Conrad Herwig’s Latin Approach to Mingus

Cover of the album being discussed

As I have previously written, it took me some time to learn about Conrad Herwig’s “Latin Side of” series of recordings. As a result, I have written about only one of the albums in this series, The Latin Side of Horace Silver, which was definitely an enjoyable experience. However, at the end of this past September, Herwig released his latest album in the series. It was hard for me to resist adding The Latin Side of Mingus to my queue, since Charles Mingus is definitely one of my favorite jazzmen as both a bassist and a composer.

Depending on the size of the ensemble, Mingus compositions can pass with little difficulty as chamber music or orchestral music by other means. Playing trombone, Herwig leads a front line that cannot really be classified as symphonic but definitely goes beyond the usual band sound. He is joined on that front line by Randy Brecker on trumpet, Alex Sipiagin alternating between trumpet and flugelhorn, and Craig Handy on three instruments from the wind family, tenor saxophone, flute, and bass clarinet. Rhythm is provided by Bill O’Connell, alternating between piano and Fender Rhodes, Luques Curtis on bass, Robby Ameen on drums, and Camilo Molina on congas. One of Mingus’ more overtly political compositions, “No Dejes Que Pase Aqui” (don’t let it happen here), is framed with narration by Ruben Blades reflecting on the rise of the Nazis in Germany.

However, it is clear from his arrangements that Herwig is more focused on music than in politics. Nevertheless, it is interesting how he chose to set Blades’ narration with solo instruments, bringing all those distinctive voices into a chorus for the dark punch line of that narration. This is a case in which the focus may be on the music; but the music, in turn, is giving its own voice to the rhetoric of the text that Blades is delivering.

Personally, I think that Mingus was skilled enough as a composer to develop Latin arrangements of his own. Whether or not that is the case, Herwig can still put his own brand of uniqueness on Mingus compositions. I suspect that I shall draw upon the affordances of a digital platform to explore a few side-by-side (first Mingus then Herwig) approaches to listening. Most likely this will not be a matter of competition but, instead, an appreciation of how different points of view can sometimes be additive!