Conrad Herwig, Andy LaVerne - Shades Of Light (2002)

It is without taking away anything from the founding fathers of this music to suggest that some of today's practitioners might be the most technically gifted lot to come along. Of course, they now have the entire rich history of jazz at their fingertips and slews of recordings for inspiration, yet there's no denying the talent at hand. Such is the case with 43-year-old trombonist Conrad Herwig. Hardly a Johnny Come Lately, Herwig has been on the scene for some 20 years playing in the bands of such legends as Buddy Rich and Eddie Palmieri, but has to be considered one of the most innovative players to come along since the days of J.J. Johnson and Curtis Fuller. Herwig's fourth and most recent date for the Dutch Criss Cross label, Hieroglyphica is a no holds barred quartet set of all originals that finds everyone working at full throttle. Without other horns to get in the way, this is the best place to experience Herwig at his most incendiary. Starting with a low moan and then breaking into wild glissandos through the upper register, Herwig kicks off the title track with a dazzling display that then builds to a frenetic climax with drums wailing and the rest of the ensemble participating in the collective frenzy. It's time for a quick cool down with the Latin-tinged 'The Orange Dove,' a breathy melody that is supported beautifully by pianist Bill Charlap's comping. And speaking of Charlap, for those of you only familiar with his demure and most recent trio dates, you'll be surprised at how much the pianist seems to step outside of the box here. In fact, some reckless abandon breaks forth on 'Island of the Day Before' as Herwig builds the tension before giving way to Charlap, who ushers in the calm before the storm and then hits with some heavy stuff of his own. And to get an idea of Herwig's range and the full complement of devices, look no further than a bluesy 'The Intruder.' Technically accomplished and still filled with communicative appeal, Hieroglyphica just may be Herwig's most brilliant recital to date. A bit more reserved, the trombonist's duo recital with pianist Andy LaVerne, Shades of Light, doesn't quite catch the fire that the quartet session does, but there's still plenty to savor. An impressive display of flutter tonguing comes just at the conclusion of 'Three Flowers,' a McCoy Tyner line that has to be among his most striking. Two Chick Corea gems, 'Tones For Joan's Bones' and 'Crystal Silence' seem especially attractive in this duo setting and Herwig's trombone carries both melodies quite well. You can gather some insight as to influences too, with Herwig sagaciously working in a quote from Wayne Shorter's 'Witch hunt' during his solo on 'African Flower.' ~ by C. Andrew Hovan, AAJ. 

SteepleChase Records, SCCD 31520, 2002
Recorded April, 2000 

Musicians:
Conrad Herwig - Trombone
Andy LaVerne - Piano 

Tracks:
01. Three Flowers {McCoy Tyner} (7:37)
02. Tones For Joan's Bones {Chick Corea} (5:43)
03. Crystal Silence {Chick Corea, Neville Potter} (6:13)
04. Bessie's Blues {John Coltrane} (8:22)
05. If You Never Come To Me {Antônio Carlos Jobim} (4:28)
06. Shades Of Light {Hubert Laws} (6:04)
07. Black Narcissus {Joe Henderson} (5:30)
08. Think On Me {George Cables} (5:22)
09. African Flower {Duke Ellington} (5:16)
10. In Your Own Sweet Way {Dave Brubeck} (7:22) 

Total Time: 71:57 

Credits:
Producer, Photography - Nils Winther
Recording Engineer - Keiichi Goto
Liner Notes - Mark Gardner

Conrad Herwig - Sketches Of Spain Y Mas (2006)

Conrad Herwig's nonet explores the Latin side of jazz, and his band mines the fun (party) side as well. The Afro-Cuban/Afro-Caribbean component that makes up the art we call jazz has always been the party side. Following up on the trombonist's recordings Another Kind Of Blue: The Latin Side of Miles Davis (2005), The Latin Side Of John Coltrane (1996) and Que Viva Coltrane (2004) is this live session recorded at the Blue Note jazz club in New York 2003. The centerpiece is the nearly 25-minute title track, the infamous collaboration between Miles Davis and Gil Evans. The trombonist Herwig and his co-leader, trumpeter Brian Lynch, welcome guests Paquito D'Rivera and Dave Valentine to this furious and entertaining date. The session opens with two spirited tracks, "Solar and "Seven Steps To Heaven. These tracks are nearly perfect vehicles for a Latin touch. Herwig 's playing was inspired with this sound after stints in the bands of Eddie Palmieri, Mario Bauza and Dizzy Gillespie. Application of the clave to Miles might not be your first thought, but the overtly danceable "Solar honors not only Davis' composition, but also the nightclubs where it was originally played. The nonet stretches out a bit more on "Sketches Of Spain. D'Rivera's clarinet opens the account here, signaling the others to follow with some extraordinary playing. Then it's Herwig's turn to solo. He plays his trombone with all the control you would expect from a trumpeter, ending his solo with nifty multiphonic playing. Then, boom, we are off again with Richie Flores' percussion and congas. The piece stretches into Lynch's muted trumpet solo, which bridges into a bit of a Albert Ayler-like march! And back again with the luscious work of D'Rivera, this time on alto saxophone. The disc ends with "Petits Machins, from Filles de Kilimanjaro, a percussion-filled eruption of joy and energy. If you have to choose sides, there is no better one the the Latin side. ~ by Mark Corroto, AAJ.

