Conrad Herwig's dazzling trombone chops and intelligent compositions make
Unseen Universe, his third Criss Cross release, a stirring success. His sextet can maneuver around tight corners and yet attack with the force of a band twice its size. With
Alex Sipiagin on trumpet,
Seamus Blake on tenor and soprano sax,
David Kikoski on piano, James Genus on bass, and
Jeff "Tain" Watts on drums,
Herwig can be sure of the group's ability to bring lushly orchestrated charts to life and improvise with sterling clarity and brilliance. Conceptually, with the title track and also with pieces called "The Tesseract," "From Another Dimension," "Triangle," and "The Magic Door,"
Herwig seems preoccupied with geometry and some of its metaphysical implications. Even as he draws heavily on the '60s Blue Note sound as established by figures like Joe Henderson and
Herbie Hancock,
Herwig stretches the limits of modern mainstream jazz with this all-original set. ~ David R. Adler