Joe Fiedler Trio 2.0: Dragon Suite

Joe Fiedler steers this trio with the gusto of a trombone maestro who has gigged everywhere from Sesame Street's cheery lanes to prolific stints in the modern and free jazz realms. Guitarist Pete McCann and drummer join him Michael Sarin for a duo with pedigrees juicier than a medieval feast. McCann's strings have sung for heavyweights like Lee Konitz and Maria Schneider, his fingers weaving through jazz's tapestry with a knack for both finesse and fire. Sarin is a rhythm wizard—his sticks have sparred with avant-garde icons like Dave Douglas and Myra Melford.

Together they forge a trio that is sharp yet spry, like a dragon-riding jester who knows his way around a castle. Fiedler's trombone bellows and glides, sketching scales in the air while McCann's guitar snarls and shimmers, laying down chords like a blacksmith forging armor. Sarin's drums snap and thunder, hurling percussive sparks that keep the blaze roaring. The three-part suite unfolds like a fantasy yarn—less Lord of the Rings, more Dungeons & Dragons. Its sections shift from shadowy tension to brassy victory, proving the trio can spin a tale without lyrics.

"Bird Song" simmers with a sultry bite—Fiedler's peppery phrasings drip like molten gold as McCann's riffs smolder and roar amid perky unison lines and a few false endings. Yet "Dragon Suite -Be" lifts off with a breezy strut where the leader's warm tone guides the piece through a cheery and sinewy theme, tinted with off-centered time signatures. Here McCann's sprightly notes and distortion-laced soloing complement Fiedler's twirling and intense breakouts, showing trombones can prance despite their clunky reputation—think less lumbering ogre, more like a nimble elf.

"What Herb Said" is a brazen and tumultuous work, constructed with challenging time signatures, amped by the guitarist's stinging and hardcore punk-like leads. He literally terrorizes his guitar as Sarin's clickety rimshots, asymmetrical patterns and brisk solo assist with generating the dragon's ire. Moreover, Fiedler blows the roof down with his seemingly impossible speed and fury.

Dragon Suite shines through its mix of grit and glee. The trio boasts serious skill—Fiedler's tone growls and glows, McCann's guitar dances between raw and refined—but they play like they are having a blast. It is jazz as a rollicking quest, not a stuffy sermon. The sound pops too, every pluck and blast clear as a polished shield. If there is a flaw it is that it wraps up too fast. Joe Fiedler's Trio 2.0 delivers a fierce, fun and alive program with a dragon-sized spirit.