vibraphone

They became his weapon of choice after picking up the vibraphone as a Thomas Jefferson High School student at age 17.

Ayers began playing the piano at the age of five and went on to play several instruments and sing in the church choir before plumping for the vibraphone.

When Puts reaches for percussion instruments, he chooses the sweeter ones — glockenspiel, crotales, chimes, vibraphone — and combines them luxuriously.

It was probably the drone on the vibraphone and the birdlike chirping on flutes that induced me into a trance.

“Gravity” is the album’s only track without a piano, slimming down this band of young aces to just bass, drums, guitar and vibraphone.