiast of the Big Band era.

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