CRITICS' PRAISE FOR REBOUND

John Lewis, Baltimore Magazine (December 2008)
A vibraphonist, Beckham’s been developing a solid body of work. His vibrant playing made 2006’s Center Songs a delightful and surprising listen, and his impressive chops make his new disc, Rebound, similarly satisfying. Blending a keen melodic sense with dynamic playing, he wields a mean mallet and coaxes a wide range of feeling and texture from his instrument. You may think the vibraphone, by its very nature, is capable of exuding little more than a sense of mellowed calm, but Beckham hammers away at that perception on spirited tunes such as “Carnival” and “Grillin’.”

Jus' Jazz.com - one of their "Top 25 picks" for 2008 (December, 2008)
Vibe master Tom Beckham may not be at the top of the “Who’s Who in Jazz” category, but he is definitely an artist that should be taken seriously. First and foremost, Beckham plays one of the most eclectic and sophisticated instruments in jazz; on top of that, he is quite good at what he does. His latest CD entitled ‘Rebound’ on the Apria Record Label exposes an energy that not only supercedes the mundane, the recording is uniquely qualified to be expressively coherent, while functioning as a downright good sounding album.

As a straight ahead jazz CD, Tom Beckham’s approachable style goes the distance in allowing him to push the envelope of creativity on eight original compositions. Each track has a seemingly perfect fit filled with improvised imagery and spontaneous rhythms. Beckham and his band of merry men consisting of saxophonist Chris Cheek, pianist Henry Hey, bassist Matt Clohesy and drummer Ferenc Nemeth perform brilliantly individually and collectively throughout the album’s associated tracks. One tune in particular entitled “Parting The Water” displays a much-appreciated interplay between Henry Hey’s piano and Tom’s vibraphone coupled with a laminar flow of Cheek’s sax augmentations. Although Tom Beckham’s vibes serve as the hallmark for the entire track, the roles of each member of the quintet are equally divided. This observation holds true for ‘Rebound’ in totality. Other tracks including “Carnival” and “Tiny Star” also have a certain standout appeal that allows each musician to exercise his creativity and craft as an artist. >full text

The Philly Phrequency.com (Live review), Ptah Gabrie (Dec 2008)
The Beckham Vibe -- It's hard not to be at ease when someone is playing the vibraphone. That soft watery sound soothes away any tension you may be feeling, and adds a little more maturity to the atmosphere. The Tom Beckham quartet is a classy bunch of musicians with an understanding of real jazz. Beckham's vibe playing is like tiny rain drops rippling on a still pond. On stage, this band achieves a perfect balance. It's clear through their playing that they have a deep understanding of Beckham's music.

In addition to playing the vibes, Beckham is a composer, and has three albums under his belt. He's based in NYC, and plays with a host of musicians on any given night. This evening The Tom Beckham Quartet is Tom Beckham, vibraphone, George Schuller, drums, Matt Pavolka, bass and Chris Cheek on sax.

Songs like "Little Boo Boo" and "Kansas Tale" exemplify the style of music Beckham produces. "Little Boo Boo" is an upbeat swing. The band establishes the melody. Everyone adds a little piece to the puzzle, but it ultimately ends up with Beckham taking an extended solo. Many of the songs follow this pattern. Beckham is all over the place, rolling from one end of his instrument to the other. He plays with two mallets in each hand the entire performance. This song is heavy on sax and vibes, and it's a race between Cheek and Beckham to see whose chops will blow out first. Thankfully, neither did.

"Kansas Tale" begins on the slower side, and gives Beckham a chance to sit back and play with some real emotion. He ends this song by transitioning into a very Latin feeling rhythm, and from there he's back to being all over the place. Every note he hits gels perfectly with the music surrounding him. The drumming is very syncopated on this song, and everything fits together perfectly. When Schuller rolls into a triplet fill, Cheek is right there on the first beat after, exploding with a sax trill. Cheek and Beckham lock up on the heads, and the last two measures, everyone jumps on the same syncopated pattern and ends the song.

Scott Albin, jazz.com(November 2008) Brooklyn-based vibraphonist Tom Beckham is a lyrical player with a flair for writing distinctive, memorable tunes. On Rebound, Beckham is rejoined by Cheek and Hey from his previous CD Center Songs, plus newcomers Clohesy and Nemeth.

The leadoff track, "Tethered," is a good example of Beckham's thoughtful compositional approach: "With this song, the pitch at the end of each phrase suggested the pitch of the following phrase." Vibes and bass introduce the slowly building melodic theme, with Beckham sounding like a mixture of Gary Burton and Mike Mainieri. Piano and drums enter as Cheek's tenor sax reads the same line, accentuating its smoothly interconnecting short phrases until the group ups the dynamic level, adding heat and emotion to what had been a coolly deliberate exposition. Beckham's appealing solo is played with a warm, rounded tone and displays a sure technical finesse. Cheek follows with his always identifiable, inviting sound and an imaginative flow of well-formulated and resolved ideas. Hey's piano solo focuses on sharply delineated chords and a series of cascading runs. Cheek again takes up the tantalizing theme to close out the piece, with Beckham's animated arpeggios complementing him superbly. This track invites repeated listens, so compelling are the tune, the series of solos, and group interplay.

Bob Bernotas/WNTI (October 2008) "Vibraphonist-composer Tom Beckham continues to impress with his third CD as a leader, a quintet session at times intimate and lyrical, at other times intense and swinging. Each of his eight compositions sets an intriguing scene, as these five gifted players flesh out the plots and tell the stories."

