What's New on WDCB... with Paul Abella
Conrad Herwig – Reflections: Facing South (Savant Records)
Conrad Herwig, Eddie Palmieri and Luques Curtis went into the studio in August of 2020 and recorded one of the more interesting sessions to come out in 2025. Reflections – Facing South is not at all what I was expecting when I saw those three names together one album. Eddie Palmieri, who just died earlier this year, was a monster of a pianist in both the Salsa and Latin Jazz worlds. Conrad Herwig has made incredible music (plenty of it with Eddie) in both the Latin Jazz and straight ahead Jazz worlds. And Luques Curtis, despite being a young bassist, has already assembled a resume that most people would be quite envious of. The three of them could have been the stars on one of Herwig’s “Latin Side of…” albums, or a career retrospective of Palmieri’s, and those would have been epic records. Instead, we got a mellow trombone/piano/bass trio album that is not at all what I expected, but I am absolutely loving listening to. Without a three or four piece percussion section, and without multiple trombones, this doesn’t have the heft or power of the average Latin Jazz ensemble. Instead, there is an intimacy here that is charming to its core. And you also hear how much Palmieri sings, grunts and carries on while he’s playing. Songs like “Bianco’s Waltz” make me wish we’d heard Eddie Palmieri in straight ahead settings. He would have swung a band into bad health. Then again, Palmieri pushes this group so hard that songs like “Que Viva Barry” and “Cuando Se Habla de Amor” don’t even miss the drums. They STILL groove. We all owe Conrad Herwig a huge thank you for getting this session out into the public after Eddie’s passing so we could all enjoy it, because it is definitely worth quite a few listens. So, Mr. Herwig, if you read this, thank you.
Joe Policastro Trio – Mending Wall (Jeru Jazz)
The Joe Policastro Trio, with Dave Miller (guitar), Mikel Avery (drums) and Policastro (bass) has been a remarkably consistent group for at least the last decade. They have a signature sound, they have an identifiable way that they approach songs, and yet they still find ways to surprise their listeners. On their latest album, Mending Wall, they cover more ground than ever before. Hitting Jazz standards old and new, like Johnny Mercer’s “Something’s Gotta Give” and Burt Bacharach’s “This Guy’s In Love with You” isn’t something that this group has done with great regularity. But even their more unique choices are more unique this time out. From the theme music to Bruce Lee’s “The Way of the Dragon” to “Allegretto” from Beethoven’s 7th Symphony to David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold the World,” Policastro simply refuses to respect musical boundaries. In lesser hands, this could sound hokey. But Policastro’s group has such a strong group sound that they make the unfamiliar feel at home, and they find new nooks and crannies in the well-worn classics.
Todd Herbert – Captain Hubs (self-produced)
In 2024, saxophonist Todd Herbert had the opportunity to record with a heavy rhythm section consisting of David Hazeltine (piano), John Webber (bass) and the legendary Louis Hayes (drums). He didn’t squander it. On Captain Hubs, Herbert shares the fruits of that labor with the world, and it sounds as good as one might imagine. Herbert contributed half of the ten songs, and the other five include songs by Hayes (“Lou’s Idea”), and Hazeltine (“In the Moment”) plus John Coltrane’s “Straight Street,” Wayne Shorter’s “Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum” and the standard “You Go to My Head.” The listener can hear the best of 60’s Blue Note in Herbert’s writing, especially on “The Mind’s Eye” and “Prophet’s Oracle.” Captain Hubs is a solid and swinging session well worth a listen.
