Critic Steve Loewy makes a cogent point in his liners to this new Clean Feed release. Why hasn’t Albert Mangelsdorff received posthumous laurels in the form of tributes? Peter Kowald pocketed a deserved slew after his passing. But the departed European dean of trombone multiphonics is still awaiting his due. Joe Fiedler’s lucidly titled Plays the Music of Albert Mangelsdorff is the first project to redress the oversight. Choosing nine choice compositions from the Mangelsdorffian songbook, a tome surprisingly not often cracked by peers over the years, Fielder, with bassist John Hebert and drummer Mark Ferber (dig the structural similarities of their surnames) delivers a survey that is at once deep and uncompromising and still decidedly accessible throughout, traits emblematic of the dedicatory maestro himself.
Fiedler takes an adage once avowed by Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis into practice, evincing plenary command of his brass from the start, especially when it comes to scorecard of tonal expressiveness. An even more impressive aspect is how effortless he makes it appear. “Wheat Song” opens with a menacing preface of growling multiphonics, but Fielder soon switches to slipping and gliding, working his lubricated slide to voice bold intervallic jumps. Hebert lays down a hulking funk-infused vamp, his bass strings assuming the weight of marble columns, and Ferber caulks the clefts with a bobbing flotilla of beats. Blessed with an everlastingly catchy African-influenced theme and a sense of slowly smoldering tension, “Now Jazz Ramwong” stands arguably as Mangelsdorff’s masterpiece. Fiedler does it every bit of justice, starting solemn and glissading into an eloquent solo alive with rhythmic virility. Ferber’s lissome sticks are wonder here too, barely grazing skins and cymbals much of the time and still conjuring a plush flying carpet of propulsive, yet unobtrusive patterns.
“An Ant Steps On An Elephant’s Toe” comes on like a representative of the Ray Anderson or Rebirth Brass Band repertoires and once again illustrates the breadth of the Mangelsdorff’s influence. Ferber locks on a tandem snare and cymbal break beat while Hebert traffics in bulbous pizzicato. Fiedler saunters on top, shaping a soulful serpentine line that originates from deep in the bowels of his bell. This one had me dancing a knee-popping, arm-windmilling jig around my listening room in synch with the contagious street band-style rhythms. More burrish muliphonics braid on the dour “Mayday Hymn” a tune that gives full license to Fiedler’s powers of circular breathing, a tone poem with funereal overtones.
“Lapwing,” “Zores Mores” and “Wart G’Schwind” amble ahead as a loose trilogy of groove cousins, the middle tune taking shape as a startling exercise in split tones. All three pieces open up lots of space for Herbert and Ferber to embrace heavy syncopations between flurried ‘bone breaks. The capper “Do Your Own Thing” consists of an extended unaccompanied improvisation. Fiedler shapes a rhythmically-rich monologue of punchy, textured phrases that segue from dry gutteralisms to gelid smooth notes and back. Memory of Mangelsdorff will likely never fade, but Fielder’s venture does salient service in bringing the German master’s oeuvre back into focus. It certainly prompted me to rifle through the collection and re-audition his sextet of albums on MPS. Hopefully others in the trombone fraternity will opt to follow suit and a Mangelsdorff renaissance will result.
~ Derek Taylor
Posted by derek on December 14, 2005 8:44 AMPart of the reason there haven't been more Manglesdorff tribute records or concerts is that very few trombonists can even come close to doing the things he did. He was special, and few of us could hang for a whole program of his music.
Posted by: Jeff Albert at December 28, 2005 7:17 PMThis makes a lot of sense & I hear you, but I can’t help feeling there are other folks out there who could do ol’ Albert proper justice. I’m thinking along the lines of: Lewis, Rutherford, the Bauer bros., Swell, etc. Maybe Dave Taylor?
Posted by: derek at December 28, 2005 8:00 PMI'd love to hear a Dave Taylor take on Mangelsdorff's music.
Posted by: Jeff Albert at December 29, 2005 8:31 AMderek - while a lot of the other guys you mentioned are likely capable of such a tribute, many of them are near-contemporaries of Mangelsdorff and highly original artists (who happen to play the t'bone) in their own right. George Lewis and Rutherford crossed paths (and slides!) with him in Globe Unity Orchestra, so one can reason that they were friendly w/each other....i guess the Bauer brothers come in a bit later ('70's). But that could have something to do with it - they're all heavily involved in their own highly original work.
Of course, being a contemporary with someone doesn't preclude doing a tribute session to 'em...so it might just happen later. In the USA Mangelsdorff was not well-known, so I'm quite happy to see that my fellow New Orleanian Jeff Albert (a damn good trombonist himself) has posted on this thread.
Hey Jeff, why don't YOU put together a Mangelsdorff tribute set? Hell, I'll help organized the gig. I'm sure you'd do a good 'un.
You know Rob, that sounds like it could be a good idea. I'll start practicing, and we can talk about it.
Posted by: Jeff Albert at January 1, 2006 3:32 PMCan anyone help me find recordings of Magelsdorff?
plhseng06@gmail.com
Posted by: Matt Schooff at April 19, 2006 3:20 PMWhy don't you try Googling? There are 76 pages on Mangelsdorff and you don't have to scroll down far to find ten albums currently available on Amazon. Took me precisely two minutes.
Posted by: Dan Warburton at April 19, 2006 10:23 PMYou misread, Dan - he's looking for the recorded works of Herbie "Fat Lip" Magelsdorff, a second-tier tubaist known to only a very few serious polka obsessives. Probably best known for his Kielbasa 'n' Kraut solo album from about 1968 or so, but I don't really recommend it to anyone here.
Posted by: pdf at April 20, 2006 11:58 AMmangelsdorff was a great trombonist.
however, i must chime as devil's advocate/the voice of modernism and beg people to stop churning out "tribute" albums. let your tribute be finding an original voice. we build on the innovations of masters, but we shouldn't remain in the shadows (or on the coat-tails) of them.
ww
from the contradiction dept: "tribute to takayanagi" was a record i made years ago to lampoon all these jazz tribute records. it's intent was very mean-spirited. that's the way i used to roll. i believe that i'm both more diplomatic and less reactionary than i used to be. it's somewhat easier to get gigs now.
Posted by: weasel walter at April 20, 2006 1:32 PMFound this over on Fred Jung's Fireside BBQ site:
Ingredients for approximately 8 servings
2 lb. Fresh Polish sausage
1-32 oz. Fresh sour kraut
1 cup apple sauce
1 cup of beer 1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon of whole caraway seed
2 teaspoon of ground caraway seed
1 large vadalia onion coarsely chopped 1/4 cup of vegetable oil
* Bake sausage in a shallow baking dish at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes. When cooled, slice into 2" pieces on an acute bias and hold
* In a large skillet saute the onion in the vegetable oil until soft & translucent.
* Add rest of ingredients except beer and simmer for 5 minutes.
* Add beer and remove from heat.
* Fold in the sausage and place in a large baking dish and bake at 350 degrees or 30 minutes uncovered.
Yum yum.
Listen carefully & you could still hear the screams of anger from Alan Cummings (was it?) who reviewed you Takayanagi tribute for the Wire, Weasel.
Weasel Walter Wrote:
"however, i must chime as devil's advocate/the voice of modernism and beg people to stop churning out "tribute" albums. let your tribute be finding an original voice. we build on the innovations of masters, but we shouldn't remain in the shadows (or on the coat-tails) of them."
Man. That's radical. Thnk G_d someone came around to drop this wisdom.
Posted by: Turd Blossom at April 21, 2006 8:04 AM.................................................. © 2003 - 2006 bagatellen ..................................................