From
the opening notes of I'm In, trombonist, composer, bandleader Joe Fiedler,
bassist Rob Jost and drummer Michael Sarin make it clear that this is going to
be an adventurous, imaginative, funky and fun listen. Fiedler's new recording,
the fourth from his trio, and the second album on his label, Multiphonics
Music, presents a departure from his previous trio sessions, as Fiedler set out
to play tunes with more traditional jazz forms, and that possessed more blues
elements. With I'm In Fiedler has once again used his curious mind and
explorer's heart to great advantage, finding brilliant new approaches on his
horn, and new heights of mastery with his composer's pen.
I'm
In follows Fiedler's highly acclaimed trio recordings, Plays The Music of
Albert Mangelsdorff, The Crab and Sacred Chrome Orb, so it is an album that has
a lot to live up to; and it delivers brilliantly on many levels. The repertoire
is as perfectly balanced as a culinary masterpiece, with just the right amount
of Latin tunes ("Erstwhile", "In Walked Cleo" - written for
his daughter), funky explorations ("Completely 'Peccable"), swing
("I'm In"), and more than a dash of free improvisation for good
measure ("Moving In Silence").
I'm
In also provided an opportunity for Fiedler to utilize, to great effect,
several extended trombone techniques that he has mastered. He elaborated,
"I wanted to return to my use of the plunger mute, which I really love,
and to explore all of its textural properties with this trio, which is
showcased on the first tune, 'Grip'. Another example is the melody to
'Erstwhile'; as I got deeper into it I thought it would be great to have the
entire melody ride over a long drone. But instead of having the bass play the
drone I chose to play it myself using circular breathing and having the bass
play arco, doubling the sung/multiphonic melody, down an octave." Although
an expert at using multiphonics, Fiedler still found ways to challenge himself
on this recording. He commented, "for this album I wanted to return to
some free improvisation that had been missing on some previous recordings of
mine. On 'Moving In Silence' I incorporate some multiphonics to build the drama
of the composition, and as it turned out what I wrote was the most challenging
use of multiphonics that I have ever attempted."
Other
highlights on I'm In include "The New Denizens", a Fiedler
composition that incorporates two of his loves in music, free playing and
Latin. Fiedler said, " I wanted to try and capture the tongue-in-cheek,
yet still serious vibe that predominated many groups in the early 90's downtown
scene, like the Jazz Passengers. I've always dug that. But the structure was
influenced by my love of the music of Carla Bley"; "The Box",
which challenged Fiedler, and sent him to the shed for a spell. He commented,
"The box is the name that I gave to my little writing/practicing studio at
my house. I was thinking very pianistically when writing this tune. The trouble
was that once it was done I had to figure out where to breathe when playing it
on the trombone. In the studio Rob and Michael commented that the melody was
like overlapping horn sections from a Latin band, but with all of the parts
played by me! Needless to say, this one took some time in the shed to bring to
life"; and "Tensegrity", a blues with a bridge, set up amazingly
with a drum intro by drummer Michael Sarin, that wraps up I'm In in a thrilling
way.
More
on Joe Fiedler: Few musicians possess the incredibly diverse and vast resume that
trombonist/composer Joe Fiedler boasts. The perennially in-demand artist has
worked with "everyone", from Wycleff Jean, Jennifer Lopez, to Celia
Cruz, Ralph Irizarry, Eddie Palmieri, and from Andrew Hill, Lee Konitz, Maria
Schneider, to Borah Bergman, Anthony Braxton and Cecil Taylor. He is also an
active member of some of the most revered ensembles working today, including
Fast 'n Bulbous - The Captain Beefheart Project, the Satoko Fujii Big Band,
David Weiss and Endangered Species, the Jason Lindner Ensemble, The Mingus
Band, the Ed Palermo Big Band, the Charles Tolliver Big Band and many others.
Suffice it to say, it would be a challenge to meet a musician today that hasn't
crossed paths on stage or in studio with Mr. Fiedler.
In
addition to this bustle of activity that comes with being one of the first call
trombonists in the world (his eclectic discography easily exceeds 100
recordings), Fiedler has been making his mark with a string of compelling
recordings under his own name, including, Sackbut Stomp (on his own
Multiphonics Music), Big Sackbut & Sacred Chrome Orb (both on the Yellow
Sound Label), and Joe Fiedler Plays the Music of Albert Mangelsdorff and The
Crab (both on Clean-Feed). Fiedler is also in the planning stages for a solo
trombone project, and is a regular contributor to The Mingus Big Band.
Fiedler's "day job" is Music Director: Arrangements (serving as
arranger, orchestrator and trombonist) for Sesame Street. Over four seasons he
has written more than 400 arrangements and crafted more than 4000 underscoring
cues.
No comments:
Post a Comment