Ted Piltzecker - Peace Vibes (2025)

It has become increasingly difficult for me to listen to vibraphonists since first hearing Sasha Berliner, whose artistry redefined my sense of the instrument’s possibilities. Yet one must admit that this album, steeped in bebop accents and marked by an exceptional attention to detail in its compositions, cannot leave any listener indifferent. The New York vibraphonists perfectly measured playing heightens the beauty of the works, lending them both poise and depth.

And what a stroke of insight to bring in trumpeter Brad Goode. A musician who knows instinctively how to insert himself into a piece without overwhelming it, Goode has the gift of making the music around him bloom. That, ultimately, is the triumph of this record: whether in its writing or its execution, everything is in harmony, musicians and compositions aligned, yielding a listening experience that feels both cohesive and rewarding.

The vibraphonist’s career speaks to a steady evolution. His debut album, Destinations, reached the No. 8 spot on the national jazz radio charts, while his follow-up, Unicycle Man, held its place on the Gavin Jazz Charts for several months. The late jazz critic Nat Hentoff praised Unicycle Man as “a lyrical, thoughtful, and relaxing moment, an inspired musical exchange among talented improvisers.” All About Jazz described his solo vibraphone record, Standing Alone, as “43 minutes of grace and expressiveness,” while lauding Steppe Forward as “joyful and invigorating, from beginning to end.” His 2018 album, Brindica, distilled the experiences of a four-month journey across the globe, its compositions reflecting influences ranging from tango to second line, Afro-Cuban to South African, even Carnatic traditions. As CDHotList put it: “Piltzecker composes and arranges music inspired by diverse traditions, always with a sense of playfulness and respect. The result is a stylistic kaleidoscope that reveals new rhythmic and harmonic combinations at every turn, underscored by a subtle, good-natured humor.”

That, perhaps, is what sets him apart. Few composers manage to deliver works so crystalline in form, while simultaneously using arrangement as a means of magnifying the music’s intentions and textures. With his 2023 album Vibes on a Breath, a work colored by Latin inflections, though never in heavy-handed fashion, Ted Piltzecker returns to Denver with music that underscores his commitment to instrumental language as the primary voice of expression. The trumpet, here, takes center stage, framed delicately by his collaborators.

It is no accident that Piltzecker’s musical identity reflects such sophistication. Over decades, he has shared stages and studios with New York’s jazz elite: guitarists Jack Wilkins, Gene Bertoncini, and Vic Juris; bassists Mike Richmond, Rufus Reid, and Todd Coolman; drummers Lewis Nash, Dennis Mackrel, Clarence Penn, and Marty Morell; pianists Jim McNeely, John Hicks, Donald Vega, and Bill Charlap; and saxophonists Chris Potter, Ralph Lalama, and Javon Jackson. These encounters have not merely enriched his playing, they have shaped a composer’s sensibility that might fairly be called visionary, one that weaves experience into music that feels both grounded in tradition and unafraid of exploration.

TRACKLIST

1. Ted Piltzecker - Whisper Not
2. Ted Piltzecker - Landó Bear
3. Ted Piltzecker - Bluesette
4. Ted Piltzecker - I Remember Clifford
5. Ted Piltzecker - In a Sentimental Mood
6. Ted Piltzecker - Nardis
7. Ted Piltzecker - Delilah
8. Ted Piltzecker - In Your Own Sweet Way
9. Ted Piltzecker - Peace
10. Ted Piltzecker - 5/4 Decision
11. Ted Piltzecker - Old Devil Moon