Half Note, HN 4530, 2006
Recorded 6^th-8^th March, 2003 At The Blue Note, New York 

Musicians:
Conrad Herwig - Trombone
Brian Lynch - Trumpet
Mario Rivera - Baritone Saxophone
Dave Valentin - Flute
Paquito D'Rivera - Alto Saxophone, Clarinet
Edsel Gomez - Piano [Bösendorfer]
John Benítez - Bass
Richie Flores - Congas, Percussion
Robby Ameen - Drums 

Tracks:
1. Solar {Miles Davis} (13:05)
2. Seven Steps To Heaven {Miles Davis, Victor Feldman} (7:51)
3. Sketches Of Spain {Miles Davis} (24:59)
4. Petits Machins {Miles Davis} (4:26) 

Total Time: 50:21

Credits:
Producer - Jeff Levenson
Executive Producer - Steven Bensusan
Engineer, Mixing - Steven Remote [Aura Sonic Ltd.]
Engineer - Duke Marcos [8th March]
Assistant, Digital Editing - Jon D'Uva
Assistant - Andy Bigan, Mark Tomase
Mastering - Greg Calbi [Sterling Sound]
Art Direction, Package Design - Molly Gobel
Photography - Dino Perucci
Liner Notes - Bill Milkowski

Conrad Herwig Session - Jazz Baltica {MKV} (2000)

Here we have an invigorating Live concert taken from a satellite broadcast held on the 11th June, 2000 At Große Konzertscheue, Jazzbaltica, Salzau, Germany. The group in the spotlight is a session led by Conrad Herwig partnered with another equally merited trombonist Nils Landgren. Along with these two great players is a fantastic rhythm section comprising of the remarkable pianist Jacky Terrasson, bassist Lars Danielsson and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington. The group perform three tunes starting off with one of John Coltrane's classic compositions "Syeeda's Song Flute" followed by a original Herwig composition in dedication to the late Kenny Kirkland called simply "Kenny K." and finally this short program is rounded out with "Devil May Care" quite an under-recorded tune one played by Miles Davis and Wayne Shorter back in the early sixties. 

Recorded 11^th June, 2000, Große Konzertscheue, Jazzbaltica, Germany

Musicians:
Conrad Herwig - Trombone
Nils Landgren - Trombone
Jacky Terrasson - Piano
Lars Danielsson - Bass
Terri Lyne Carrington - Drums 

Tracks:
1. Syeeda's Song Flute {John Coltrane} (8:23)
2. Kenny K. {Conrad Herwig} (7:28)
3. Devil May Care {Bob Dorough, Terrell P. Kirk} (8:53) 

Total Time: 27:37

Note:
Ripped from original MPEG DVD source to MKV preserving original sound quality.

The Cutting Edge feat. Tim Hagans - The Cutting Edge (1998)

Brilliant Post-Bop Giants

This release features some of the finest current players on the jazz scene, Tim Hagans is in my mind the most fluent trumpet player out there. His lyrical Miles-like sparseness is totally his own. Walt Weiskopf is out of Trane and no tenor has more technique at their disposal. Conrad Herwig is a breathtaking bone player, blasting through mind blowing changes on every solo. The ensemble work is swinging and seamless. Very hip rhythm section as well. Cannot Go Wrong With This One! ~ Robert Ricketts, Amazon.com.

Double-Time Records, DTRCD-141, 1999

Recorded January, 1998 At Steve Davis Studios, Yonkers, New York

Musicians:

Tim Hagans - Trumpet

Conrad Herwig - Trombone

Walt Weiskopf - Tenor Saxophone

Andy Laverne - Piano, Arranger

Jay Anderson - Bass

Steve Davis - Drums

Tracks:

1. Footprints {Wayne Shorter} (8:03)

2. Yesterdays {Jerome Kern, Otto Harbach} (5:57)

3. Code Bleu {Andy Laverne} (10:10)

4. Cantaloupe Island {Herbie Hancock} (6:41)

5. Cutting Edge {Andy Laverne} (8:01)

6. Secret Of The Andes {Andy Laverne} (7:24)

7. Space Dozen {Tim Hagans} (5:20)

8. Our Destiny {Conrad Herwig} (7:17)

9. Get Out Of Town {Walt Weiskopf} (6:35)

Credits:

Producer - Andy Laverne

Mastering, Graphic Design - Jamey Aebersold

Liner Notes - Ted Panken

Total Time: 65:28