May 25 2018
I am so glad Steve Tibbetts made it back to the recording studio, and “Life Of” is why he shouldn’t be allowed to leave it
The casual way Steve Tibbetts instills serenity with his guitar makes it seem like that state is just an impromptu decision. Perhaps that’s why it often feels so fragile, leaving me transfixed and afraid to even move a little bit for fear of shattering it. The guitarist has been with the ECM Records label for decades, and his new album Life Of falls right into line with the tranquil bliss of his early works on the label. Where it diverges is its insistence on staying right there in that peaceful place. Most of his previous works possessed a ready willingness to amp up the intensity and show how the thunderstorm possesses as much beauty as the calm that precedes it. On Life Of, Tibbetts reveals the varied facets of those moments of calm.
And much like albums previous, Tibbetts’ newest has an ephemeral source of influence. It’s a little bit modern jazz, a little bit folk, and a little bit World Music. The only thing that really changes is the part of the world that the music tethers itself to. Sometimes the music echoes that of Nepal and sometimes that of Norway and sometimes of his Midwest roots… but always in just the vaguest sense, as if it just drifted in with the tide and entered a confluence with Tibbetts’ own personal aesthetic. But all of it is beautiful.
There’s nothing quite like a Steve Tibbetts recording. When you require a tool to bring peacefulness into your life or when you’ve already attained it and just need an appropriate soundtrack, Tibbetts’ music is a sure bet. Life Of is further evidence of why. It’s also an example of why he needs to be coaxed back into the recording studio much more frequently to create much more of this wonderful music.
Your album personnel: Steve Tibbetts (guitar, piano), Marc Anderson (percussion, handpan) and Michelle Kinney (cello, drones).
Released on ECM Records.
Music from Minneapolis-St Paul, Minnesota.
Available at: Amazon
bill
May 25, 2018 @ 8:16 am
Hi Dave,
Your review of Life Of is right on target – your description of not wanting to move for fear of shattering the fragile soundscape is just perfect.
Interesting that Manfred’s name is nowhere to be found on this one – I don’t recall that happening with any ECM release.
Hope all is well,
Bill
davesumner
May 25, 2018 @ 8:18 pm
Hey, Bill!
I didn’t notice the absence of Manfred’s name from the recording. I’m not sure what, if anything, should be read into this. Maybe because Tibbetts wanted to record the album in his backyard made scheduling difficult to get everybody in the same room, or maybe Tibbetts just wanted to take a more DIY-hands-on approach to the recording, or maybe some other reason altogether. The sound is beautiful on Life Of, so it clearly conforms to ECM’s quality baseline.
But, yeah, Manfred in the booth at La Buissonne Studios is a pretty magical thing.
Cheers,
Dave
Patrick
October 17, 2023 @ 12:59 am
Not going to lie, I think Steve just got another listener. I followed the link to his website and listened to the sample of Hellhound Train: An Anthology, and *chefs kiss*. The panneling on the percussion was really well done and the cello drone was super seemless. Is Steve Tibbetts still composing or is he retired?