The irrepressible Gibbs celebrated his 100th birthday on 13 October 2024, mere days before this review was written; this album is released to coincide with that personal milestone. The Dream Band had its heyday in the late 1950s, initiated by Gibbs, the vibes master who had gained fame with Woody Herman and Benny Goodman, once he had relocated to Los Angeles in 1957.

Quickly into his stride, Gibbs worked around LA with small bands, while caretaking enough music to set a big band rolling. He recruited all the best of the session players, then so abundant in the studio scene, especially those with a jazz inclination that echoed his and set about finding places to play. Suffice to say that the story just got better and better, residencies were created especially at the Seville and Sundown Clubs in Hollywood from which these brilliant tracks were taken.

Why only released now? The earlier volumes having appeared, it was thought the mine had been explored, only for a final trawl through the Gibbs archive (digitised by his drummer son Gerry) to uncover this material. Given this casual provenance, the sound quality is sensational, the arrangements by Hollywood’s best, Bill Holman predominantly, the trumpets uppermost, their section potency quite startling. Williamson and Candoli are superb in solo as on Marty Paich’s sublime chart for ‘Softly As In A Morning Sunrise’ with Gibbs up first, as he is on many of the 18 tracks, Flory, the wonderful Maini and Aronov following, the drumming by Mel Lewis throughout a true confirmation of his greatness. So, spectacular energy, sophistication, joy, exuberance, swing, everyone on fire, Gibbs out front, manically happy and the audience ecstatic. Oh, to have been there!