What's New on WDCB... with Paul Abella
Etienne Charles – Creole Orchestra (Culture Shock Music)
Trumpeter Etienne Charles finds himself leading a large ensemble on his latest album, Creole Orchestra. Compositionally speaking, Creole Orchestra is about as varied as a Jazz album is likely to get, with originals by Charles and vocalist Rene Marie mingling next to standards like “I Wanna Be Evil,” “Night Train,” or Joe Henderson’s “A Shade of Jade,” alongside the New Jack Swing classic “Poison” or the love ballad from Top Gun, “Take My Breath Away.” The level of playing throughout Creole Orchestra is so high that no matter the style or genre, these songs and arrangements work universally well. Etienne Charles’ own “Holy City” is a definite highlight that seems to constantly finding new pinnacles to reach throughout its nine minute runtime, and the reinvention of “Centerpiece” as a down and dirty gutbucket blues is a revelation. Etienne and his colleagues featured here on Creole Orchestra have really knocked it out of the park with this one.
Conrad Herwig – The Latin Side of McCoy Tyner (Savant)
Conrad Herwig is a trombonist, composer and arranger who has made quite the name for himself with his “Latin Side of…” records. Through the years, we’ve gotten top notch takes on the music of John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Horace Silver, Charles Mingus and Wayne Shorter. It was about time that McCoy Tyner got his due. As always, the Latin Side of… band is stacked to the gills with talent, like trumpeter Alex Norris, drummer Robby Ameen, bassist Ruben Rodriguez and pianist Bill O’Connell. Herwig, as always, is smart to mix the well-known classics (“Passion Dance,” “Blues on the Corner,” “Four by Five,” “Search for Peace”) with the deeper cuts that Tyner fans would appreciate (“Fly with the Wind,” “Walk Spirit, Talk Spirit” – which features a guest appearance by Eddie Palmieri). Being that Herwig spent time in Palmieri’s band, he knows that the best Latin Jazz is still danceable, no matter how far out it might get, and the dedication to the clave and the groove on these albums is always immediately evident.
Josh Lawrence – Measured Response (Posi-Tone)
Measured Response is the name of the latest album from Josh Lawrence, and he assembled quite the group for the occasion. Lawrence and his trumpet are joined by Posi-Tone regulars Diego Rivera (tenor saxophone), Art Hirahara (piano), Rudy Royston (drums) and the always excellent Luques Curtis (bass). The loping, mid-tempo first track, “Where Do We Go?” is an excellent way to start off an album. “Every Choice Comes with an Invoice” is a flag-waving barnburner, while “A Tragic Tango Comedy” and “Flip on a Drip” are fun, hip and loose. The two borrowed tracks on Measured Response, are a fascinating pair: Charlie Haden’s “Song for the Whales” and John Coltrane’s “Wise One” are both downright meditative, and through the lens of those two songs, Lawrence’s “Stony Mountain Mist,” “Prelude to a Farewell (for Barry Harris),” and “Between the Lakes” all add up to make up a deeply introspective album. I don’t know what Measured Response is a response to, but it’s certainly a beautiful response, that’s for sure.
