John Fedchock

Live at the Red Sea Jazz FestivalCapri ***

Trombonist and composer Fedchock’s sextet – Scott Wendholt (trumpet/flugelhorn), Walt Weiskopf (tenor), Allen Farnham (piano), David Finck (bass) and Dave Ratajczac (drums) – comes from the New York big band he has long led. His deftly arranged originals are executed with the elan of a working unit, and the solos, with Weiskopf’s perhaps the best constructed of all, are fiery, powerful, swinging and packed with incident. With Fedchock a virtuoso and the others not far off, they’re awesome musicians who can play anything. The Periodic Table? Algebraic equations? Rorschach blots?

No bother. So, respect. If the stunning skill seems at times a tad overwhelming, that's the cultural DNA of the Big Apple's jazz, an undeniable virtue to be saluted even if one wishes for just a hint of a certain je ne sais quoi.But live, the band must be quite an experience. See caprirecords.com