Fernando Huergo Big Band

Relentless

Whaling City Sound

Bassist and composer Fernando Huergo leads his 18-piece big band on Relentless, a set of compositions inspired by Luke Mogelson’s article in the New Yorker, titled “Relentless Absurdity.” These pieces reflect not only the absurdity of war but societal struggles, oppression, discrimination, and environmental challenges. Huergo aims to engender hope and compassion. He feels strongly as stated in the liners that we need art to lift our spirits. While this multi-cultural band is populated by Latin and non-Latin players, it is mostly hard bop oriented and has a greater ‘big band’ feel than a distinctly Latin one. This is not salsa music of the Eddie Palmieri variety. Hergo wrote ten of these eleven, with “Deluge” owing to Wayne Shorter. The leader arranged all eleven for this project that runs close to eighty minutes.

Most tunes is hard-hitting, beginning with the opening “Consciousness of Reality” which features strong ensemble passages spiked with blistering solos from trumpeter Billy Buss and tenorist Rick DiMuzio. True to the album title, the intensity never wanes here. In one that arguably deviates from the overall theme, Huergo pays tribute to Ornette Coleman’s tricky angularity in “Ornette,” one that he leads as the first soloist, followed by altoist Allan Chase, trombonist Chris Gagne, baritone saxophonist Daniel Ian Smith, and the drummer, Gen Yoshimura, who is remarkably forceful throughout, more than deserving of his own spot. Co-producer and flutist Yulia Musayelyan takes the lead on the flowing, cinematically gorgeous “Vidalita” and is also one of three soloists on “Blues Sureno,” both nods to two who do not appear on the album, percussionist Minino Garay and composer Guillermo Klein. Obviously, the Latin tinges emerge most directly on these.

The sweeping “Panorama” is a mid-tempo piece with swelling ensemble parts and is rife with spots from bass trombonist Andy Garcia, tenorist Joel Springer, trumpeter Greg Hopkins, pianist Santiago Bosch, and conquero Ernesto Diaz. “La Via Sigue” (“Life Goes On’) is about the pandemic. Huergo justifiably feels that we have not fully processed that period yet. We just picked up and resumed our normal activities without adequate reflection. Melancholy strains mix with more hopeful ones here as delivered individually by Hopkins and the leader. Even though unlisted as a soloist the flutist Musayelyan’s prominence contributes to the pensive threads that run through the piece and yet she brightens the robust, swinging title track along with the pianist, altoist Rick Stone, and trumpeter Buss.

Shorter’s “Deluge” is from his Blue Note album Juju. As the undulating piece goes through several changes, some newer soloists enter the fray such as trombonist Randy Pingrey, tenorist Rick DiMuzio, and trumpeter Jeff Claasen along with Bosch, Yoshimura, and Diaz. “Modernities” is a triumphant, powerful one like the opener with Pingrey and trumpeter Dan Rosenthal stepping forward. One of the most poignant pieces, “The Illusion of Hope,” is an elegy for fallen Russian protester Alexey Navalny, delivered emotively by the band and its lone soloist, altoist Chase. Like the best arrangers Huergo finds individual spots for seventeen of the eighteen musicians throughout the project. Let’s hope that trombonist Jason Camello doesn’t feel left out.  In a bit of symmetry closer “Groove Odds” packs that hammer-like punch of the opener as DiMuzio, Stone, and Yoshimura build it to a massive crescendo and the abrupt exit.

“Relentless” is a more than apropos title. This is as powerful a big band sound as any heard recently. As designed, it should lift your spirits.

Personnel:  Leader, bass – Fernanda Huergo, Trumpets – Jeff Claasen, Billy Buss, Dan Rosenthal, Greg Hopkins, Trombones – Randy Pingrey, Chris Gagne, Jason Camello, Bass Trombone – Andy Garcia, Flute – Yulia Musayelyan, Alto Sax – Rick Stone, Allan Chase, Tenor Sax – Rick DiMuzio, Joel Springer, Baritone Sax – Daniel Ian Smith, Piano -Santiago Bosch, Drums – Gen Yoshimura, Congas – Ernesto Diaz

• Jim Hynes

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