MSU Jazz Trombones: Spartan Strong

I first heard Michael Dease live at Marsden Jazz Festival in 2017, alongside his fellow Rath artists Mark Nightingale and Dennis Rollins. This album, entitled Spartan Strong, is an incredible new addition to the on-going collection of new music for trombone ensemble. It features Dease in his role as a professor at Michigan State University (MSU), with the MSU Jazz Trombones, 17 players drawn from both the faculty and students.

We begin with the fierce opening number, Huesos Con Clave, which is a great up-beat Latin tune featuring some fabulous playing from across the band. I love how this track really shows off the capabilities of our wonderful instrument, from sound and range, advanced harmonic improvisation and technical proficiency. You can hear the personality and character of each soloist and they don't hold back! As a bass trombone player myself, it's so great to hear a jazz bass trombone solo, heard to great effect here. I think my favourite track has to be It Could Happen to You, featuring the smooth vocal talents of Benny Benack III. It swings incredibly, with real precision and attitude.
The shout chorus is my favourite moment, a 'scat' solo accompanied by mostly unison trombones with the occasional burst of harmony. Some really creative phrasing and badass playing on display here! It makes you want to
dance. - Richard Jones

I've long since been a fan of Dease's album Dease Bones for its showcase of the then up and coming trombonists of Dease's generation. It's a joy to hear Dease revisit the trombone ensemble on Spartan Strong whilst shining a light on today's up and coming jazz trombonists.

This album features some genuinely inventive arrangements played with no small amount of gusto and swagger by the trombonists of MSU. The result is an exhilarating listen that will put a smile on your face and leave you wondering what exactly the MSU canteen is feeding its students. - Matt Cooper

The first track Huesos Con Clave kicks off the album with a high energy feel, you can't help but tap your foot. The second track, Remembrance, is a beautiful piece that uses the warmer and sweeter side of trombone playing, a wonderful contrast to the first track. My personal favourite is Evidence. The use of dynamics, altered rhythm in the melody, and an excellent dreamy B-section gives this classic jazz standard a fresh makeover. However, once the soloing starts, the arrangement refers back to the original Evidence tempo and chord changes, keeping one foot in the tradition, with the other in the present. The final track is a burning tune called Blues in the Closet. [One of two tracks on the album arranged by BTS South East representative, Michael Pilley]. It features a brilliant soli section that uses many JJ Johnson inspired phrases. Overall, this album displays an incredible amount of top quality writing and arranging, with excellent solos all around. Dease is nuts! -James Wade-Sired

Reviewed by members of Five-a-Slide, the UK's premier young jazz trombone ensemble.