Not a Novelty

SSC1612 2021-04-23

Track List

BonGasmo - 4:47
Face Value - 6:16
Ice Fall - 6:39
Blue Salt - 7:41
Union Blues - 5:48
Twinkle - 5:56
Manta Rays - 9:54
La otra mano - 5:35
Little Cupcake - 7:43
The Day I Tried to Live (feat. Kurt Elling) - 6:07

Musicians

John Fedchock - trombone
Nate Mayland - trombone
Alan Ferber - trombone
Jennifer Wharton - bass - trombone
Michael Eckroth - piano, fender rhodes
Evan Gregor - bass
Don Peretz - drums
Samuel Torres - percussion
Kurt Elling - voice

Bass trombonist Jennifer Wharton might be considered by many as a unicorn in the world of music. In decades from the not-too-distant past, it was a rarity to even have a woman in prominent jazz bands and orchestras, but to have a bass trombone-slinging woman as leader was thought extraordinary. In efforts to highlight her perceived position as a rara avis, Wharton took it upon herself to not only raise the profile of women instrumentalists but also that of her chosen horn (and its smaller cousins). // In 2019, Wharton presented her trombone-powered ensemble, Bonegasm, via its self-titled debut album. Wharton enlisted fellow trombonists John Fedchock, Nate Mayland and Alan Ferber, along with the rhythm section of pianist Michael Eckroth, bassist Evan Gregor and drummer Don Peretz. // The overwhelming response to Bonegasm’s music was astounding, cementing Wharton’s assertion that this assemblage was no flash in the pan but an important exponent of shaping the trombone’s primacy in jazz music. Bonegasm’s new recording, Not a Novelty, wears its intentions on its sleeve, or perhaps more appropriately, tattooed on its arm.