Nicole Connelly: Stamp In Time

  Trombonist Nicole Connelly makes her recording debut with Stamp In Time. Most of the pieces are in a revealing trio format, with a steady Zachary Swanson on bass and the dynamic Kate Gentile on drums. Trumpeter (and twin sister) Erin Connelly guests on a few pieces, and Andrew Hadro brings his baritone saxophone roar to Sky Piece. Connelly has a warm and enveloping sound on trombone, with occasional forays into grittier tones. The growling drone that opens the lead-off title track gives way to a sweet sound when Swanson and Gentile drift into the picture. Roswell Rudd’s Bamako follows with a bright groove stoked by Gentile’s peppy drumming and Swanson’s solid walking bass. Connelly is smooth as silk on this one, with an unhurried presence and an imaginative solo. Erin Connelly makes her first appearance on Shadow Self, as the sisters loosely duet over busy rhythms for just a couple of minutes. The assertive groove of Malaton is a real standout. It’s a fairly simple tune, energized by the robust interplay of the trio. Brown Recluse is a charming ballad, featuring lovely counterpoint by Erin Connelly. The brief Rising Wide-Eyed combines bowed bass and cymbals with a gentle melody for trombone. Thomas Chapin’s Sky Piece is the most boisterous song of the date, thanks to Hadro’s gruff baritone. Connelly takes a fine unaccompanied solo right in the middle. The appropriately somber Lullaby of the Doomed, an obscure Babs Gonzalez tune recorded by Bennie Green in 1958, is a showcase for Connelly’s multiphonics, with Swanson and Gentile providing delicate support. The jumping Day by Day is another highlight, as Gentile’s drums push Connelly into a broadly swinging mode that suits her to a T. And Counting ... ends the set with a free-sounding duet between trumpet and trombone. At not much more than two minutes, it’s the kind of piece that leaves you wanting more, and in fact I feel that way about many of the tracks. At 32 and a half minutes, Stamp In Time offers a relatively brief but thoroughly enjoyable look into Nicole Connelly’s musical world. An auspicious debut, well worth hearing. 

Self-produced; Nicole Connelly (tbn) Zachary Swanson (b) Kate Gentile (d) Erin Connelly (tpt on *) Andrew Hadro (bari s on #); Brooklyn, NY, August 2023; Stamp in Time/ Bamako/ Shadow Self*/ Malaton/ Brown Recluse*/ Rising Wide-Eyed/ Sky Piece#/ Lullaby of the Doomed/ Crow Song*/ Tiff*/ Day by Day/ And Counting...*; 32:31. nicoleconnelly.bandcamp.com

Joe Fiedler’s Big Sackbut: Live In Graz

You don’t have to be a big fan of the sound of massed trombones, or even know what a sackbut is, to lose yourself in the wonderful sounds of Joe Fiedler’s Big Sackbut. Trombonist Fiedler is joined by fellow ‘bonemen’ Ryan Keberle and Luis Bonilla in this quartet. They’re usually joined by tuba player Marcus Rojas, but he couldn’t make the European tour, so on Live In Graz, we’re treated to the deep sounds and impeccable drive of Jon Sass in his stead. Fiedler got Jacob Garchik, another trombone player, to write the liner notes, and he’s contributed a learned essay about, among other topics, the history of multiple trombone ensembles in jazz, a guide to the player’s individual sounds and an appreciation of the late, great Roswell Rudd. In homage to Rudd, Big Sackbut performs three of his compositions. The multi-part Bethesda Fountain comes from the rare Japanese album Blown-bone (1979), Yankee No-how first appeared on Rudd’s Everywhere (Impulse!, 1966), and the delightfully weird Suh Blah Blah Buh Sibi comes from Flexible Flyer, a 1974 release on Arista’s Freedom imprint. No one plays these songs, except for the composer and now Fiedler, and that’s the best tribute of all. The closing Tonal Proportions is a Fiedler composition in honor of Rudd, featuring a an extended Fiedler solo over slithering trombones and Sass’ steady bass part. Beautifully recorded over two nights at a club in Graz, Austria, the band is at a peak of unity and mutual support. The format really gives the listener a chance to focus on Sass and the phenomenal job he does in the role. Who needs a drummer, anyway? I’ve been fan of the trombone in modern jazz who bought Rudd’s Impulse! album a long time ago, so I’m especially attuned to and primed for this killer ensemble. In a sense, a group like this one offers clear insight into the core conundrum of jazz: how to play together, as a section, and at the same time, maintain one’s own individual voice. That this quartet makes it sound so easy is a testament to their considerable skills and their shared sensibilities. Happily recommended. 

Multiphonics Music MM005; Joe Fiedler, Ryan Keberle, Luis Bonilla (tbn) Jon Sass (tba); Graz, Austria, December 12-13, 2019; Peekskill/ Devil Woman/ I’m In/ Bethesda Fountain/ Ways/ Yankee No-How/ Chicken/ Suh Blah Blah Buh Sibi/ Tonal Proportions; 60:15. joefiedler.com