B

Tibbetts, Steve

Band members Related acts

- Marc Anderson - drums, percussion (1976-)
- Steve Cochrane - tabla (1977-)
- Robert Hughes - bass (1977-)
- Chojo Jacques - fiddle (1977-)
- Steve Tibbtz - guitar, keyboards, dobro, mandolin, sitar (1976-)
- Tim Weingold - percussion (1977-)
- Marcus Wise - tabla (1977-)

- none known

Rating: * (3 stars) Title: Steve Tibbetts Company: Frammis Catalog: BZZ-77 Year: 1976 Grade (cover/record): VG/VG Comments: minor ring wear Available: -- Price: SOLD**	A lot of folks will be put off by the fact Steve Tibbetts catalog is all instrumental, as well as the fact he's become a well known and highly regarded star in the jazz community ... We can already hear it - "Jazz? Give us a break ..." Tibbetts made his debut with 1976's cleverly titled "Steve Tibbetts". He apparently began working on the album as a school project while attending Minnesota's Macalaster College as an art student. Working with a four track machine in the school's music center, Tibbetts supposedly graduated before the project was complete, forcing him to sneak into the school at night and on weekends in order to finish it. Musically the set's a bit under produced, but more than makes up for that shortfall with it's energy and willingness to experiment with different styles and genres. Exemplified by material such as "Sunrise", "Gong" and "How Do You Like My Buddha?" the spotlight's clearly on Tibbetts acoustic guitar. That may not sound very promising, but it's well worth the investment (finding an original copy won't come cheap). Originally independently released, the small Frammis Records promptly picked up distribution rights. The jazz-oriented ECM label acquired rights to the album in the '80s. "Steve Tibbets" track listing: 1.) Sunrise (instrumental) (Steve Tibbetts) - 4:15 2.) The Secret (instrumental) (Steve Tibbetts) - 4:45 3.) Desert (instrumental) (Steve Tibbetts) - 4:40 4.) The Wonderful Day (instrumental) (Steve Tibbetts) - 2:21 5.) Gong (instrumental) (Steve Tibbetts) - 1:38 6.) Jungle Rhythm (instrumental) (Steve Tibbetts) - 5:32 7.) Interlude (instrumental) (Steve Tibbetts) - 1:50 8.) Alvin Goes to Tibet (instrumental) (Steve Tibbetts) - 4:17 9.) How Do You Like My Buddha? (instrumental) (Steve Tibbetts) - 5:05

Rating: **** (4 stars) Title: Yr Company: Frammis Catalog: 1522-25 Year: 1977 Grade (cover/record): VG/VG+ Comments: minor ring, edge and corner wear; piece of tape on spine; includes two inserts Available: 1 Price: $100.00 (Here's what the night version of the cover looks like) (Here's what the ECM reissue looks like)	1977's self-produced "Yr" was Tibbetts' second release for the small Frammis label. It's simply something special. Like the debut, its hard to adequately describe Tibbetts' creation. Totally unique and mesmerizing, imagine Mike Olfield with twice as much talent but without the compulsive need for thousands of overdubs ... Yeah, that's a horrible description, but probably the best approximation we can come up with. Backed by a full band, material such as "Here Comes the Sphexes", "Ten Years" and "The Alien Lounge" sported a strange and exotic appeal - this may sound stupid, but listening to the album it's easy to imagine your wandering through some jungle (must have been the tabla players). World music a full decade before Peter Gabriel and Paul Simon made it cool !!! At the same time, this is a great guitar album. Tibbetts turns in a series of stunning performances on both acoustic and electric guitar (check out his snarling solo on "Three Primates"). Given the LP's full sound (great headphone LP), it's hard to imagine it was recorded at home with an 8 track machine. (The collection was originally released with two separate covers. Both reflected the same theme, but one sported a daytime scene, the other a nighttime version.) (This is a daytime copy and includes two inserts; a black and white photo of Tibbetts and a picture of the nighttime cover.) "Yr" track listing: 1.) UR (instrumental) (Steve Tibbetts) - 5:45 2.) Here Comes the Sphexes (instrumental) (Steve Tibbetts - Marc Anderson) - 3:51 3.) Ten Years (instrumental) (Steve Tibbetts) - 7:45 4.) One Day (instrumental) (Steve Tibbetts) - 3:59 5.) Three Primates (instrumental) (Steve Tibbetts - Ross - Williams) - 5:02 6.) You and It (instrumental) (Steve Tibbetts) - 7:18 7.) The Alien Lounge (instrumental) (Steve Tibbetts) - 3:36 8.) 10 Yr Dance (instrumental) (Steve Tibbetts) - 3:16

Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Northern Song Company: ECM Catalog: 1218 Year: 1981 Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: minor ring wear Available: 1 Price: $25.00	In an interesting quirk of fate, ECM Records president Manfred Eicher heard a copy of "Yr" and invited Tibbetts to record an album for the label. The resulting set, 1981's "Northern Song" was a major musical departure and takes some getting use to. While Tibbett's first two sets were full of accessible melodies, here the emphasis shifts to more subtle song structures. At least part of the reason for the change may have to do with the fact the album was recorded in a compressed period (unlike the months spent on the first two albums). Tibbetts may simply not have had much time to develop new material. Depending on your personal disposition, material such as "The Big Wind", "Walking" and "Aerial View" was thought provoking and mesmerizing, or simply sleep inducing. While we're big fans of the first two releases, with the exception of a couple of isolated passages, zzzzzzzzzzzzz "Northern Song" track listing: 1.) The Big Wind (Steve Tibbetts) - 8:17 2.) Form (Steve Tibbetts) - 7:21 3.) Walking (Steve Tibbetts) - 6:32 4.) Aerial View (Steve Tibbetts) - 4:19 5.) Nine Doors/Breathing Space (Steve Tibbetts) - 21:55

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