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Conrad Herwig, Osteology (60:51); Criss Cross 1176
Criss Cross Jazz
Postbox 1214
7500 BE Enschede, Holland
Phone/fax: (31) 53 - 433 03 38
E-mail: info@crisscrossjazz.com
Cyberhome: www.crisscrossjazz.com
A jazz guitarist with a penchant for provocation once called the
guitar "the lamest jazz instrumentŠ besides the trombone." The big
horn, with its awkard slide and low, nasal sound, is certainly a jazz
underdog. Its important role in big bands is indisputable, but it is
generally not thought of as a frontman instrument. In other words,
there's never been a Charlie Parker or John Coltrane of the trombone.
Thanks to the unwieldy mechanics of the instrument, trombonists
typically haven't been able to negotiate chord changes and fast
tempos as fluidly as a sax or trumpet or piano player can. As a
result, the trombone has not achieved the kind of iconic status in
jazz that we associate with, say, the tenor saxophone.
But Conrad Herwig threatens to demolish all that. His
technical facility is astounding. On his second Criss Cross release,
Osteology, he recruits fellow trombonist Steve Davis of Chick
Corea & Origin fame to complete his frontline. He didn't name the
record "osteology" - the study of bones - for nothing. The session
comes across as a kind of trombone manifesto. If you're thinking that
two trombones up front might sound clunky and colorless, think again.
This record is burning; it sounds more like a live show than a studio
date. David Kikoski is on piano, James Genus is the bassist, and Jeff
"Tain" Watts is behind the kit.
It's remarkably easy to tell Herwig and Davis apart. Herwig
is the more flamboyant of the two, tending toward the higher register
and brandishing a brighter tone. Davis, favoring lower and fewer
notes and a mellower tone, usually solos after Herwig. The disc opens
with a seldom-played Coltrane number, "Syeeda's Song Flute." Other
non-originals include Joe Henderson's Caribbean-style "Fire"; a
clever and unusually brisk 6/8 reading of "It Ain't Necessarily So";
the oft-played but wonderful ballad "You Don't Know What Love Is";
and a blindingly fast "Devil May Care," on which Kikoski solos with
only his right hand, in the manner of Herbie Hancock on Miles
Smiles.
Three Herwig originals complete the program. A contemplative
latin groove grounds "Kenny K.", a moving tribute to the late Kenny
Kirkland. Fittingly, piano is front and center, with Kikoski soloing
first. "First Born," which gets my vote for best track, is a medium
blues that recalls Wayne Shorter and McCoy Tyner on Blue Note. Genus
and Tain lock in and swing furiously. And "Osteology" closes the
record with a fleet dual-trombone line over a breakneck swing tempo;
Herwig and Kikoski solo at the peak of their respective powers.
There's nothing too out of the ordinary here in terms of
material; it's as straightforward a hardbop/postbop menu as can be
imagined. But the performances are outstanding and the energy is
consistently high. The two trombonists surpass, to a startling
degree, the supposed limitations of their instrument, supported by
one of the most explosive rhythm sections I've heard on record in a
while. Interestingly, Kikoski and Tain did not gel as well on
Kikoski's own Criss Cross effort The Maze. This time the
ferocity just doesn't let up.
~David R. Adler, 1/13/00
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