JAZZ CHILL : Trombonist JOE FIEDLER Expands His Palette With New Recording, LIKE, STRANGE

Featuring Joe Fiedler (trombone), Jeff Lederer (tenor & soprano saxes), Pete McCann (guitar), Rob Jost (bass) & Michael Sarin (drums)

"Fiedler is a veteran of big and small jazz, rock and Latin ensembles. He's composed musical cues for Sesame Street and, in separate projects, paid tribute to Wayne Shorter and Captain Beefheart. He's equally facile playing inside and outside, but just as important, he likes and respects both. The trio's fourth recording marks out a boundary where these elements can cordially coexist, and then throws a party inside that perimeter." - Bill Meyer, DownBeat Magazine (Four-star review on I'm In)

"In addition to his diverse sideman work, Fiedler's reputation as a vanguard artist with a penchant for experimenting outside conventional norms is somewhat belied by the accessibility of his creative efforts-which are well represented on this engaging (and appropriately titled) session. I'm In, a noteworthy addition to his burgeoning discography, is every bit as compelling as the work of his heroes." - Troy Collins, AllAboutJazz

"The versatile Joe Fiedler has often been associated with the avant-garde . . . [but he] proves that he's also a master of swing and blues-based music . . . he uses superb technique, which includes playing chords (multiphonics), and a wit worthy of trombonist Ray Anderson to invigorate straight ahead jazz, paying indirect tributes to tradition while simultaneously turning the music inside out" - Jazziz Magazine

The imaginative and adventurous trio of trombonist, composer, bandleader Joe Fiedler, bassist Rob Jost and drummer Michael Sarin just accomplished the near-impossible; with the addition of saxophonist Jeff Lederer and guitarist Pete McCann they have broadened their melodic and harmonic range, and expanded rhythmically, becoming even more awe-inspiring. The Quintet is featured in all its splendor on Fiedler's new recording, Like, Strange (available on Multiphonics Music on March 17, 2017). After thirteen years of leading his trio (documented on I'm In, Plays The Music of Albert Mangelsdorff, The Crab and Sacred Chrome Orb), and that format being his primary creative outlet, Fiedler felt the urge to expand. He explains, "after more than a decade of playing trio I still love it, but I found myself wanting to branch out and bring different colors and textures to my music. Thus I thought that it was time to add some people who were both unique soloists and great interpreters of music in general."

Like, Strange, in many ways, is a continuation of the music from Fiedler's previous critically acclaimed recording, I'm In (which also features bassist Jost and drummer Sarin). "In general, and similar to my previous recording, the compositions are more traditional forms and variations of traditional chord progressions, yet still pliable and able to handle both inside and outside playing. For my ears, adding Pete and Jeff turned out to be the perfect way to expand the trio and give it an added, richer depth of color and sound," said Fiedler.

Joe Fiedler on Jeff Lederer: "Last year I was working as a sideman on a project along with Jeff and we got to talking about our shared and unique niche in the music world. We are probably the only two musicians that have been playing for years in both the 'downtown' jazz and hardcore Latin music scenes. So during a rehearsal I had an idea to loosely fuse these two worlds and make a project that played old school Latin boogaloos, but with a more open-freewheeling vibe. Jeff was into it and the expanded trio was set into motion. Then a funny thing happened. We started playing together a lot over the past year in many different configurations and I loved the hook up that we had. Suddenly the concept of the boogaloo became secondary to the idea of writing music that just felt good and highlighted the way that our sounds came together."

Joe Fiedler on Pete McCann: "So I began writing music that had a Latin feel but I wouldn't consider it 'Latin Jazz.' I realized how lucky I was to have Rob Jost and Michael Sarin, rhythmic masters who are quite able to handle any style that I wanted to bring to this project. I also realized that in order to fully embrace the harmonies and textures that I was hearing I was going to need a chordal instrument. Pete was the very first person to come to mind. I have played with him in many different bands for more than twenty years and his creativity and virtuosity are second to none, not to mention the sense of humor and positivity that he brings to the bandstand/studio/hang.

Friday, February 17, 2017

Trombonist JOE FIEDLER Expands His Palette With New Recording, LIKE, STRANGE

No comments:

Post a Comment