"Bassist Melvin Gibbs made his professional debut in 1980 with Defunkt, the avant funk band led by trombonist Joseph Bowie. Within the year, though, he'd moved on, joining drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson's Decoding Society alongside guitarist Vernon Reid and saxophonist Byard Lancaster. He stayed with Jackson for six studio albums and numerous tours, playing high volume, high speed harmolodic funk rock that stunned audiences into submission."
"He formed Power Tools, a trio with Jackson and guitarist Bill Frisell (a later line-up featured Pete Cosey, but never recorded). He joined Sonny Sharrock's band while also beginning a partnership with Arto Lindsay in Ambitious Lovers, then swerved into arty metal with Rollins Band, helping pull them away from Helmet-ish rage and toward a more meditative, swinging sound, like a jazzier, dubbier King Crimson."
Melvin Gibbs began his professional career in 1980 with Defunkt and soon joined Ronald Shannon Jackson's Decoding Society with Vernon Reid and Byard Lancaster. He recorded six studio albums and toured extensively with Jackson, delivering high-volume, high-speed harmolodic funk rock. Gibbs collaborated with John Zorn on Spillane and The Big Gundown and formed Power Tools with Jackson and Bill Frisell. He played with Sonny Sharrock, partnered with Arto Lindsay in Ambitious Lovers, and moved into arty metal with Rollins Band, steering them toward a more meditative, swinging sound. He later collaborated with Greg Tate's Burnt Sugar and led solo projects including Pass Me By and bands Eye & I and Harriet Tubman.
Read at The Wire Magazine - Adventures In Modern Music
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]