“A fresh coat of clave”
Previous instalments of The Latin Side of series I enjoyed lots. By a complete fluke I saw ‘bone man Conrad Herwig live a few years ago.
That proved the icing on the cake.
Because live is nearly always a fuller insight into an artist even when the sonics are rough and ready.
They weren’t iffy in the slightest that time. As the venue in question the Pizza in Soho has a good rig, bril Steinway and decent drum kit, amps and monitors. The low ceiling is the right sort of height.
Herwig is tall but didn’t need to stoop to conquer. The background clatter of aged geezahs and the equally game gal-dem gabbing excitedly out to lunch didn’t matter. A bit of subdued nattering – not galeforce chuntering, mind – is better than stony silence after all.
The hum of the fridge or the pleasurable pop of a prosecco cork like they are the inanimate chorus to his band and the street choir is better than a lonely clinical void.
That gig in Soho down the Pizza – Herwig with pal Joey’s brother Gene Calderazzo of The W at the kit (they had never played together before and I think there wasn’t even a rehearsal for this show) – proved one of the most enjoyable gigs I have experienced in years.
Ah, memories.
Tenor star Craig Handy is on this new recording – read an interview run in these pages in 2013 circa 2nd Line Smith.
Also with Herwig are trumpeter Alex Norris, pianist Bill O’Connell, bassist Ruben Rodriguez, drummer Robby Ameen and percussionist Maurico Herrara.
As Gary Walker writes on the American radio station WBGO’s website referring to this album which the station played tracks from recently on successive days the music here gets a fresh coat of clave.
O’Connell shines on Chick’s ‘Guijira’ that Willie Bobo played in the 60s album Do That Thing – same tune, differently spelt. What’s a vowel between friends.
That really got me going.
Handy’s flute solo here is terrific. He is a triple threat on the album: on tenor, soprano and flute. Jazz flute? The full Ron Burgundy, not quite! A case of “Little ham ‘n eggs comin’ at ya, hold on people hope ya got your griddles” never hurts. But he plays “a little ditty” like Ron in one of the stand out solo passages seriously anywhere on this consistently feelgood album.
The Mad Hatter tune ‘Humpty Dumpty’ from Chick’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland themed concept album issued in 1978 afterwards is equally joyous. It has some of Herwig’s best playing on it. Loved that.
As for percussion colour and a more introspective feeling you get that on ‘Windows’. Stan Getz with Chick, Ron Carter and Grady Tate did a wondrous version of this on 1967’s Sweet Rain. It has been covered many times down the years – including in relatively recent years by Harvie S with Mike Stern, and by Randy Brecker in a big band setting. What’s here stacks up well.
‘Litha’ again is a Sweet Rain tune. Joe Locke did a treatment of it on his album Beauty Burning a couple of decades ago I discovered spending time to get to know the tune by finding other approaches to it.
If you are looking for a brassier number then the relative chaos of Sundance (1972) number ‘The Brain’ fulfils that desire in this reading rewardingly.
I love ‘Crystal Silence’ and the treatment here doesn’t disappoint – O’Connell’s deft modulation at the beginning and the exuberant percussion undertow opens the tune up and you can feel the light. Handy takes a lovely soprano solo.
Down the years I saw Chick who died in 2021 live quite a few times – the last time was a vastly enjoyable double piano gig with Herbie Hancock at the Barbican in 2015 – and I once attended in April 1999 a studio session for Corea. Concerto his album with the London Philharmonic Orchestra recorded at Air in Hampstead. Sir George Martin was there the day I popped in to listen a bit. I was very star struck when he greeted me at reception. Mark Knopfler came in to chat to Chick I seem to recall.
All this then and ‘Spain,’ ‘Matrix,’ ‘500 Miles High’ and ‘Tones for Joan’s Bones.’ The arranging is superb throughout and the way the instruments are voiced spot on. You feel the love for Chick, for jazz, for humanity throughout.