Customer Reviews

Trombone Heaven, Vancouver, 1978

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This is another gem from the vaults that will enrich a lot of precious Jazz collections like mine. I love Frank. Not that I don't consider Fontana. But I'm a Frank fan and I love this album from Uptown because it's another recording of his and another discovery of his past. The period is the seventies and the occasion is a concert he did in those days together wil Carl Fontana, another jazz legend and virtuoso of the instrument (so this is a LIVE recording). The rhythmn section is not made of particularly famous cats, but the guys played properly behind two greats that of course stole them the scene. It was their evening in the end. The program is based on common standards and Jazz originals all strechted out for more than ten minutes each. The evening opens with a ballad medley, Frank is on top of "Here's that rainy day", Carl takes the lead on "Stardust". You can appreciate the differences in their styles from this very first tune. I prefer Frank of course, but, well, my taste. Then a fast Thelonious Monk tune follows, a Frank old love, "Well you needn't", a tune he played a lot of times in his career. A tricky tune based on an alternation between two seven dominant chords and different dominant sevens runs in the bridge. A really challenging tune that the two play effortlessly. "All blues" is a Miles Davis blues in 6/8 time. Here the guys take it at relatively fast tempo. Then the program goes on with some standards, a fast "Just friends", the ballad medley "Laura/Embraceable you" and a at last the Dizzie Gillespie's tune "Ow" again a speeder. What can I say? If you love Frank you have to own this, the recording quality is ok and the music is great. Frank is in top form. If you don't know Frank or Fontana I can say that this is a great Jazz concert with two greats that interplay and challenge each other like few could do. It is not an essential album if you're only trying to own a decent Jazz collection. It is a great album instead for Frank lovers and Jazz enthusiasts that want to own those special unknown albums that are gems and that represent important chapters in the history of our music. The booklet is very well done and give us insights about Frank and Carl's lifes in their time to understand how they were as persons not only as top musicians. The title of this review refers to a phrase that is written inside the booklet regardin Frank's tragic end and his difficult personality.

I've just received my copy of this CD on Uptown Records, a live recording from the summer of 1978 in Vancouver. For me this disc captures two of my favorite high priests of the bone truly having fun together - really stretching and taking risks not usually associated with most studio recordings, feeding off of each other, cheering each other, and at the peak of their individual powers. The R section is good, not incredible, but a solid Vancouver-based unit at the time.

There are 80 minutes of solid Frank and Carl - no bs or filler.

There are also some very good liner notes by Kirk Silsbee and some action photos of the two heavies together.....good quotes from guys like Watrous, Gil Falco, Bill Trujillo, Frank Strazerri, Jake Hanna....

If you dig Frank and/or Carl, this is a must buy.

If you haven't heard either one, this is a must buy.

If you dig jazz bone, this is a..........you get the idea.

Go groove,

Chip Tingle
NorCal freelance bones and low brass
[...]

It's hard to believe that at one time the two most popular musicians in America were trombone players (Miller and Dorsey). Since then the instrument has seen giant strides in the proficiency of its players yet been treated by the public as though it were an accordion or tonette. The attitude is that it's fine for parades or Dixieland tailgating but not to be taken more seriously. The only two exceptions I can think of at present are Steve Turre and Robin Eubanks, fine players who still occasionally manage to put out a CD under their own names.

But it's doubtful that any player will equal let alone surpass (Bill Watrous perhaps is closest) Rosolino and Fontana. Who knows what happened to Rosolino at the end? It may have been extraordinarily complex or as simple as the unbearable pain experienced by a peerless but poverty-line musician having to face the prospect of being unable to support his family barring acceptance of a minimum-wage factory job. All I know is that I'm not going to judge the man let alone the artist based on his incomprehensible moment of insanity (though it prompts me to increase my donations to the Brady fund).

Fontana is even scarcer on record that Rosolino. Yet I recall having a conversation with a major, high-profile trombone player (Phil Wilson) back in 1973 when he expressed his admiration of Carl Fontana above the others. Never has a listener had a better chance to compare the two, as well as appreciate the work of either player, than on this continually absorbing, even headshaking, display by both players. No arrangements--except the "extemporary" ones worked out during the course of play. (You can hear the two communicating verbally as well as musically.) To my ears, Rosolino is the flashier of the two; Fontana is crisper and cleaner, yet full of surprises and clever quotes. Rosolino integrates his slide more completely into the production of sound and rhythm; Fontana relies on what must be the fastest tongue possessed by a human being. Like some of today's tenor players whose altissimo register is so unlimited that the alto saxophone seems gratuitous, both Rosolino and Fontana take the instrument into areas previously thought to be the trumpet's sole domain.

