Melvin Gibbs

Melvin Gibbs earned his degree from Berklee College of Music in Boston before establishing himself as a bassist alongside leading figures across 1980s and 1990s jazz and rock. He joined the Power Tools trio for part of the decade, working with Bill Frisell (later replaced by Pete Cosey) and Ronald Shannon Jackson, while also appearing with Defunkt, Joseph Bowie’s jazz funk outfit. Toward the end of the 1980s he performed with the band led by Sonny Sharrock, the renowned jazz/rock guitarist. Before entering the Rollins Band in 1993, Gibbs had already played in a trio that included Arto Lindsay and Dougie Bowne and in the group Eye & I. His time with Rollins brought further tours through Europe and the West Coast. After exiting the Rollins Band he began producing for Rage records. By the close of the 1990s he was active with Harriet Tubman, the experimental rock band whose 1998 Knitting Factory records release came alongside his performances and recordings with Elliot Sharp, Ikue Mori, Chocolate Genius, and Brazilian singer Marisa Monte.