Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Josh Roseman Unit: Treats for the Nightwalker

266

Josh Roseman Unit: Treats for the Nightwalker

By

Sign in to view read count
Josh Roseman Unit: Treats for the Nightwalker
Trombonist Josh Roseman keeps winning that "Talent Deserving Wider Recognition" poll by Downbeat Magazine (2000, '01, 02). Treats for the Nightwalker, his second recording as a leader, should knock him out of contention for that award. He should get a bunch of recognition for this set.

Treats for the Nightwalker is one of those uncategorizables: it's all over the place, with Roseman's sound drawing from seemingly everything he's heard. A member of the acclaimed Dave Holland Big Band, the trombonist has put together a sound that is orchestral in its scope, in no ordinary way. The sound of the Josh Roseman Unit exudes a turntablist's sensibiliy, funk grooves, M-Base tinges and more, stirred up with interludes of good old-fashioned straight ahead jazz.

Parallels: I find myself thinking of Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy, but where Bowie's group explored modern sounds with a classic organic instrumentation, Roseman brings electronics and clean grooves into the mix.

Roseman's trombone glows round and warm as he takes a short solo after an initial fanfare on the opener, "Sedate Remix." Fifteen musicians contribute, with Peter Apfelbaum's icy cold flute solo chilling things down over a wash of strings. A smooth groove, a meticulously mapped out cacophony. Another parallel: Miles Davis's work with Marcus Miller ' an underrated segment of the fusioneer's career. And of particular interest here (and we're still just talking about the opener) is a quartet of strings ' violinist Mark Feldman, violist Mat Maneri, cellists Dana Leong and Rufus Cappadocia ' that creates a pastel-streaked wash behind behind the wah-wahing guitars and trombone, the driving percussion, the Twilight Zone keyboard effects. A ten minute 21st century symphony.

The title tune includes the strings again, with Apfelbaum blowing a hot tenor this time out and the trombone/sax mix sounding as right as it gets. The atmosphere here feels dangerous, with a denseness of sound that makes me think of Phil Spector on a jazz kick.

A sprawling, many-faceted outing. It'll probably take a hundred spins to absorb it all. If it were a novel, you'd call it Dickensian (or better yet, Pynchon-esque) in its scope. This ambitious project succeeds in grand fashion.

Visit Josh Roseman at www.joshroseman.com

Track Listing

Organ Invocation; Sedate Remix. LDSN; Treats for teh Nightwalker; Are You There?; Long Day; Short Night; Meera; Prospect; Regression; Piano Outro.

Personnel

Josh Roseman
trombone

Josh Roseman: trombone; Peter Apfelbaum: tenor sax, flute, organ; Barney McCall: piano, keyboards, dub tactics; Ben Monder: guitar; Jon Maron: bass; Billy Kilson: drums; Special guests: Russell Gunn: trumpet, flugelhorn; Myron Walden: alto, flute; Chris Potter: saxophone; Jay Rodrigues: baritone, flute; Peck Allmond: trumpet, flute; Liberty Ellman: guitar; Adam Rogers: guitar; Patrice Blanchard: bass; J.T. Lewis: drums; Diego Voglino: drums; Ben Perosky: percussion; Daniel Moreno: percussion; Mark Feldman: violin; Mat Maneri: viola; Dan Leong: cello; Rufus Cappadocia: cello; Josh Camp: accordion.

Album information

Title: Treats for the Nightwalker | Year Released: 2003 | Record Label: Enja Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris
Candid
Sunny Five
Inside Colours Live
Julie Sassoon

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.