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Tobias Gebb and Unit 7: free at last

By Woodrow Wilkins
March 29, 2010
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Like a bird uncaged, drummer Tobias Gebb expresses himself without restraint on free at last, recorded with Unit 7. The collection is a mix of original songs and covers.

Gebb is a freelance musician on the New York scene. Having appeared on recordings with Lenny Kravitz and

Donald Fagen

piano and vocals
b.1948

" data-original-title="" title="">Donald Fagen, Gebb has also served as a leader with the piano-bass-drums group

Trio West

band / ensemble / orchestra
b.1968

" data-original-title="" title="">Trio West, and a larger ensemble known as Unit 7. For free at last, Unit 7 is actually two groups. Gebb and pianist Eldad Zvulon appear on all tracks. The rest are split between groups of five and six, plus two other musicians who appear on one song each.

As its name implies, "Spitball" is a sassy piece. The horn section of

Joe Magnarelli

trumpet
b.1960

" data-original-title="" title="">Joe Magnarelli,

Joel Frahm

saxophone, tenor

" data-original-title="" title="">Joel Frahm, and

Chris Huson

" data-original-title="" title="">Chris Huson leads, with

Ugonna Okegwo

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Ugonna Okegwo having bass duties. Frahm starts the series of middle solos on tenor sax, followed by Magnarelli on trumpet and Gross on alto saxophone. The band captures the mood of the title, which is a wink at politicians who symbolically throw spitballs at one another.

"Bop De Bop" is a calypso jazz track, featuring

Ron Blake

saxophone
b.1965

" data-original-title="" title="">Ron Blake on the tenor.

Neal Miner

bass, acoustic
b.1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Neal Miner handles the bass, and

Stacy Dillard

saxophone

" data-original-title="" title="">Stacy Dillard plays tenor in the background. After the middle solo, all stops as Gebb exercises his kit without accompaniment.

Going political again, "Free at Last" is both a nod to Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech and a tribute to President Barack Obama, particularly his performance during the primary and general election campaigns of 2008. This slow, charming piece features Magnarelli, Frahm, Gross, and Okegwo. As before, the horns blend superbly during the song's main theme. The intensity builds during a dramatic sequence in which the saxophones and trumpet weave the three-note theme with some ad-libs.

Neel Murgai

sitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Neel Murgai joins the ensemble, playing sitar on a cover of

The Beatles

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">The Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows." Frahm, Gross, and Okegwo are featured. Zvulun contributes a brief solo, but it's mostly Murgai and the saxophones that carry this piece.

Despite being the leader of this band, and composer of five of the eight songs, Gebb is mostly content to be a role player. The saxophones lead most of the way, but every track has the feel of a solid unit.

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Track Listing

Blues for Drazen; My Love; Spitball; You Don't Know What Love Is; Bop Be Dop; Free At Last; Softly as in a Morning Contemplation; Tomorrow Never Knows.

Personnel

Tobias Gebb

drums

Tobias Gebb: drums; Bobby Watson: alto saxophone (1, 4, 7); Joe Magnarelli: trumpet (2, 3, 6); Ron Blake: tenor saxophone (5); Joel Frahm: tenor saxophone (2, 3, 6, 8); Stacy Dillard: tenor saxophone (1, 4, 5, 7); Mark Gross: alto saxophone (2, 3, 6, 8); Ugonna Okegwo: acoustic bass (2, 3, 6, 8); Neal Miner: acoustic bass (1, 4, 5, 7); Neel Murgai: sitar (8); Eldad Zvulun: piano.

Album information

Title: free at last | Year Released: 2010 | Record Label: Yummyhouse Records

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