Vibraphone. The mention of the instrument conjures up historic jazz figures from Lionel Hampton, Milt Jackson and Terry Gibbs to Cal Tjader, Bobby Hutcherson and Gary Burton. And as the latest recording by Baltimore native Warren Wolf (www.warrenwolf.com) proves, this younger vibraphonist is as steeped in the instrument’s history and tradition as he is in its technique and expression.
History of the Vibraphone (Cellar Music), released last year, qualifies as truth in advertising. The 45-year-old Wolf’s quintet with saxophonist Tim Green, keyboardist Alex Brown, bassist Vicente Archer and drummer Carroll “CV” Dashiell III goes from the simmer of Tjader’s “Sad Eyes” to the romp of Hutcherson’s “Herzog.” There’s even a run through the maze that is Chick Corea’s “Captain Senor Mouse,” the late, great keyboardist’s composition for his band Return To Forever.
“Chick also played that song in a duo setting with Gary Burton,” Wolf says by phone from his home in Baltimore. “My latest album showcases material by some of my favorite artists, and also how music, and the instrument, have changed over time between classic swing, bebop, bossa nova, and the jazz/fusion era Gary and Chick were a part of.”
Wolf’s quintet with Green, Brown, bassist Blake Meister and drummer McClenty Hunter Jr. will deliver a similar history lesson at the Amaturo Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale on March 12.
Tributes have often become uncreative low-hanging fruit through all musical genres in the 21st century, and especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. But most pay homage to specific composers, artists or bands rather than instruments, eras or styles. Wolf’s recording — and subsequent live shows like this one — are exceptions, cataloging multiple influences that guided him toward the instrument after growing up spending equal time learning it, piano, and drums. The vibes are, after all, akin to a cross between the melody and harmony of a piano and the rhythm of a drum set.
“My dad, Warren Wolf Sr., encouraged me to concentrate on each one of those three instruments for 30 minutes at a time,” Wolf says. “He was a history teacher in the Baltimore public school system.”
The younger Wolf soaked up musical history from jazz to classical in his hometown, both at the Peabody Institute (where he now teaches) and the Baltimore School for the Arts, before receiving a scholarship to attend the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Burton was the school’s vice president as Wolf attended from 1997-2001, and the young vibraphonist’s primary instructor in Beantown was Dave Samuels (1948-2019), whose own recording and touring career included playing vibes within the smooth jazz of Spyro Gyra and the uncategorical rock of Frank Zappa.
Boston’s thriving music scene suited Wolf, who became the house drummer for two-and-a-half years at Wally’s Cafe, a legendary downtown venue. The Berklee grad then taught at the school between 2003 and 2005 before returning to Baltimore.
“I had a great time at Berklee,” Wolf says. “I made lots of connections and a lot of friends, many of whom are doing great things now, and not only in jazz but also hip-hop, R&B, and country music. But Boston is an expensive city to live in, and I eventually decided to move back to Baltimore. Partly for that reason, but more largely because of family.”
Vibraphonists tend to be lone wolves, no pun intended and family aside. Their mallet-played, pitched percussion instrument offers a different expression than un-pitched percussive counterparts including drum sets, timbales and hand drums. And most jazz ensembles already have melodic soloists on either horns, guitar or keyboards. Which often relegates vibraphonists to sideman or sidewoman status, and the vibes to infrequent recording sessions.
Yet Wolf’s talent rises above such misconceptions. A prolific composer, his writing is featured on several releases under his own name over the past 15 years. Additional teaching over the past decade at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music has segued into touring work with the renowned SFJAZZ Collective each fall.
Another long-standing association is Christian McBride, the veteran virtuoso bassist who’s a few years older. McBride’s Inside Straight band has featured Wolf for more than 15 years.
“His talent is so far off the radar screen,” McBride says of Wolf. “Everything you want in a musician, he has that times 20.”
“Man, Christian is one of the best players ever,” Wolf says. “I’ve been working with him since I was 26 years old, and it’s really been a joy to play with him, eat with him, have conversations with him, and go around the world together. He’s been a really big part of my musical upbringing.”
History of the Vibraphone is the kind of rare release that begs the question of a legitimate series of recorded tributes. And Wolf answers.
“Part two is already in the plan,” he says. “When you come up with a record like this, it’s inevitable that you’ll get people asking, ‘What about this person?,’ especially if they were left out this time. But I’ll be strategic about it. I like the idea of a timeline, and plan to salute vibraphonists from different eras with different styles again.”
If You Go
The Warren Wolf Quintet performs at the Amaturo Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 S.W. 5th Ave., Fort Lauderdale.
When: 7:45 p.m. March 12
Tickets: $65
Info: 954-462-0222, www.browardcenter.org