Conrad Herwig
is a musician on a mission to bring trombone into the front rank of
jazz
horns. And over his two-decade long career he's succeeded admirably in demonstrating the horn's flexibility. Still, his playing sometimes seems weighted down by that sense of mission. At his best, as he is consistently on
Land of Shadow
, he lets it rip, with the trombone's natural voice, complete with its slight slurs and slides, coloring the relentless torrent of notes. Though, as on most of his sessions, this date is devoted to his own originals,
Herwig
opens with a high-powered take on the
standard
"Lullaby of Leaves,"
which sets the tone and introduces his sidemen. Pianist
David Kikoski
is especially impressive here, stretching the tune's harmonic structure to its limits. His more lyrical side is shown on the date's only other cover,
Duke Ellington
's
"Gypsy Without a Song."
Trumpeter
Tim Hagans
complements the leader's ethos, evoking such progressive boppers as
Booker Little
and
Ted Curson
. The trumpeter,
Hagans
, charges through the harmonic mazes with the urgency of a fullback trying to gain a few more yards. Saxophonist
Ben Schachter
is a new voice. An educator from Philadelphia he plays with a tone like a fine carving knife -- buffed and burnished and sharpened to a fine edge. Drummer
Jeff "Tain" Watts
slashes across the beat, dealing out rhythmic wisecracks at every turn. Bassist
James Genus
, like his rhythm section mates a regular participant in
-led sessions, plays the straight man, helping guide the ensemble with an insistent throb on the bottom. This helps the listener as well to negotiate
's intriguing originals. The pieces range from the complex structures such as
"The Dream Master"
to the open jam on the minor-key
blues
,
"Land of Shadow."
Another shining entry into
's impressive body of work. ~ David Dupont