Dwight Trible

Whether leading his own group, being vocal director for the Horace Tapscott Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, singing with Kamasi Washington, Mark de Clive-Lowe, or Carlos Nino, Dwight Trible prizes adventure and modernity. His debut and Tapscott tribute Horace appeared in 2001. 2004's Living Water was nominated for BBC Radio One's Worldwide Album of the Year. Dwight Trible & the Life Force Trio released Love Is the Answer on Ninja Tune in 2005. Between 2004 and 2011, Trible sang, toured and recorded four albums with multigenerational collective Build An Ark. In 2011 he returned to solo recording, issuing Cosmic and the John Beasley collaboration Duality. Gondwana signed him for 2017's Inspirations with Matthew Halsall, and his own Mothership in 2019. In 2023 he issued the solo offering Ancient Future, and appeared on the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble's Spirit Gatherer (Tribute To Don Cherry). A native of Cincinnati, Trible began singing while still in grade school. He followed the great R&B and soul singers of the day from Big Joe Turner and Lloyd Price to Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye. In high school he regularly fronted bands, and sat in with older musicans, singing everything from gospel to funk and r&b to blues and jazz. At 21, feeling he'd accomplished everything he could in Ohio, he migrated to California in 1971. In Los Angeles, he involved himself in social service organizations and the black liberation struggle, as well as its multivalent music scene. He eventually began hanging out and singing with jazz musicans where he caught the ear of composer/ pianist / bandleader Horace Tapscott; he became Trible's mentor. the vocalist learned to improvise adding depth and dimension to his already signature sense of phrasing. Trible worked his way up to vocal director for the Horace Tapscott Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, which he continued to lead after Tapscott's death in 1999. Two years later, Trible released his debut leader offering, a tribute to Tapscott called Horace on Elephant Records. Co-prodeuced wiuth Nino, the set also included appearanceds by drummer Billy Higgins and saxophonist Charles Owens and bassist Trevor Ware. The album's centerpiece was a version of Tapscott's "Mothership," a spiritual jazz anthem. Released on Passinthevibe in 2004, Living Water was Trible's breakthrough; it earned a nomination from BBC Radio One as Worldwide Album of the Year and a designation from LA Weekly for Artist of the Year. Additional press compared his singing favorably with Leon Thomas's and Donny Hathaway's. In 2004, Trible also joined Build An Ark, a transcutlural, multi-generational jazz collective led by Nino and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson. Also included in the lineup were percussionist Derf Reklaw, trombonist Phil Ranelin, Gabby Hernandez, Dexter Story, and others. Their debut album Peace with Every Step won global accolades. Trible signed to Ninja Tune for 2005's Love Is the Answer. the set was initially planned as a Nino production of Ammoncontact, but once multi-instrumentalist Story joined the sessions, it got credited to Dwight Trible & The Life Force Trio; in addition to the main album, a variation containing nothing but instrumental versions of the record saw the light of day in 2005. In 2006, Trible guested on Ammoncontact's With Voices. Build An ark's Dawn appeared from Kindred Spirits in 2007 and won critical notice in North America. the following year, Trible took part in The Gathering, a loose but large collective of LA-based jazz musicans that included saxophonists Azar Lawrence, Jesse Sharps, and Michael Sessions, percussionist Ndugu Chancler, bassist Roberto Miranda, and many others. They independently released the live offering, Leimert Park: Roots & Branches Of Los Angeles Jazz. Trible was also featured on Venus of Harlem, a 2008 album by Paul Zauner's Blue Brass. Trible returned to recording under his own 2009 saw the releaser of Build An Ark's most celebrated offering, Love Part 1. Highlight track “More Love” boasted a stellar duet between Trible and Carmen Lundy. Trible was also featured on Venus of Harlem, a 2008 album by Paul Zauner's Blue Brass. Trible returned to recording under his own name in 2011. He issued Cosmic, on Katalyst Entertainment. The set boasted a large ensemble that included Story, producer/ percussionist Munyungo Jackson, and pianist/organist John Beasley. Later that year Trible and the keyboardist issued Duality, a collection of live duets recorded over the previous year. In 2011 and 2012, Trible's profile increased exponentially after he became the voice of the Pharoah Sanders Quartet, and Build An Ark issued their final offering, Love Part 2. Trible provided lead vocals for Kamasi Washington's 2015 triple length debut The Epic on Ninja Tune, the jazz album to find a crossover audience with soul, hip hop and EDM fans. In its wake, Gondwana Records signed the singer. 2017’s Inspirations, was cut in collaboration with label boss and trumpeter Matthew Halsall and won global notice for its modern approach to spiritual jazz. The following year, Trible was recruited by jazz quintet Cosmic Vibrations as a co-billed guest to record Pathways & Passages, a collection of percussion heavy spiritual and modal jazz cuts released by Spiritmuse in 2020. The following year he appeared on the title track of Inkswel’s Astral Love. he also wrote lyrics for and sang on two songs from Sohan Wilson’s Love Is The Key in 2022. In March 2023, Trible released Ancient Future for England’s Gearbox label. The vocalist wrote or co-wrote all eigfht tracks onthe album. He was joined by an all star LA cast that included Beasley, Washington, Georgia Anne Muldrow, drummer Greg Paul (Jazz Is Dead, Kamaal Williams) guitarist G.E. Stinson (Shadowfax, Alex Cline), gospel bassist André Gouché; percussionist and backing vocalist, Megashia Jackson and percussionist Rene Fisher. Later that year he joined Ethnic Heritage Ensemble on Spirit Gatherer (Tribute To Don Cherry) from Spiritmuse.
© Thom Jurek and Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo