ethereal
Vibraphonist creates etherial
music, finding inspiration from
his father
BY BOB KRASNER
It’s impossible to underestimate the power of music
and its ability to entertain, shock, unify and empower
— and in the case of vibraphonist Chris Dingman, to
make one of life’s most diffi cult challenges a little easier
to deal with.
Dingman was “drawn to music from zero,” he claims. He
eventually started piano at age 9, inspired by his mom, who
played ragtime. He moved from piano to drums, playing
in an eclectic series of bands in high school that took him
through ska, heavy metal and jazz.
It was at Wesleyan University that he encountered a
professor named Jay Hoggard, an esteemed jazz musician
who had this conversation with Dingman:
Hoggard: “You play vibes?”
Dingman: “No.”
Hoggard: “You’re going to play vibes.”
And so he did, and he did it well enough that after
graduating he was accepted into the esteemed Thelonious
Monk Institute in Los Angeles and found himself studying
with jazz legends Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Ron
Carter, among others.
Not only did he study with them, Dingman actually
toured with Hancock and Shorter. One can’t really exaggerate
what a singular opportunity this was.
“I was young and still learning,” Dingman recalls of that
tour. “They were a real inspiration.”
“The most important thing about Herbie and Wayne is
that they are advocates of people discovering who they are,
of fi nding their own voice,” he continues. “Herbie would sit
down and narrate his inner thoughts for us while he was
playing. It was a soul searching process.”
Aiding Dingman in the process was his discovery of the
Vipassana method of meditation, which he continues to
employ up to two hours a day when possible.
The early 2000s found Dingman in New York City,
playing experimental jazz in venues such as the Knitting
Factory, CBGB’s and Niagara while working as a temp
Chris Dingman with his dad Joe Dingman in 2015
with the “Peace” box set.
at a hedge fund. That lasted a year before he began his
career teaching piano and drums, which he continues to
do today. He also teaches vibraphone performance at The
New School in Greenwich Village.
In 2011, he put out the fi rst of three CDs of his own
compositions recorded with a small group.
Fast forward to a few years ago, when his mom was
in the hospital but didn’t want any visitors. Instead of
a get well card, Dingman recorded two tracks of solo
vibraphone music and sent it to her. The music was much
appreciated and apparently quite helpful, as she soon went
home.
His dad, however, was next. Joe Dingman hadn’t been
feeling well for awhile and was fi nally diagnosed with a
rare, terminal heart disease. While in the hospital, he
became very agitated but was soothed by the music that
had originally been created for his wife.
“Hospitals care for the physical needs but not the emotional
ones,” notes Chris Dingman.
Unfortunately, his father’s next stop was a hospice, as
his condition worsened. Dingman recorded more music
for his dad, which was played constantly at his bedside.
His condition improved enough that it was no longer appropriate
for him to be at the hospice, but the family knew
that it was just a matter of time.
Dingman’s father was brought back to his Lancaster,
PA home where he would spend his fi nal two months. Not
content to record his musical missives remotely, Dingman
packed up his instrument and brought it to his father’s bedside.
Over several weekends he played the vibes, creating
Chris Dingman® playing on 11th St. in the East Village
with Nora Balaban of the band Timbila, who is
playing the Mbira.
long beautiful improvised pieces that were recorded as his
dad lay in bed listening.
“He would wake up in panic in the middle of the night,
sometimes getting very agitated and couldn’t breathe. The
music calmed him down,” explains Dingman. “And during
the day, it excited him. Dad named all the tracks, starting
with the fi rst, ‘Healing Love.’ He was really excited to share
the music. It reached him on a deep level and he wanted
others to experience it.”
Dingman has made sure that his father’s wish has
come true, in the form of a fi ve-hour box of music entitled
“Peace.” All of the music that was recorded is there, after
the artist spent a year mixing it and cleaning it up.
“It was built into my grieving process,” he says. The
result is a gorgeous soundscape that Brian Eno would
probably appreciate, but has an emotional core that is
sometimes missing from the ambient music genre.
Chris Dingman has lately been fascinated with the
Mbira, an instrument that originated in Africa over
1300 years ago.
“It’s a soothing balm,” muses Dingman. “It takes you
someplace else. It’s not circular, it moves you forward. …
While I was playing, I tuned into the moment. I sometimes
go into a meditative, trance state where I’ll see faces.”
When asked how this music compares to his composed
pieces, he mentions that the improvisations are “like having
a conversation, as opposed to working from a script.”
Chris Dingman’s music can be explored at chrisdingman.
bandcamp.com and more info about the artist can be
found at chrisdingman.com.
PHOTOS BY BOB KRASNER
Chris Dingman at home with Vibraphone, in front of
a work by Brooklyn painter Carol D’Inverno.
14 Sept. 24, 2020 Schneps Media
/bandcamp.com
/chrisdingman.com
