Happy birthday to Terry Gibbs! While many jazz musicians make it to “elder” status, it’s not often we get to celebrate the centennial of a musician who’s still with us, so we are extra fortunate to still have this great vibraphonist, composer, bandleader, and indominable spirit. In a weird sense, his extraordinary longevity and comically-impressive track record seem to have contributed to his career and music being taken for granted. I don’t really understand that, but I suppose I also don’t understand how one man could accomplish all this – I’m just grateful we have so much of his music to inspire and teach us. Here are some of my favorites from his enormous discography, listed here in chronological order.

1 ) “Meeskite” issued on An Ace Face by Allen Eager (1947)

The solo section of this prototypical early bebop track by saxophonist Eager opens up with Terry’s vibes, prior to those by Eager and pianist Duke Jordan, buoyed by bop pioneers Curly Russell and Max Roach. This would be worthwhile even if for only historical purposes (i.e. demonstrating that he was right there) but at this young age he also already sounds confident and swinging.  

2 ) “Cuddles (Speedway)” issued on Early Stan by Stan Getz (1949)

Confident and swinging, meanwhile, take on new meaning on this burner. Taken at well over 300 beats per minute, Gibbs’s composition becomes a vehicle for highly assured soloing by Terry and saxophonist Stan Getz; Earl Swope, while no J.J. Johnson, does an admirable job on trombone as well, as George Wallington, Curly Russell and Shadow Wilson hold it together. While this session has been reissued under Getz’s name, it was actually from Terry’s first session as a bandleader (with “Terry Gibbs New Jazz Pirates”).  

3 ) “Nutty Notes” from Terry Gibbs (1955)

This session is the first of his illustrious recordings for EmArcy and probably my favorite of his numerous recordings to feature the wonderful work of the underrated Detroit pianist Terry Pollard and not just because of the amount of solo space he gives her here. It’s possible to almost miss how bright the tempo is given how relaxed Gibbs’s playing is by this point.   

4 ) “Jumpin’ at the Woodside” from One More Time, Vol. 6 by Terry Gibbs Dream Band (1959)

While by all accounts I’ve seen the Terry Gibbs Dream Band was, like most big bands, financially unsustainable, it was a glorious assemblage and one that we’re all lucky was at least documented. This burning live performance of a Count Basie classic prominently features saxophonists Med Flory and Bill Holman and drummer Mel Lewis, but aside from the whole band, the real star is Terry. He burns on vibes early in the performance, and toward the end he contributes a fun solo on “two-fingered” piano.

5 ) “Up At Logue’s Place” from The Family Album (1963)

In 1963 Terry recorded a flurry of quartet and quintet albums (four, in fact) that all featured the piano of the previously-unrecorded Alice McLeod, who a few years later would become better known by her subsequent married name, Alice Coltrane, one of the best-known examples of Terry nurturing young talent. My own “a-ha” moment with Alice came from my friend Franya Berkman playing these records for me, and indeed on this hard-swinging tune you can already hear the distinctive elements of her playing, while she nonetheless fits seamlessly alongside Terry.

6 ) “All the Things You Are” from Take It From Me (1964)

This delightful quartet session with Kenny Burrell, Sam Jones, and Louis Hayes is predominantly a program of Gibbs originals, but I chose this one to shine a light on his work in 3/4 time, as he reinterprets this stalwart tune with ease.

7 ) “Bopstacle Course” from Bopstacle Course (1974)

After an eight year hiatus from recording as a bandleader, Terry came back with this tour de force on the Xandau label. He, Barry Harris, and Alan Dawson all take powerful solos on this Gibbs original – the session is out of print but findable on the interwebs.   

8 ) “For Keeps” from The Latin Connection (1986)

If you closed your eyes you could reasonably wonder if this was a Cal Tjader record, so effortless is the incorporation of Afro-Cuban rhythm along with some of the best of West Coast Latin jazz. Gibbs and pianist Sonny Bravo are featured, with percussionists Johnny Rodriguez, Orestes Vilato, and Jose Madera, Jr. providing invaluable spunk.  

9 ) “Lonely Dreams” from Wham! by Buddy DeFranco and Terry Gibbs (1997)

This gorgeous Gibbs ballad was first recorded over 40 years prior on the same album as selection 3 above. Here it is a moment of lyricism on an otherwise-burning live session, which documents two vital long-term relationships, with clarinetist and frequent collaborator Buddy DeFranco and with his son Gerry Gibbs, who first recorded with his father ten years prior and has been at the center of amplifying Terry’s music, especially in recent years. Terry, Buddy, and pianist Aaron Goldberg all have lyrical solos here.

10 ) “Hot Rod” from Feelin’ Good Live in Studio (2005)

This whole album is a gas and has a variety of grooves and tempos throughout, but the wonder of hearing an octagenerian utterly burn like this is too cool for me not to shine a light on. In addition to Gibbses (Terry and Gerry) the others who burn alongside them, including featured solos for each, include saxophonist Eric Alexander, guitarist Dan Faehnle, and the late, great organist Joey DeFrancesco.