Instruments

Vibraphone

The vibraphone (in jazz generally abbreviated as "vibes," and sometimes called a vibraharp as well) is what musicologists call a "bar percussion metallophone"--an instrument whose sound is produced by striking metal bars, in this case with rubber mallets. The characteristic chime-like sound of the vibraphone is produced by long metal tubes, mounted below the bars and descending vertically, in which the sound resonates after the bars are struck. At the tops of those tubes are metal discs that rotate when a small electric motor attached to the instrument is switched on. These discs slightly distort the sound as it comes from the bar, producing vibrato. Premier jazz vibes player Milt Jackson was noted early in his career for modifying the motor to slow down the vibrato of his instrument, creating an expressive shimmering quality.

Artist Highlights

Artist Active Styles
Don Elliott 1950s - 1970s Cool, Mainstream Jazz, Swing, Jazz Instrument, Piano Jazz, Fusion
Milt Jackson 1940s - 1990s Bop, Hard Bop, Mainstream Jazz, Modern Big Band, Post-Bop, Standards, Chamber Jazz, Jazz Instrument, Third Stream, Vibraphone/Marimba Jazz
Emil Richards 1950s - 1990s Global Jazz, Hard Bop, Latin Jazz, Post-Bop, Film Score, Jazz Instrument, Vibraphone/Marimba Jazz
Red Norvo 1920s - 1980s Cool, Swing, Bop, Jazz Instrument, Piano Jazz, Vibraphone/Marimba Jazz, Big Band
Eddie Costa 1940s - 1960s Bop
Roy Ayers 1960s - 2020s Jazz-Funk, Instrumental Pop, Soul Jazz, Fusion, Jazz-Pop, Vibraphone/Marimba Jazz
Cal Tjader 1940s - 1980s Afro-Cuban Jazz, Cool, Global Jazz, Latin Jazz, West Coast Jazz, Jazz Instrument, Vibraphone/Marimba Jazz, Brazilian Jazz, Mood Music
Gary Burton 1960s - 2010s Fusion, Post-Bop, Contemporary Jazz, Jazz Instrument, Progressive Jazz, Third Stream, Vibraphone/Marimba Jazz, Chamber Music, Keyboard
Warren Chiasson 1960s - 1980s Bop, Jazz Instrument, Opera, Vibraphone/Marimba Jazz, Vocal Music, Show/Musical
Dave Pike 1950s - 2010s Hard Bop, Global Jazz, Jazz Instrument, Vibraphone/Marimba Jazz, Modal Music, Soul Jazz
Dave Samuels 1960s - 2010s Contemporary Jazz, Crossover Jazz, Global Jazz, Latin Jazz, Post-Bop
Marjorie Hyams Contemporary Jazz, Crossover Jazz, Global Jazz, Latin Jazz, Post-Bop
Walt Dickerson 1950s - 2000s Hard Bop, Jazz Instrument, Post-Bop, Vibraphone/Marimba Jazz
Terry Gibbs 1940s - 2020s Bop, West Coast Jazz, Global Jazz, Latin Jazz, Big Band, Jazz Instrument, Swing, Vibraphone/Marimba Jazz, Adult Contemporary
Gunter Hampel 1950s - 2020s Free Jazz, Avant-Garde Jazz, Free Improvisation
Tubby Hayes 1950s - 1970s Hard Bop, Saxophone Jazz, Jazz Instrument
Larry Bunker 1950s - 1960s Cool, Post-Bop
Joe Locke 1980s - 2020s Post-Bop, Straight-Ahead Jazz, Jazz Instrument, Vibraphone/Marimba Jazz
Mike Mainieri 1950s - 2020s Experimental, Fusion, Post-Bop, Crossover Jazz, Jazz Instrument, Vibraphone/Marimba Jazz