Overlooked for years, the vibraphone is making a comeback, with a couple albums featuring the chiming charms.
Vibist Lolly Allen mixes and matches in a variety of swinging settings with the core of saxist Danny Janklow and bassist Jordan Richards along with some of LA’s finest in Josh Nelson-Tom Owens/p, Paul Kreibich-Kendall Kay/dr, Larry Koonse/g, Carl Saunders/tp, Scott Whitfield/tb and Adam Schroeder/bs. The quintet team with Janklow as some boogalooing with vibes and alto sax on Horace Silver’s fun “The Hippest Cat In Hollywood” while she chimes a rich vibrato intro to the Latin bopper “Coming Home.” Her sticks are nimble on the quick wristed “ Little Hummingbird” and creates a George Shearing mood with Koonse on the B-Movie mooded “Gentle Rain” with sleek horns as well as the lingering “If You Cold See Me Now.” Her touch is delicate on the soft samba “O Grande Amor” and snaps like snow peas on “Bebop.” This is a sharp team-any LA gigs in store?
Drummer and percussionist Brian Shankar Adler leads a lithe team with vibes and guitar in front. Matt Moran and Jonathan Goldberger respectively weave back and forth along with pianist Santiago Leibson and Rob Jost on bass for a mix of slow and bluesy moods. Bass and piano are somber for the “Introduction Drone” that leads to deft brushes on “Mantra.” A rocky bounce to “Rudram” and an aggressively edgy “Pulses” reveal deep interplay with some guitar effects on the loopy “Nuearth” and eerie tape musings on the experimental and intuitive “Gowanus.” Intuitive dots and dashes by the leader are for a muse fest for “Alternative Facts” making the album a mix of kinetic thoughts and atmospheric auras.