By Ric Bang
Buy CD: not so standards
I’m
willing to bet that few readers will recognize any of this trio’s artists ... although
I might be mistaken when it comes to trombonist Jiggs Whigham. He leads this
group, and he played with two of the more famous “ghost” bands: the Glenn
Miller orchestra that was led by Ray McKinley in 1961, and the 1963 Stan Kenton
“mellophonium” band.
Whigham
was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1943; he was only 17 when he joined the Miller
group. But touring wasn’t what he wanted as a profession, so — after his stint
with Kenton — he settled in New York City to play commercially.
That didn’t satisfied him either, so he migrated to Germany, where he still
lives and works.
Whigham
teaches and is a regular with big bands led by Kurt Edelhagen, Bert Kaempfert
and Peter Herbolzheimer (likely unknown in the States, but big in Germany). Whigham
also has been musical director for the Radio in the American Sector Big Band,
and currently conducts Great Britain’s BBC Big Band. He periodically returns to
the U.S., where he plays and records with American jazz artists.
The
trio featured on this release is unusual, in that it consists of trombone,
piano and electric bass. German-born Florian Weber is on piano, while Romanian-born
Decebal Badila handles the bass. The session, recorded live at Cleveland’s
Nighttown Jazz Club, contains three Great American Songbook standards (“The
Days of Wine and Roses,” “Autumn Leaves” and “Some Day My Prince Will Come”),
two jazz standards (“Bags’ Groove” and “Saint Thomas”) and one original by
Whigham.
The
trio sound is unique: definitely not what most folks are accustomed to hearing.
Part of that is the instrumentation: The electric bass isn’t as “full” as an
upright, and there’s no drummer to help fill in the “bottom.” Additionally, the
musicians’ overall style shows a noticeably modern European influence: smooth
and “clean,” and not as loose or swinging as many American talents.
All
that said, “different” is no less enjoyable. Whigham’s trio delivers an
impressive album, and one that deserves placement in your library.
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