I still love Teagarden, Lawrence Brown, Al Grey, and I consider J.J. Johnson the Miles Davis of the instrument. But these are the two guys who took the instrument to yet another level. I have yet to hear anyone capable of following them.

I've always felt that four jazz trombonists stand above all others in a class by themselves: Urbie Green, Bill Watrous, and the two gentlemen on this recording. All of them have had amazingly productive careers as soloists and sidemen; all have inspired generations of players with their impeccable technique and style.
This album treats us to 79 minutes of unrestrained improvisation by Rosolino, Fontana, and a fine Vancouver-based rhythm section. The moods range from beautifully interpreted ballads ("Here's That Rainy Day," "Stardust," "Laura," and "Embraceable You") to brisk tempos that give these slide wizards plenty of room to show off (Thelonious Monk's "Well, You Needn't," "Just Friends," and Dizzy Gillespie's "Ow"). These tracks set the gold standard for trombone jams.
The enclosed booklet has extensive liner notes that give a concise professional history of the two trombonists and some insight into their personalities. Fans of Rosolino will note that this set was recorded about three months before his untimely death.
The only flaws of this album are minor ones that can be expected from recordings of live performances. The balance isn't always perfect (sometimes the piano is too far in the background) and during "All Blues" you can hear the trombonists having a conversation while the piano is soloing. Despite these criticisms, this is a must-have CD for fans of these late, great artists and for jazz trombone enthusiasts in general.

Hard to believe that a few months later Frank Rosolino would take his own life, and the jazz world would lose one of the greatest virtuosos of his instrument. For any jazz trombonist, this is surely "Trombone Heaven." Great selections with inspiring and inventive solos. I've always loved Frank's playing from hearing him in his early years with Stan Kenton.

TROMBONE HEAVEN...Frank Rosolino & Carl Fontana...A rare recording of these two giants of the trombone performing together in 1978 on the second night of a two night gig in Vancouver. With a very talented local rhythm section these two romp through 6 tunes, 79 minutes of great jazz....The liner notes are extraordinary in that the information is more an essay on the history/background of these two players as well as a discussion of the differences in their trombone technique. This is a "must have" for all trombone players and anyone else interested in hearing a great evening of jazz....they are no longer with us but we do have this recording........they are sorely missed.....

I first became interested in Stan Kenton in 1955 and was lucky enough to see the band on it first British tour in 1956. Amongst that band on trombone was Carl Fontana who's two features were 'Polka dots and moonbeams' and 'Carl'. Unfortunately I was not old enough to see the Kenton band in 1953 when it came to Dublin (the band was not allowed to come to England because of a ban by the Musicians' Union) and when amongst its ranks was Frank Rosolino on trombone.This has always been my greatest regret as I consider him to be the finest exponent ever of that instrument and I never had another chance of seeing him. This CD however almost compensates for that bacause Carl runs Frank a very close second and to have them playing together and bouncing ideas off and inspiring each other does constitute (to me) 'Trombone Heaven'

I really don't know what to say about this CD, other than that it's top notch. Frank and Carl of course are two of the top bone players of the bebop era (up there with J.J., Kai, and Urbie), and their ensemble is killer too. Torban Oxbol, of whom I have never heard reference in any way, absolutely screams on bass. Ursan is pretty good on the drums, though I'm going to have to scrutinize a bit more to figure out just how much I like everything he does (he certainly doesn't detract though). Elmer Gill is a fine pianist, though again I'd never heard of him.

I think my favorite chart on the album is All Blues. I guess I'm just a sucker for blues charts. The others are great too. The four ballads all sing (there's two medley tracks of two ballads each), and the faster ones swing...that's what jazz is meant to do.

These guys really get it. It's definitely required listening for all jazz bones, but any jazzer will appreciate it.

Rosolino and Fontana are the two greatest trombone players ever. Here they
are side by side. Slide by slide. Wonderful!

Wow, what a fabulous concert recording of Frank Rosolino and Carl Fontana! This was not a rare experience since they enjoyed each other as friends which certainly enhanced how well they meshed as a t-bone team. Frank proves that he very well could be the best jazz musician who ever picked up the trombone. The only thing I wished this CD would have added was some of the live conversation and joking Frank was famous for. I have all of Frank's recordings. I think this is his best!