Frank Gibson Jr. (born 1946) is a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

jazz drummer and drum tutor. His father, also Frank Gibson, was drummer and leader of the first rock’n’roll band in the country, Frank Gibson's Rock’n’Rollers. Before going to the UK in 1977, Gibson had formed Dr Tree, the first

jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and jazz improvisation, improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, ...

album in NZ, as well as working with The Neophonic Orchestra, and accompanying touring international stars such as Dionne Warwick,

The Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...

and

Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and television host. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting '' The Glen Campbell Good ...

. As a highly sought-after session and

studio musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a t ...

, Gibson Jr. was active in the UK in the late 70s. As well as working with

David Essex David Essex (born David Albert Cook; 23 July 1947) is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. Since the 1970s, he has attained 19 Top 40 singles in the UK (including two number ones) and 16 Top 40 albums. Internationally, Essex had the most ...

on a live BBC TV show for six weeks, he played and toured with

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano sound, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, Pop music, p ...

. Together with fellow New Zealand session musician, bassist Bruce Lynch, Gibson was an early member of

Morrissey–Mullen Morrissey–Mullen were a British jazz-funk/fusion group of the 1970s and 1980s. Considered one of the most popular jazz groups in London, the band was led by Dick Morrissey on tenor and soprano saxes and flute, and Jim Mullen on guitar, who joi ...

, a pioneering jazz-fusion group which had a heavy schedule in London, which included a two-week residency at

Ronnie Scott's Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club is a jazz club that has operated in Soho, London, since 1959. History The club opened on 30 October 1959 in a basement at 39 Gerrard Street in London's Soho district. It was set up and managed by musicians Ronnie Sco ...

alternating sets with Dizzy Gillespie. He also played straight-ahead jazz with

Tony Lee Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...

, amongst others, before being "spotted" by

Leo Sayer Gerard Hugh "Leo" Sayer (born 21 May 1948) is an English-Australian singer and songwriter whose singing career has spanned five decades. He has been an Australian citizen and resident since 2009. Sayer launched his career in the United Kingdom ...

and joining him on a six-month world tour in 1978, and with whom he worked for three years. Other recordings during that time include

The Walker Brothers The Walker Brothers were an American pop group of the 1960s and 1970s which included Noel Scott Engel (eventually known professionally as Scott Walker), John Walker (born John Joseph Maus, but using the name Walker since his teens) and Gary Le ...

' ''Nite Flights'', PAZ's "PAZ are Back",

Ray Warleigh Raymond Kenneth Warleigh (28 September 1938 – 21 September 2015) was an Australian alto saxophonist and flautist. Biography Ray Warleigh was born in Sydney, Australia, and migrated to England in 1960, where he quickly established himself as a ...

's ''Reverie'' (1977), with John Taylor on piano and

Ron Mathewson Rognvald Andrew Mathewson (19 February 1944 – 3 December 2020) was a British jazz double bassist and bass guitarist. During his career, Mathewson performed with Ronnie Scott, but also recorded with Stan Getz, Joe Henderson, Joan Armatrading, ...

on bass. Gibson and Lynch recorded with Rick Wakeman on "Rhapsodies" produced by Tony Visconti, also performing at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Drury Lane and on a television special in Munich. He also recorded on a comeback album for

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called ''Putting on the Style'' featuring

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

Brian May Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and astrophysicist, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen. May was a co-founder of Queen with lead singer Freddie Mercury and ...

and Ray Cooper. Returning to New Zealand, Gibson formed "Space Case", the first New Zealand jazz-funk band, producing three albums and performing regularly. In 1992 Gibson joined the Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts at the

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, as full-time lecturer in jazz music for five years. In New Zealand those he recorded with include

Alan Broadbent Alan Leonard Broadbent (born 23 April 1947) is a New Zealand jazz pianist, arranger, and composer known for his work with artists such as Sue Raney, Charlie Haden, Woody Herman, Chet Baker, Irene Kral, Sheila Jordan, Natalie Cole, Warne Marsh ...

, John Hanlon, Malcolm McNeill, and Joy Yates &

Dave MacRae David Scott MacRae (born 2 April 1940, Auckland, New Zealand) is a New Zealand keyboardist, noted for his contributions in jazz and jazz rock, and his collaborations with musicians from the Canterbury scene. Life and career MacRae studied at th ...

