Conrad Herwig Nonet - Another Kind of Blue: The Latin Side of Miles Davis
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Free Music Notes for Another Kind of Blue: The Latin Side of Miles Davis
Free Music Review: Obvious remarks aside.
Hit: 4 Stars
I am a huge fan of this album. People who listen to this album are often distracted by the bells and whistles, the fact that it is of course a trombonist doing Kind of Blue covers (where the was no trombone at the time) and yes, that its been spiced up with the trademark Latin arrangements of Herwig. For sure, those qualities do have their merits and this album would not simply be "IT" without them, but for me, the thing I love most about this album is how it manages to capture the atmosphere of the live show almost perfectly.
How often have we heard live albums, particularly featuring the oh-so awkward to record sound of the trombone, where we feel distanced from the music. How it doesn't connect with us the way it should. This album, however, stirs your emotions the way music was made to do. This album immediately reminds me of such classics as Dave Holland's "Live at Birdland" and Maceo Parker's "Life on Planet Funk". People can object and critisise the technical and musical integrity all they like, and I welcome them too, as I do the same, but none of that matters when you reach the breakdown in "Freddie Freeloader" and you can feel the excitement that wants you to applaud when you're listening to this on the bus with headphones. Or when you can just feel the intent concentration of the audience with Herwig's take on "Blue in Green".
All in all, this album is worth every penny, and everyone should hear it at least once.
Free Music Review: Yeah.
Hit: 5 Stars
Holy Crap! I really love this album, as I do the Latin Side Of John Coltrane album. I have to buy it again because I keep loaning it out... and I have yet to recieve it back. I can spend all day transcribing and put it on again when the girls come by at night (and no one complains.) I enjoy this album on a different level than Miles' version. The original I take with me alone to the proverbial desert island: I can't exist without it. This one, however, is for that island that's a little less desert and a little more party. The original is good aged scotch, 2 fingers worth straight up; Conrad's version I can liken to a mojito. And no cheap bacardi mojito... Nothing but the best. Havana club rum, soda, raw sugar, lemon, soda and mint leaves. Sorry, I'm rambling. Buy the album. I'm buying it again and I'm not loaning it out anymore. So don't ask for it, Jacob.
Z
Free Music Review: Well-Executed Sacrelige
Hit: 4 Stars
It's a bold move to mess with one of the classics in the jazz canon like Kind of Blue. This album is a little hard to take on the first listen especially. It totally changes the feel of Miles' original. Instead of a laid back, cool modal setting, many of the charts turn into latin burners, a very odd shift. I feel like Kind of Blue could be put into a latin medium while still paying respect to the original groove that Miles established with his 1959 album. "All Blues" becomes an upbeat fiery tune, "So What" becomes a wild abandoned version of the cool laid back. If this album and the original were to be described in terms of color, they would be at opposite ends of the spectrum; Miles' album being blues and greens and purples while Herwig goes with more reds, yellows and oranges. Also, sometimes the improvisation feels a little inapropriate for the tunes. I felt like I was urged to be too technically impressed rather than impressed by the melodic creativity that made Miles' album famous. The most glaring wrong in an improvised solo was when "Tequila" was quoted in a solo on "Freddie Freeloader." Down right unacceptable.
Even though it seems like all I've done is complain, I still give this album four stars. The arrangements though far out of character are very intelligent and impressive. Every player on the album is an absolute monster and the material is well performed, just not well displayed. The most shining moment on this album is the ballad "Blue in Green." Despite the strange medium of latin grooves with such a classic album, its an album worth having around. Just a warning to Miles Davis fans that you may be upset by Herwigs heresies.
Free Music Review: So, it's not Miles---SO WHAT?
Hit: 5 Stars
It's Neo-Latin-BigBand-BeBop with only 9 guys (who sound like 20)...with fire and timbales and congas and dissonant pounding piano and cowbells...what else do you need? Oh, yeah, the arrangements are full of inventive "snappy" riffs. Enthusiasm abounds judging from the shouting. I saw most of this group in Milwaukee in August 04 in a small club and they blew out the walls.Free Music Review: Conrad's Second Latin Attempt
Hit: 4 Stars
This latest CD by Conrad Herwig is very good, but something seems to be missing from it. Maybe it had been hyped up too much in my mind, but when I played the music, I felt like it was missing an element. An important element, sadly. Just like the Latin Side of John Coltrane album, I didn't hear as much inspired playing as I am accustomed to hearing on Herwig's albums. He certainly has set a high standard level for himself! I have seen Conrad Herwig live and was BLOWN AWAY. If you have the chance, I would suggest hearing him play at any price.
Back to this CD though... I think I was missing his compositional capabilities, although his arrangements are always strong. Regardless, this is a strong CD, and if it was the first CD I had heard by Herwig, I know that I would have been hooked on him forever. Unfortunately, I have heard many CDs by Herwig that had more inspired solos than this one.
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