Matthias Lupri Group - Same Time Twice (2002)

Acclaimed jazz vibraphonist Matthias Lupri was born in Germany, but grew up in both Kansas and Alberta, Canada. He discovered music as a teenager, learning the drums and playing in a variety of bands — playing blues, rock, and country, among other styles. While studying music in college, Lupri became intrigued with jazz vibraphone, after coming across a recording by Gary Burton. Even though he was playing in rock bands at the time, Lupri would find time to practice the vibraphone each and every day, eventually enrolling at the renowned Berklee College of Music in Boston, to study with none other than his mentor, Burton. 1998 saw the release of Lupri's debut recording, Window Up Window Down (on the Chartmaker label), which charted in the Gavin Top 40 and the Top 15 of CMJ's Jazz Charts, subsequently supporting the release with gigs at the Boston MIX Festival at Foxboro Stadium and the Knitting Factories in N.Y.C., Toronto, and Montreal. Lupri's sophomore release, Shadow of the Vibe, was issued a year later, but it only really served as a showcase for his budding talents which would burst free on the next record. Same Time Twice was far more innovative and pleased fans and critics alike.