So, Tiki bars have become a thing, and the folks who dig this sort of thing really dig vibraphone xylophone. An acquaintance had a gig for me, so I put together this little duo...

This is a near-forty minute concert by Khan Jamal from 1992, and if you're not interested in the entire concert I'd suggest jumping to 15:30 for the last chorus of "In A Sentimental Mood." You'll hear a couple of amazing cadenzas that take the song out.

A work in progress. With a little break from teaching today at Berklee I was working on using mallets 4 and 2 for playing lines over the standard "Like Someone In Love". I feel that in my playing, mallet 4 is underutilized and I'm trying to work on that deficiency. It still needs a lot of work but I see the potential in using it more not only for solo playing for also for playing lines as well.
#thecompleteguidetoimprovisation
#voicingconceptsforthejazzvibist
#vicfirthm39edsaindonsignaturemallet

I am trying to play vibraphone with broken thumb after a stupid bicycle accident.
Next week they will nail my thumb - an unpleasant imagination.
But it is not acceptable not to play for 8 weeks.

For several weeks, I have been using ballads while practicing as a vehicle for working on dynamics, time, and just trying to play decent music. Here are two recent efforts, both long time favorites of mine: Nature Boy and My Foolish Heart. I've occasionally performed these with my group, The Brooklyn Jazz Collective, when the horn players need to rest their embouchure muscles. They are both still works in progress.

Final Concert at the South Pole -

WHAT IS MUSIC? Music is different for different people. I’ve learned that it is not the privilege of the audience to experience an artist’s music but rather it is truly a privilege for the artist who gets to present their musical expressions to a receptive audience.

Billy Wooten was the vibes player on a couple of Grant Green soul-jazz albums, and after touring with Green he decided to come off the road and settle in Indianapolis. As a matter of personal taste, I happen to really enjoy soul-jazz with an organ player in the group and eventually discovered Billy Wooten by accident.

Billy appears to have enjoyed a great life and departed this mortal coil in 2016, but I've been listening to this new released of lost tapes on YouTube. I thought I'd share the link here.

Hi all,

I wanted to create some exclusive content for VW. So this video is unlisted on Youtube, but I am posting it here... Hope you enjoy!!

Steve