Joe Fiedler - Will Be Fire (2023)

A highly adventurous and inventive trombonist, Joe Fiedler is known for his engaging post-bop and modern creative jazz. Influenced by artists like Ray Anderson, Albert Mangelsdorff, and Carla Bley, as well as Knitting Factory bands like the Jazz Passengers and the Lounge Lizards, Fiedler often straddles the line between acoustic hard bop and more avant-garde styles, employing various techniques like multiphonics, mute-work, and free improvisation. Along with regular gigs with artists like Andrew Hill, Satoko Fujii, Maria Schneider, Chico O’Farrill, and others, Fiedler has released his own projects, including his 2007 trio album The Crab and the 2017 quintet album Like, Strange. He also leads the low brass ensemble Big Sackbut with trombonists Josh Roseman and Ryan Keberle and tuba player Marcus Rojas. Along with his performance work, Fiedler is the longtime music director for the children's television show Sesame Street, work he drew inspiration from for 2019's Open Sesame and 2021's Fuzzy and Blue. With 2022's The Howland Sessions, he offered his own solo tribute to Mangelsdorff's classic 1972 solo trombone performance at Munich's Jazz Now! Festival.

Born in 1965 in Pittsburgh, Fiedler initially started on the trumpet in fourth grade, but due to an overbite, switched to the trombone and its bigger mouthpiece within a few weeks. After high school, he studied at Allegheny College and the University of Pittsburgh before moving to New York City. There, he further honed his skills, taking private lessons with noted trombonists like Ray Anderson, Randy Purcell, and later, Conrad Herwig, all of whom he credits as helping develop his technical abilities on his chosen instrument. Following his move to New York, Fiedler began playing shows, leading his own groups, and developing a reputation as a first-call sideman. Over the years, he has played with a bevy of luminaries and ensembles, including Maria Schneider, Chico O'Farrill, the Mingus Big Band, Andrew Hill, Dafnis Prieto, Kenny Wheeler, Satoko Fujii, Miguel Zenón, and others. He also sought work outside the jazz idiom, playing gigs on the Latin circuit with Celia Cruz, Eddie Palmieri, Willie Colón, Ralph Irizarry, and more. As a leader, he debuted on 1998's 110 Bridge St., playing alongside reedist Ben Koen and drummer Ed Ware.

Following dates with Andrew Hill, Bobby Sanabria, and Olga Tanon, among others, Fiedler returned to his solo work with 2005's Plays the Music of Albert Mangelsdorff. A tribute to the late trombonist, the album found Fiedler putting his own spin on Mangelsdorff's compositions in a trio with bassist John Hebert and drummer Mark Ferber. Another trio album, The Crab, featuring bassist Herbert and drummer Michael Sarin, arrived in 2007. More sessions followed with Sanabria, Jason Lindner, and the Ed Palermo Big Band.

In 2011, Fiedler was back with his trio with Herbert and Sarin for Sacred Chrome Orb. A year later, he returned with Joe Fiedler's Big Sackbut, his debut album with his low brass ensemble featuring fellow trombonists Josh Roseman and Ryan Keberle, as well as tuba player Marcus Rojas. He then joined saxophonist Jon Irabagon and guitarist Todd Neufeld for 2017's In Formation Network. Also that year, he issued the quintet album Like, Strange with bassist Rob Jost, drummer Sarin, saxophonist Jeff Lederer, and guitarist Pete McCann. In 2019, he showcased his longtime work as a music director for the famed children's television program Sesame Street with Open Sesame. The album found Fiedler interpreting the music of many of the show's composers in a group with saxophonist Lederer, drummer Allison Miller, and bassist Chris Lightcap. The concert album Live in Graz arrived in 2020 and featured Fiedler's Sackbut group in a 2017 European tour performance, playing originals alongside compositions by Charles Mingus and Roswell Rudd. A second volume of Sesame Street songs, Fuzzy and Blue, appeared in 2021. A year later, Fiedler delivered the solo trombone album The Howland Sessions, a tribute to Albert Mangelsdorff's legendary first solo trombone performance at the Jazz Now! Festival in Munich in 1972. ~ Matt Collar