Conrad Herwig

[Free For All]

I heard this group last night in KC at the UMKC Jazz Festival. Brian Lynch, Mario Rivera (bari), Edsel Gomez (piano), Robbie Ameen (drums), bass player and percussionist whose names escape me at the moment.

The material consisted of Miles tunes dressed up in authentic latin grooves- they played Seven Steps, Freddie Freeloader, Blue In Green, Petit Machins, So What, Flamenco Sketches et al. It seemed to work better than you might think. Nice arrangements, burnin' grooves and great solos.

Format-wise, it was a lot of head-solos-trade-head-out, but there were a couple cool ensemble moments, like on Freddie where they all played Miles' KOB solo in its entirety.

Those guys (Conrad and Brian) have really honed their latin chops playing with Eddie Palmieri's band. They play hard for a long time and still manage to maintain good control of their sounds which, as any brass players who've played latin gigs know, is a big challenge for that kind of music. I continue to grow more impressed with Brian Lynch each time I hear him. I've known Conrad for a while and know how nuts his playing is.

They've got a CD coming out soon. They're on a short tour, mostly midwest cities, so watch for them. Well worth checking out.

What did you think Spontooneus?

Edited February 2, 2004 by Free For All

[Spontooneous]

I'll second everything he said.

It was Ruben Rodriguez on bass and Pedro Martinez on congas. (The program book had the personnel wrong; the local paper got it right -- wink wink nudge nudge.)

You meet the nicest people in the lobby at these shows.

[Free For All]

(The program book had the personnel wrong; the local paper got it right -- wink wink nudge nudge.)

And this surprised you?

[JohnS]

A cd by this band sounds interesting, a nice companion to Herwig's "Latin Side Of John Coltrane".

[Spontooneous]

Actually, there'll be two CDs, Conrad says. The first one is centered on the "Kind of Blue" music (I loved hearing "Flamenco Sketches" recast as a guaguanco). The second is centered on "Sketches of Spain."

[jazzmessenger]

Where else (in the Midwest) is this band playing? I know they are playing in Columbia on February 6. But I am not sure if I want to drive all the way to Columbia (from Indy) for this concert. I am a Mizzou graduate, so I might just go.

[robviti]

I hope to attend one of this band's performances in New York this spring. They're playing at the Blue Note March 16-21. The website lists the personnel as: Conrad Herwig, trombone; Brian Lynch, trumpet; Dave Valentin, flute; Mario Rivera, saxophone; Edsel Gomez, piano; John Benitez, bass; Robby Ameen, drums; and Richie Flores, percussion. I've heard bad things about shows at the Blue Note (too exspensive, too little space), but I'll make an exception for these guys. Btw, i read that the first cd, Another Kind of Blue: The Latin Side of Miles was recorded live at the Blue Note. Volume two, titled Sketches of Spain Plus Seven is scheduled to be released in 2005.

Edited February 3, 2004 by jazzshrink

[jazzmessenger]

Where else (in the Midwest) is this band playing?  I know they are playing in Columbia on February 6. But I am not sure if I want to drive all the way to Columbia (from Indy) for this concert.  I am a Mizzou graduate, so I might just go.

I am kind of responding to my old post, but I finally got to see the band last night at Purdue University. Their performance was great. I got "Another Kind of Blue" CD and am spinning it right now. It is a very strong album. They also have a CD with latinization of John Coltrane's music. I think this one is under Brian Lynch's name on Criss Cross. They did their version of "Sketches of Spain" (suite), which will be included in their next album. It was the best arrangement they played last night. They are playing in Dayton tonight. Don't miss the show if you live around there!

Edited January 22, 2005 by jazzmessenger

[robviti]

actually, the coltrane cd is co-credited to herwig and lynch:

[jazzmessenger]

jazzshrink,

Yeah, that was the CD. Thanks for the correction.