''Trombone Tribe'' is an album by trombonist
Roswell Rudd
Roswell Hopkins Rudd Jr. (November 17, 1935 – December 21, 2017) was an American jazz trombonist and composer.
Although skilled in a variety of genres of jazz (including Dixieland, which he performed while in college), and other genres of musi ...
. It was recorded at various locations and was released in 2009 by
Sunnyside Records
Sunnyside Records is an American jazz record company and label established by François Zalacain in 1982 initially to release an album by pianist Harold Danko. Albums by Kirk Lightsey and Lee Konitz soon followed beginning a sequence of releas ...
. On the album, Rudd appears in different brass band combinations. On five tracks, Rudd appears in a sextet with trombonists
Steve Swell
Steve Swell (born in Newark, New Jersey, December 6, 1954) is an American free jazz trombonist, composer, and educator.
Music career
Swell studied at Jersey City State Teachers College before moving to New York City in 1975 where he began his m ...
and
Deborah Weisz
Deborah Weisz is an American jazz musician. She plays lead trombone for the Deborah Weisz Quintet/Trio.
Early life
Deborah Weisz was born in Chicago to Victor and Alice Mae. She grew up in Phoenix, where she began to play trombone at the age ...
, tubist
Bob Stewart, bassist and violinist
Henry Grimes
Henry Grimes (November 3, 1935 – April 15, 2020) was an American jazz double bassist and violinist.
After more than a decade of activity and performance, notably as a leading bassist in free jazz, Grimes completely disappeared from the music s ...
, and drummer
Barry Altschul
Barry Altschul (born January 6, 1943, New York City) is a free jazz and hard bop drummer who first came to notice in the late 1960s for performing with pianists Paul Bley and Chick Corea.
Biography
Altschul is of Russian Jewish heritage, the ...
, while two tracks feature Rudd with five additional trombones plus Altschul. The remaining tracks include members of the bands
Bonerama
Bonerama is a brass funk rock band from New Orleans.
Bonerama was formed in 1998 by trombone players Mark Mullins and Craig Klein, who, from 1990Sexmob
Sexmob (also styled Sex Mob) is an American jazz band based in New York City that formed as a Knitting Factory vehicle for Steven Bernstein to exercise his slide trumpet. Sexmob's sets feature a high proportion of covers, usually familiar pop s ...
, and the
Gangbé Brass Band
The Gangbé Brass Band is a 10-member Beninese musical ensemble founded in 1994. The word "gangbe" means "sound of metal" in the Fon language. They blend West African jùjú and traditional Vodou music with Western jazz and big-band sounds. ...
of
Benin
Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...
.
Reception
In a review for
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...
, Michael G. Nastos wrote: "
heplaying from top to bottom is fantastic, diversity the watchword as you would expect, and the cohesion of all the groups quite enjoyable from track to track, and never boring. It's a genuine triumph for Roswell Rudd in the golden years of a very successful occupancy in modern music, and comes highly recommended."
''
DownBeat
' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...
s Bill Shoemaker called the album "masterful," making a solid case for "unity through diversity," and noted that Rudd "uses rhythm to protean ends, creating multiple feels in a performance."
Raul d'Gama Rose of ''
All About Jazz
''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...
'' stated that, on the album, Rudd is "on top of his game," and commented: "He has created a series of songs that traverse myriad geographies, bubbling over through the soul of the vast human Diaspora... It appears that Roswell Rudd can... do no wrong with song and dance that carries the delightful weight of musical history."
''AAJs George Kanzler described the album as "a trombone-dominated romp," and suggested that it could be called "The Joy of Trombone." He noted that "this is Rudd's first album featuring brass bands in his half-century career."
Tom Hull remarked: "what do trombone tribes do? Duh, party!"
Track listing
"Twelve Bars with Sexmob" composed by
Herbie Nichols
Herbert Horatio Nichols (January 3, 1919 – April 12, 1963) was an American jazz pianist and composer who wrote the jazz standard " Lady Sings the Blues". Obscure during his lifetime, he is now highly regarded by many musicians and critics.
Lif ...
. Remaining tracks composed by Roswell Rudd.
# "FanFare" – 0:26
# "Elton Dean" – 4:18
# "Astro Slyde" – 3:37
# "Hulla Gulla" – 7:41
# "No End" – 3:03
# "Hulla Gulla" – 6:37
# "To the Day" – 5:10
# "Sand in my Slide Shuffle" – 6:35
# "Slide & the Family Bone" – 6:52
# "Twelve Bars with Sexmob" – 6:25
"A Place Above" – 7:35; five parts:
#
"Introduction into Skyward Theme"
# "Instrumental Doxology"
# "Vocal Doxology"
# "Modal Improvisation"
# "Fan Fare"
Personnel
* Roswell Rudd
Roswell Hopkins Rudd Jr. (November 17, 1935 – December 21, 2017) was an American jazz trombonist and composer.