. His album with

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, ''Open Door'', won the 1987 Best Jazz Album in New Zealand in 1987, Gibson's second such award (of three). He played live at the 1990 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony. He currently (2007) leads a quartet with which features Matt Clohesy on bass, Sam Keevers on piano, and Jamie Oehlers on tenor sax. Frank Gibson Jr. was inducted into the

Zildjian :''Zildjian leads here. For people with the surname, see Zildjian (disambiguation)'' The Avedis Zildjian Company, simply known as Zildjian (), is a musical instrument manufacturer specializing in cymbals and other percussion instruments. Founded ...

hall of fame in 1983. He was presented a VAC Scroll of Honour for his contribution to the New Zealand entertainment industry by the

Variety Artists Club of New Zealand The Variety Artists Club of New Zealand Inc (VAC) is a non-for-profit organisation and show business club. It was founded in 1966 and became an incorporated society in 1972. The VAC was formed to promote goodwill within the New Zealand enterta ...

in 2013.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

*''Doctor Tree'' Frank Gibson's Doctor Tree (EMI NZ) *''Spreading the Word'' Frank Gibson's Jazzmobile (Kiwi Pacific Records N

*''Parallel 37'' (1982) Frank Gibson with Milt Jackson,

John Scofield John Scofield (born December 26, 1951), sometimes referred to as "Sco", is an American guitarist and composer whose music over a long career has blended jazz, jazz fusion, funk, blues, soul and rock. He first came to mainstream attention in th ...

, Bobby Shew, Steve Erquiaga and

– Jazz Record of the Year *''Open Door'' (1987) Frank Gibson and

– Jazz Record of the Year *''Executive Decision' '' Frank Gibson's Space Case (Ode Records NZ) *''Space Case 11'' Frank Gibson's Space Case featuring Claudio Roditi and

Ron McClure Ron McClure (born November 22, 1941) is an American jazz bassist. Early life McClure was born in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. He started on piano at age five, and later played accordion and bass. McClure studied privately with Joseph I ...

(Ode Records NZ) *''Space Case 111'' Frank Gibson's Space Case (Ode Records NZ) *''Rainbow Bridge'' Frank Gibson Quartet (2003) *''Together Again'' Broadbent, Gibson and Smith (2009) Ode Records

As sideman

* ''Reverie'',

1977 * ''Something Else'',

Graham Dee Graham Dee (born Graham Davidson, 2 March 1943) is an English musician. Early life Graham Dee was born in Whitechapel, East London, England. Dee has lived his life with a neuromuscular disorder that results in a series of ticks, twitches, a ...

(Pye, London) * ''Puttin' on the Style'',

(Chrysalis) * ''Nite Flights'',

(GTO) * ''Half Brother'', (Arola Hansa) * ''Rhapsodies'', Rick Wakeman (A&M) * ''Southern Excursion'', Brian Smith * ''Genre'',

Shona Laing Shona Laing (born 9 October 1955) is a New Zealand musician. She has had several hits in her native country, as well as a few minor international hits, most notably " (Glad I'm) Not a Kennedy" and "Soviet Snow". Laing contributed to Manfred ...

1985 * ''The Masquerade is Over'', Jacqui Fitzgerald * ''Should I Be Good, Should I Be Evil'',

Hammond Gamble The history of blues in New Zealand dates from the 1960s. The earliest blues influences on New Zealand musicians were indirect – not from the United States but from white British blues musicians: first the rhythm and blues, R&B styles of Fleet ...

1985 * ''Iris'', Phil Broadhurst * ''The Song of Crazy Horse'', J.D. Blackfoot (Pye) * ''Song of Home'', Alan Broadbent Trio 1986 (Kiwi Pacific) * ''Everything I Love'', Alan Broadbent Trio 1987 (Trend Discovery) * ''Further Down the Road'', Alan Broadbent Trio 1987 (Kiwi Pacific) * ''Away from You'', Alan Broadbent Trio 1989 (Trend Discovery) * ''Over the Fence'', Alan Broadbent Trio 1989 (Ode) * ''Another Time'', Alan Broadbent Trio 1990 (Trend Discovery) * ''Fine and Dandy'', George Chisholm (Ode) * ''Detour Ahead'', Garry Lee, June Newman, John Green (1994) * ''Pacific Standard Time'', Alan Broadbent Trio, (Concord) 1995 * ''Suzanne'', Suzanne Lynch (EMI) * ''X'', Tina Cross (Pagan) * ''Strut'', Jamie Oehlers (Request) 1998 * ''Passion'', Julie Mason (Vox), 1998 * ''Tasman Connection'',

Don Burrows Donald Vernon Burrows (8 August 1928 – 12 March 2020) was an Australian jazz and swing musician who played clarinet, saxophone and flute. Life and career Donald Vernon Burrows was born on 8 August 1928, the only child of Vernon and Beryl and ...

(Cherry Pie) * ''Waiting for You'', Murray McNabb (Ode) * ''Paz are Back'', (Spotlite) * ''Resolution'', George Chisholm (Ode) * ''Auckland Jazz Ensemble'', George Chisholm (Ode) * ''Rendevouis'' Brian Smith (Ode) * ''Twelve O'Clock Tales'' Julie Mason (Vox), 2002 * ''Jazz meets Symphony'' Alan Broadbent Trio with Tierney Sutton (2003) * ''The Road Ahead'' Phil Broadhurst (Vox, 2003) * ''Estate (Summer)'' Julie Mason 2005 * Dan Papirany Trio – ''Live at MLC vol 1'' (2005)

References

External links

*
AudioCulture profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, Frank Jr. 1946 births Living people New Zealand musicians New Zealand drummers Morrissey–Mullen members