History of the Vibraphone (Vinyl)

vi·​bra·​phone ˈvī-brə-ˌfōn: a percussion instrument resembling the xylophone but having metal bars and motor-driven resonators for sustaining the tone and producing a vibrato.

'In the words of vibraphonist Drew Tucker; "IT'S NOT A XYLOPHONE!" People ask me on a weekly basis, "what instrument do you play?" When I respond "I play the vibraphone,” they usually say "What is that?" or "My favorite vibraphone players are Lionel Hampton or Roy Ayers.”

Vibraphonist and Pianist Anthony Smith decided to create a book titled "Masters of the Vibes" to let the world know about the many great players that have performed on this instrument, past and present. Many intimate conversations were held between Anthony and those legends of the vibraphone.

What I decided to do on History of the Vibraphone is to play material from some of the top players who've ever held a pair of mallets in their hands. Those artists that I've decided to pay tribute to include; Terry Gibbs, Lionel Hampton, Milt Jackson, Bobby Hutcherson, Cal Tjader, Gary Burton, Roy Ayers, Dave Samuels and Joe Locke. There's so much music that I wish I could have included on "History of the Vibraphone.” Maybe we'll have to save that for "History of the Vibraphone, Part II?'

- Warren Wolf