Mace Hibbard Debuts on the CMJ Top Jazz Chart His First Week in Promotions

Mace Hibbard Begins His First Week in Radio Promotion Hitting the #1 Top Adds Jazz Chart

A Clear Front Runner on This Chart

Grammy award winning saxophonist/composer/educator Mace Hibbard has quickly established himself as one of the most exciting and versatile saxophonists on the scene today. Remarkably void of cliché and licks, Hibbard is daring, yet precise, emerging as an important voice in the jazz saxophone heritage. Journalist John Barron succinctly commented, “Hibbard is an artist who uses his technical mastery,

compositional skills, and informed understanding of the jazz saxophone lineage, to create musical offerings that are truly unique.”

Born and raised in Waco, Texas, early music lessons included piano and voice until settling on the saxophone at age ten. Mace’s firm grasp of the history of jazz and its standard repertoire comes from the gigs he played throughout his teen years with his father (Dave Hibbard, a great trumpet player who was a staple in the Texas jazz scene for years). From there, he attended the University of Texas in Austin, where he earned a Bachelors degree in Musical Performance and a Masters degree in Jazz Studies. While in Austin, Mace developed as a composer and formed Odd Man Out, which released their self-titled debut on Viewpoint Records in 2000.

After 10 years of being one of the most sought after woodwind players in Austin, Mace relocated to Atlanta, Georgia in the summer of 2003 where he is continuing his reputation as a compelling and gifted soloist with the saxophone family, the flute, and the clarinet. In 2008, the Mace Hibbard Quintet was selected to play at the Atlanta Jazz Festival as the winner of the Future of Jazz Competition. In 2009, Mace was asked to perform in the Battle Royale celebration concert at the Savannah Music Festival where he was a featured soloist alongside such jazz luminaries as the Marcus Roberts Trio, The Clayton Brothers, Terrell Stafford, Scotty Barnhart, Jeff Clayton, Wycliffe Gordon and Andre Hayward.

Beginning in 2005, Hibbard began his association with The Derek Trucks Band and Soul Stew Revival with Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi. On select tours for the next five years, Mace was a featured soloist and horn arranger for the two bands. This union culminated in Hibbard winning a 2010 Grammy Award for his playing and horn arrangements on Already Free. He is also featured on the critically acclaimed live album, Roadsongs, released in 2010 by The Derek Trucks Band.

In 2007, Hibbard released his debut album as a leader, When Last We Met, featuring all original material and a lineup of Atlanta’s finest musicians. Released to  worldwide airplay, it amassed incredible reviews from countless critics. Canadian broadcaster Jacques Emond declared, “Mace Hibbard’s new CD grabbed me right from the git go. His writing is wonderful and his playing first class, one of the finest young alto players on the scene and he’s just as impressive on soprano and tenor. The rest of the group is also first class. This is already on my list of year’s best.”

With Atlanta, Georgia as his home base, Hibbard’s playing and compositions can be found on recordings by: Melvin Jones, Jennifer Holliday, Yonrico Scott, Ben Tucker, The Joe Gransden Big Band, Trey Wright, Bryant Thompson, and Marlon Patton. He is also a featured saxophonist/ composer on Atlanta Sax Allstars, which will be released in 2011 by Hotshoe Records and will feature four of Atlanta’s finest saxophonists.

In addition to his impressive performance career, his standing as an educator is equally notable. Hibbard has served on the faculty of Georgia State University since 2005, where he is an instructor of jazz saxophone and improvisation. He was also a professor of saxophone and jazz studies at Jacksonville State University from 2003- 2010. Hibbard has served as a clinician and soloist at many Universities in the United States and Canada, with notable engagements at: The University of Texas at Austin, Florida State University, Slippery Rock University, and The University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada.

LATEST RELEASE:

Grammy award winning saxophonist, arranger and composer Mace Hibbard, backed by his long time ensemble, is proud to release his latest endeavor, Time Gone By.

Time Gone By is a full throttle voyage firmly respectful of the traditions of jazz, but absolutely cognoscente of modern jazz idioms.

Time Gone By features pianist and composer Louis Heriveaux, bassist Marc Miller, drummer Justin Varnes, trumpeter Melvin Jones and of course the incomparable, Mace Hibbard on saxophone.

Time Gone By is the second contribution by the Mace Hibbard Quintet. His first album, When Last We Met, was released in 2007 to rave reviews and worldwide airplay. Founded in 2005 in Atlanta, having a established, working band is especially important to Hibbard. Says Hibbard, “I’ve always been influenced by the bands of Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley and in the modern time, Branford Marsalis and Dave Holland, where the contributions of all of the musicians creates a strong ensemble. I feel that the chemistry and interplay that has developed over the years has really given this band a cohesive sound in how it interprets the music. All of the members of the band have great musical instincts and suggestions, and I want the band to be a platform where they feel their contributions have equal merit. On any given concert, you will hear compositions by all of the members of the band which I feel also adds to the band’s distinctive sound.”

It is this unwavering connection of musicality that makes Time Gone By a standout recording in 2011.

“Rude on Purpose” opens the set, with high octane verve; adventurous music that swings with all the muscularity and energy of pioneers like Cannonball Adderley, Monk, and Rollins, but pays tribute to that glorious past by daring to advance the science of collective improvisation into the future.

“December 18th” and “Remembrance of Things Past“ are intensely poignant ballads that feature elongated, melodic lines of beauty tastefully supported by Varnes and Miller and underpinned with tasteful harmonies and textures by Heriveaux. Both selections are breathtaking. “Indecision” is a slow burn that calls to minds the style and passion of McCoy Tyner and John Coltrane. The end of “Indecision” highlights the splendid interplay between Hibbard and Jones as they lead the ensemble to a fevered conclusion. “Hallowed Ground” is an extremely unique composition that combines the rhythmic complexity introduced by John Coltrane and Elvin Jones while incorporating modern compositional techniques. The unapologetic swing of Heriveaux’s composition, “Theme for Dos Lyn,” is reminiscent of the early Wynton Marsalis ensemble.

A well-traversed cut “Always on My Mind”, made famous by Willie Nelson, lends itself to the theme of time and remembrance throughout the disc, a befitting halfway release in this collection of well-conceived originals. “Slip and Slide” is eloquently named, fast paced and perpetually melodic inventions swirl this up-tempo cut to fervor, as each player more than steps up to the plate. A moody cut, “The Rain King,” is a wonderful counterpoint to relax the listener with a cerebral journey of textural colors and nuance. “La Danza Olvidada” offers a good dose of funky Latin rhythms (provided by Varnes) to spice up the track, and presents a wonderful canvas for Hibbard, Jones and Heriveaux to build upon.

Closing out the offering is the peaceful composition, “For the Memories We Share,” a track that releases the listener in a relaxed way, able to reflect upon the musical journey and relish in the passage of Time Gone By, a recording destined to make its mark in jazz.