RYAN WILLMAN
Arrow Lakes News
Put this in your ear and dig it: Local School District 10 music teacher and accomplished musician Patrick MacGibbon has released his debut full-length album, “Music for Listening” available for private purchase.
“Music for Listening” is nothing short of butter for your jazz toast as MacGibbon and friends navigate their way through the technical jungle of mainstream jazz to unearth a musical gem from the Kootenay region. Combining sultry grooves, exciting tempo changes and a healthy dose of style, these veterans of the music world have come together under the direction of MacGibbon to breathe life into five of his original compositions. Recorded in West Kelowna at Michael Garding Studios, MacGibbon assembled Neville Bowman on piano, Bernie Addington on bass and Christopher Collier championing the rhythm with his percussion — a fine selection of musicians whose alchemy yielded improvisational jazz tour de force.
“Recording an album was something I planed to do in a while,” MacGibbon explained, “but there were no concrete plans. I had five original tunes and just realized there was no perfect time to get them done, so we just went in and did them.”
MacGibbon draws on his extensive resume of education, experience and performance to rock the spit-valve out of his SeaWind Phil Dwyer Edition tenor saxaphone on this album. Well mixed and balanced like a proper cocktail, Music for Listening embodies the local artist’s chosen flagship quote from the famous author Victor Hugo, “Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to remain silent.” The five original compositions are poppy and warm, dripping with the improvisational jazz technique that MacGibbon is so well versed. The album also includes the song Shepard, which is an original composition by drummer Collier and highlights the tingling combination of drum, piano and sax.
The album wraps up with a familiar jazz standard, It don’t mean a Thing (if it ain’t got that swing), originally composed by Edward Ellington and Irving Mills. The quartet revitalizes the swinging soul of the tune with an upbeat rendition.
“I am proud of it” MacGibbon responds when asked about how he feels about the finished product. “I am proud to present it to people. It has been a huge learning experience. Looking back, there are a few things that I would do different next time, but that is the point. Other than teaching, recording the album has been the best learning experience above anything else I have done musically.”
MacGibbon has no immediate plans to follow up his debut with a sophomore album, “but there is an idea for the next one in theory,” he shared. Further information about MacGibbon’s musical resume and performance information can be found on his website www.macgibbonmusic.com.