Walk of Fire Behn Gillece

• 1 Walk of Fire 04:59
• 2 Fantasia Brasileira 05:16
• 3 Bag's Mood 06:06
• 4 Dauntless Journey 05:11
• 5 Battering Ram 05:40
• 6 Reflective Current 06:55
• 7 Something New 04:50
• 8 Specter 06:35
• 9 Break Tune 06:35
• 10 Celestial Tidings 05:59
• Total Runtime 58:06

Info for Walk of Fire

Vibraphonist Behn Gillece heads boldly down a courageous path to explore his “Walk of Fire.” With an exciting program of compositions and an amazing group of players, the stage is clearly set for Gillece to confidently demonstrate both his stunning harmonic knowledge of the idiom as well as his total melodic command of his instrument. The amazing musicians in the band are trombonist extraordinaire Michael Dease, saxophonist Walt Weiskopf, trumpeter Bruce Harris, pianist Adam Birnbaum, bassist Clovis Nicolas, and drummer Jason Tiemann. With a dazzling series of performances overflowing with energized enthusiasm, serious listeners will enjoy following along while Gillece leads his merry minstrels down this “Walk of Fire” as a joyous musical experience of inspiration and delight.

"These ten gleaming gems are also beautiful vehicles for Clovis Nicolas, a bassist who, like Mr Gillece, is never showy, but always there, ‘in the pocket’ when each soloist returns no matter where or how far he’d been. Keeping it all in time is also Jason Tiemann, a drummer who comes to this bonfire more with a palette into which he dips brushes, sticks and mallets just like a bold percussion colourist would. Together these men make Walk of Fire an album to die for." (Raul Da Gama, jazzdagama.com)

Behn Gillece, vibraphone
Michael Dease, trombone
Walt Weiskopf, tenor saxophone
Bruce Harris, trumpet
Adam Birnbaum, piano
Clovis Nicolas, bass
Jason Tiemann, drums

Behn Gillece
With over a decade on the New York jazz scene, vibraphonist Behn Gillece has built a reputation as a virtuosic instrumentalist and prolific composer. With inspiration from such legends as Milt Jackson and Bobby Hutcherson, Gillece, throughout his career, has committed himself to advancing the art form of the vibraphone while flourishing as a jazz composer. A New Jersey native, Gillece had many early performance opportunities in his home state, as well as Philadelphia, before moving to New York City in 2006. Since then, he has made quite a name for himself as a sought after sideman, as well as a bandleader and recording artist.

His latest release, Still Doing Our Thing (2021 Posi-Tone), was recorded in the most difficult year the music industry has faced in a generation. Yet, despite difficult circumstances, Gillece’s stellar quartet safely came together and did what they do best, which is make astounding music. The group includes pianist Art Hirahara, bassist Boris Kozlov, and drummer Rudy Royston, with a guest appearance by saxophonist Nicole Glover.

From 2009 to 2013, Gillece co-led four transformative recordings on Posi-Tone with tenor saxophonist Ken Fowser, all receiving international acclaim and extensive radio play. Gillece’s first four debut albums as leader, Mindset (2015 Posi-Tone), Dare To Be (2016 Posi-Tone), Walk Of Fire (2017 Posi-Tone), and Parallel Universe (2018 Posi-Tone) helped the ascension of his public appreciation and made immediate splashes in the press and radio, picking up a 2018 Downbeat Rising Star award. The vibraphonist has also appeared as a sideman on many recordings, most recently contributing his playing to albums by Michael Dease, New Faces, Walt Weiskopf, Melody Gardot, Idle Hands, Out To Dinner, and Ensemble Novo.

Gillece has performed his music throughout the world at venues which include the Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Kimmel Center, Smalls Jazz Club, Mezzrow, Jazz Standard, Side Door, Smoke Jazz Club, Fat Cat, Yoshi's, Chris’ Jazz Cafe, and many others. Gillece has also appeared at music festivals worldwide, including the North Sea, Montreux, Nice, Molde, Ghent, Montreal, and Toronto festivals.

In addition to his robust performance life, Gillece also has a burgeoning career as a music educator. Gillece is a member of the faculty at Rowan University and New Jersey City University, where he teaches vibraphone, jazz ensemble, music theory, and online courses. In addition to the various workshops he has been asked to give at colleges and universities across the world, he has prepared over 700 lessons for online instruction on vibesworkshop.com, which benefits percussion students internationally.

Gillece holds a master’s degree from SUNY Purchase, and is endorsed by Malletech instruments. His awards include the aforementioned 2018 Downbeat Rising Star Vibraphonist, the 2009 Betty Carter Jazz Ahead residency, winning the Generations competition in 2009, and winning the 2008 Jazz Improvisation competition at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention.

This album contains no booklet.