Gibbs, Terry (originally, Gubenko, Julius)

Gibbs, Terry (originally,Gubenko, Julius), bebop-styled vibraphonist, percussionist, and leader; b. Brooklyn, N.Y., Oct. 13, 1924. He began by playing drums and timpani; won a Major Bowes radio amateur contest at age 12, and was a professional drummer before joining the army in World War II. Thereafter he played with Tommy Dorsey, Buddy Rich, Woody Herman, Benny Goodman, and Louie Bellson in the 1940s and 1950s, before starting his own group. He has usually led a small group but headed the big Dream Band (1959), which often had Mel Lewis on drums and was a forerunner of Lewis’s big band with Thad Jones. During the 1960s-80s, he worked frequently with Steve Allen as a musical director. During the same period, he worked a lot in TV. For a number of years he featured female pianists such as Terry Pollard and Alice McLeod (Coltrane), most of whom doubled on vibes for duets with him. He has toured with Buddy DeFranco since the early 1980s. His son Gerry (Gerald Scott, b. N.Y., Jan. 15, 1964) is a drummer.

Discography

Good Vibes (1951); T. G. (1953); Swingin’ with T. G. (1956); Mallets A-Plenty (1956); Vibrations (1959); Launching a New Sound in Music (1959); Dream Band, Vol. 1-3: Flying Home (1959); Steve Allen Presents (1960); Exciting T. G. Band (1961); Dream Band, Vol. 4-5: Big Cat (1961); Straight Ahead (1962); Explosion (1962); Jewish Melodies in Jazztime (1963); El Nutto (1963); Take It from Me (1964); Latino (1964); It’s Time We Met (1965); Reza (1966); Bopstacle Course (1974); Smoke ’Em Up (1978); Live at the Lord (1978); Air Mail Special (1981); Chicago Fire (1987); Memories of You (1991); Kings of Swing (1991).

—Lewis Porter/Nicolas Slonimsky