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Conrad Herwig’s Latin Side All-Star Band & Half Note Records celebrate second GRAMMY® nomination
Recognition marks 3rd overall GRAMMY nomination for versatile trombonist and educator.
LATIN SIDE OF WAYNE SHORTER RECEIVES NOD FOR BEST LATIN JAZZ ALBUM (Category 50).
Veteran trombonist’s recording with all-star septet continues to land on critics’ “Best of” 2008 lists including Downbeat (41/2 stars) and All About Jazz/NY.
NEW YORK - Conrad Herwig, the veteran and versatile trombonist and well-respected educator, received his third GRAMMY nomination overall and second in four years for Half Note Records when the selection committee named LATIN SIDE OF WAYNE SHORTER (HN-4535) among the “Best Latin Jazz Album” (Category 50) selections.
This is the latest accolade for Herwig - now a three-time GRAMMY nominee and professor of music at Rutgers University - who has issued 18 recordings under his own name and has performed with a wide array of well-respected musicians and groups including Frank Sinatra and the Mingus Big Band in a two decade-plus career. The trombonist continues to receive critical praise as the Latin Side All-Star Band enjoys a growing following around the world for its uncanny ability to create an innovative yet respectful and authentic approach that melds traditional jazz with an intelligent, fresh and keenly astute approach to Latin music.
The 51st Annual GRAMMY Award nominations were announced December 3 in Hollywood, Calif. The ceremony will be held Sunday, February 8, in Los Angeles at the Staples Center and will be broadcast live at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) on CBS-TV.
LATIN SIDE OF WAYNE SHORTER follows Sketches of Spain y Mas (HN4530) and Another Kind of Blue: The Latin Side of Miles Davis (HN4517), which was also nominated for a GRAMMY®. All three Half Note recordings capture the trombonist and his all-star septet along with a variety of special guest artists live at the Blue Note in New York. Herwig’s ongoing Latin adventure includes his first GRAMMY nomination nearly 15 years ago for Latin Side of John Coltrane (Astor Place) and a reprise of the iconic saxophonist’s music on Qué Viva Coltrane (Criss Cross 1254), which he released a decade later in 2006. The energetic Herwig and Half Note Records already have another “Latin Side” recording in the wings. Scheduled for release in late summer/fall 2009 is another live recording. On the upcoming recording Herwig & Co. - and some very special guests - delve into The Latin Side of Herbie Hancock.
On THE LATIN SIDE OF WAYNE SHORTER, which has been cited on both Downbeat Magazine’s and AllAboutJazz/NY’s “Best of 2008” lists, Herwig’s top-shelf band consists of baritone saxophonist Ronnie Cuber, pianist Luis Perdomo and a trio of long-time rhythm mates: bassist Ruben Rodriguez, drummer Robby Ameen and conguero/percussionist/vocalist Pedro Martinez. Two special guests augment the core group: Latin jazz giant, pianist Eddie Palmieri, and trumpeter Brian Lynch.
On this effort Herwig and company again lay out one sterling arrangement after another set within the Afro Cuban and Afro-Caribbean contexts as they tackle no fewer then eight of the great Wayne Shorter’s selections including “Ping Pong,” “Tom Thumb,” “El Gaucho,” “Night Dreamer,” “This is for Albert,” “Adam’s Apple,” “Masqualero” and “Footprints,” the saxophonist’s most-recorded composition. Writing in Downbeat where it received a 41/2 stars rating in the September 2008 issue, reviewer Fred Bouchard said in part, “Cut live at the Blue Note [in New York], Herwig’s churning charts flash teeth [as] his Latin Side compadres get the crowd howling to the raw earthy grit of hypnotic lines, dazzling ensemble [work] and all-out solos.”
It’s more obvious then ever that Conrad Herwig’s Latin Side All-Star Band keeps rolling along and gaining momentum. The seven-piece ensemble - loved by those-in-the-know aficionados and jazz novices alike - tours regularly and has appeared at international festivals including those located at: North Sea, Paris, San Javier (Spain), Tim (Brazil - Sao Paolo and Rio de Janiero) and Red Sea (Israel) as well as high-profile U.S.-based festivals such as Chicago Jazz Festival, Detroit Jazz Festival, Beantown Jazz Festival, Saratoga/Friehofer Jazz Festival, Litchfield Jazz Festival, Rochester (NY) Jazz Festival and San Francisco Jazz Festival.
posted January 22, 2009 at 11:43am