Although skilled in a variety of genres of jazz (including Dixieland, which he performed while in college), and other genres of musi ...
– trombone
* Deborah Weisz
Deborah Weisz is an American jazz musician. She plays lead trombone for the Deborah Weisz Quintet/Trio.
Early life
Deborah Weisz was born in Chicago to Victor and Alice Mae. She grew up in Phoenix, where she began to play trombone at the age ...
– trombone (tracks 2, 5, 7–9)
* Steve Swell
Steve Swell (born in Newark, New Jersey, December 6, 1954) is an American free jazz trombonist, composer, and educator.
Music career
Swell studied at Jersey City State Teachers College before moving to New York City in 1975 where he began his m ...
– trombone (tracks 2, 5, 7–9)
* Bob Stewart – tuba (tracks 2, 5, 7–9)
* Henry Grimes
Henry Grimes (November 3, 1935 – April 15, 2020) was an American jazz double bassist and violinist.
After more than a decade of activity and performance, notably as a leading bassist in free jazz, Grimes completely disappeared from the music s ...
– bass, violin (tracks 2, 5, 7–9)
* Barry Altschul
Barry Altschul (born January 6, 1943, New York City) is a free jazz and hard bop drummer who first came to notice in the late 1960s for performing with pianists Paul Bley and Chick Corea.
Biography
Altschul is of Russian Jewish heritage, the ...
– drums (tracks 2–5, 7–9)
* Eddie Bert
Edward Joseph Bertolatus (May 16, 1922 – September 27, 2012), also known as Eddie Bert, was an American jazz trombonist.
Music career
He was born in Yonkers, New York, United States. Bert received a degree and a teaching license from the Manha ...
– trombone (tracks 3, 4)
* Josh Roseman
Josh Roseman (born 5 June 1967) is an American jazz trombonist. His nickname is "Mr. Bone". He studied in Newton North High School.
Roseman was born in Boston, and studied at the New England Conservatory of Music. Roseman toured Jamaica with The ...
– trombone (tracks 3, 4)
* Ray Anderson – trombone (tracks 3, 4)
* Sam Burtis – trombone (tracks 3, 4)
* Wycliffe Gordon
Wycliffe A. Gordon (born May 29, 1967) is an American jazz trombonist, arranger, composer, band leader, and music educator at the collegiate-conservatory level. Gordon also sings and plays didgeridoo, trumpet, soprano trombone, tuba, and piano. ...
– trombone (tracks 3, 4)
* Matt Perrine – Sousaphone (track 6)
* Craig Klein – trombone (track 6)
* Greg Hicks – trombone (track 6)
* Mark Mullins – trombone (track 6)
* Steve Souter – trombone (track 6)
* Bert Cotton – electric guitar (track 6)
* Eric Bolivar – drums (track 6)
* Briggan Krauss – alto saxophone (track 10)
* Doug Wieselman
Douglas Joel Wieselman (born November 30, 1954) is an American composer and jazz reedist. He plays primarily clarinet and tenor saxophone, though he occasionally also plays soprano and baritone saxophone.
Early life and education
Wieselman was ...
– clarinet (track 10)
* Steven Bernstein – slide trumpet (track 10)
* Marcus Rojas
Marcus Rojas (born February 23, 1963) is an American tubist from New York City.
Early life
Rojas was born in New York City on February 23, 1963, and grew up in Red Hook, Brooklyn. His early influences included Eddie Palmieri, Willie Colón, ...
– tuba (track 10)
* Tony Scherr
Tony Scherr is an American jazz and folk rock bassist, guitarist, singer-songwriter, and record producer.
Biography
Scherr was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and is a graduate of the Hammonasset School. He played with Woody Herman as a teenage ...
– bass (track 10)
* Kenny Wollesen
Kenny Wollesen (born 1966) is an American drummer and percussionist.
Wollesen has recorded and toured with Tom Waits, Sean Lennon, Ron Sexsmith, Bill Frisell, Norah Jones, John Lurie, Myra Melford, Steven Bernstein, and John Zorn. He is a ...
– drums (track 10)
* Magliore Ahounandjinou – trumpet (tracks 1, 11–15)
* Eric Yovogan – trumpet (tracks 1, 11–15)
* Martial Ahouandjinou – trombone (tracks 1, 11–15)
* James Vodounnon – tuba (tracks 1, 11–15)
* Lucien Gbaguidi – saxophone (tracks 1, 11–15)
* Benoit Avihoue – percussion (tracks 1, 11–15)
* Crespin Kpitiki – percussion (tracks 1, 11–15)
References
{{Reflist
2009 albums
Roswell Rudd albums
Sunnyside Records albums