Live In Vienna

US-American trombonist Josh Roseman is one of the most astonishing individualists on the modern jazz scene. Voted # 1 rising star on his instrument (Down Beat), he is a much-in-demand sideman working for Dave Holland, Dave Douglas, Meshell Ndegeocello, Steve Coleman, John Zorn, Uri Caine, Charlie Hunter, Matthew Shipp and many others. As a bandleader, he likes to present projects that are thoroughly different not only from each other but also from everything else you've ever heard. Both his previous albums Cherry (a collection of rock covers done with a diabolic wit) and Treats for the Nightwalker (a futuristic, psychedelic acid-funk revelation) received highest acclaim and baffled enthusiasm. With New Constellations: Live in Vienna Roseman again takes an unexpected turn. He began developing his new ensemble after touring and recording with Tommy McCook, Roland Alphonso and the Skatalites in the tradition of ska mastermind (and trombonist) Don Drummond. Says Roseman: We traveled cross country and through Jamaica several times, worked at Studio One with Coxsone and many of the original musicians from that era. This meant long hours in a smoky van, with an endless soundtrack the entire time. So I was saturated in deep roots ska music before we hit the bandstand every night - archival tapes, unreleased tunes. However, the New Constellations are far from being just a reggae cover band. Beside their re-arrangements of Jamaican classics by the Skatalites, Paragons and Abyssinians, listen to their dub version of the Beatles' I Should Have Known Better as well as Roseman's own ambitious originals. Featuring three cutting-edge horn soloists (Roseman/Apfelbaum/Akinmusire) and using up-to-date electronics, computer technology and experimental forms, the New Constellations' music takes the ska material as a gateway into the future. On Live in Vienna, reggae roots turn into interstellar sound excursions.