Ed Blanco, ejazznews.com (October 2008) "Rebound is an all around first-rate recording where Tom Beckham continues his musical journey reaching new heights. A creative composer, Beckham delivers a modern jazz sound that once heard, will surely be appreciated by critics and jazz audiences alike."

Walter Kolosky, jazz.com (October 2008) "This is toe-tapping good music."

Jerry D'Souza, Allaboutjazz.com (October, 2008) "His sense of time and rhythm, combined with his extrapolations on chords, lead to some interesting music." "...this is one sweet, tangy outing." >full text

 

CRITICS' PRAISE FOR CENTER SONGS

Kellen Yamanaka, KKJZ (Feb. 2007) "The tune "Center Song" might be a good metaphor for the album as a whole: modern groove, artful harmony and melody, and a coherent presentation of how previous inspirations can bring about new voices. Albums like Bobby Hutcherson’s Total Eclipse, Stick Up! or Patterns might be "traditional" predecessors that use the vibe/sax quintet instrumentation, but while Beckham might come from a tradition, Center Songs seeks to carve out a space for his own strong voice -- influence meets invention. This album is rife with hooks that won't lose their wonder." >full text

Ed Blanco, ejazznews.com (March 2007) "...a winner of an album in all respects." "Center Songs is well worth it. With terrific charts, a great sound and an impressive performance by Tom Beckham and crew, this is one entertaining album that succeeds in delivering a vibrant musical statement."

Nick Dedina, Rhapsody.com (July 2006) "Tom Beckham is a fine vibes soloist, but his sophomore release as a group leader shows that he enjoys balancing that with songwriting and group dynamics. Beckham's approach is reminiscent of older band leaders like Paul Motian and Chico Hamilton (and also of some of Stefon Harris' sessions) but Beckham's work has a sound all its own -- which is what jazz is really about."

Jim Macnie, The Village Voice (February 2006) "There aren’t a lot of vibraphonists in town these days, but Beckham would rank even if the field was crowded. His exclamatory way with the mallets brings lots of fireworks to the instrument’s naturally mellow personality."

John Lewis, Baltimore Magazine (March 2007) "A few years back, I went to New York to write about Baltimore native Joe Holtzman and his acclaimed magazine, Nest. While there, I met Beckham, Holtzman’s ace graphic designer, who also happens to be a jazz musician. A fine composer, Beckham plays the vibraphone with the same creative zest he exhibits in his magazine work. It’s an instrument that’s often used for color, nuance, and little else (players such as Bobby Hutcherson and Milt Jackson are exceptions), but Beckham hammers a full range of expression from it. As a result, Center Songs tilts agreeably, but never topples."

Jim Macnie, The Village Voice (January 2003) “...When he takes the stage he invariably amplifies the album’s energy. I’ve seen him stress his instrument’s percussive side, and in doing so, stretch a solo into a trance-like soliloquy.”

David R. Adler, All Music Guide (March 2001) “It's always a refreshing change of pace to hear a good vibraphonist. Tom Beckham's accessible, laid-back compositions and resplendent playing style make Suspicions an album worth seeking out. Woodwinds and mallets are an alluring instrumental combination, and Chris Cheek's tenor and soprano sax work indeed shines against the contrasting texture of Beckham's vibes. Bassist Reid Anderson and drummer George Schuller complete the lineup, providing a sensitive rhythmic underpinning for this pretty, melodic music. (Anderson also takes several passionate solos.) Highlights include the slinky 3/4 of the title track, the driving Afro-Latin 6/8 of "Village Children," the lilting pleasantness of "Ascent," and the more angular, swinging "No Agenda." Beckham's ingenuity is at its height, however, on "Sweet Tooth," a three-minute gem built around a rubato theme; a two-chord vamp ends the form and is the only time the piece goes into tempo. Beckham plays similar tricks with tempo in the first and last tunes on the disc: "Village Children," the vigorous opener, slips unexpectedly into a ballad tempo toward its conclusion, while "Kansas Tale," the closing ballad, segues into a lively vamp before fading out. These mirror-image transitions are the essence of subtlety, and they distinguish Beckham as a superior conceptualist.”

Jack Cooke, Jazz Review Magazine (January 2001) ”Yet more than anything what this set seems most to resemble is the straight-ahead, post-Blue Note kinds of bands that Bobby Hutcherson put together. That’s what makes it work: it feels like a band.” ...”The programme helps; all written by Beckham, that would normally cause me to doubt, but these themes have some imagination, some real length, as on “Village Children” or on the title track; directness in the bluesy “Snoop” or the boppy “Little Booboo”. Anderson and Schuller do more than support, they make it the real ensemble that it is. They’re good, it’s good, it’s the total surprise that makes reviewing records a worthwhile occupation.”

Peter Margasak, Jazztimes Magazine (September 2001) “... his debut session, Suspicions, delivers a solid dose of clear-eyed hard bop. Joined by a superb trio of fellow Berklee chums and Fresh Sound regulars—saxophonist Chris Cheek, bassist Reid Anderson and drummer George Schuller—Beckham’s warmly melodic writing is well served by his middle-of-the-road approach, one situated between the slow-burn soul of Milt Jackson and the pianism of Gary Burton... The rhythm section deserves special attention, masterfully sculpting crisp grooves that caress the airiness of the vibes.”

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