JENS WENDELBOE ::: Crazy Energy Productions

Norwegian trombonist Jens Wendelboe, who loves to “get crazy” by exploring various Jazz formats and sounds from swing to funk, Jazz–rock to fusion, motors straight down the middle of the road on the first of these two discs by his Crazy Energy Quartet, playing, for the most part, songs from the archives of popular and Jazz standards in a sinuously fluent manner that comes closest, perhaps, among his contemporaries to Carl Fontana (or a lower–voiced Bill Watrous, one of whose compositions, the fiery “La Zorra,” is among the tastier items on the menu). After flexing their collective chops on tunes by Porter (“I Love You”), Kern (“All The Things You Are”), Victor Young (“My Foolish Heart”), Ellington (“Sentimental Mood”) and Isham Jones (“There Is No Greater Love”), the quartet wrap things up with a pair of bop classics by Parker (“Yardbird Suite,” “Confirmation”) and another by Rollins (“Oleo”). Earlier in the program, they scamper through Parker’s “Billie’s Bounce” and Toots Thieleman’s “Bluesette.” Tempos are brisk to stormy, with everyone pausing to breathe deeply only on “Sentimental Mood.” The group is sturdy, sharp and swinging, three good reasons (and there are more) to prescribe Crazy Energy to any Jazz enthusiast. While the music on Get Crazy! is less well–known (nine originals by members of the quartet), the temperament is the same — solid, straight–ahead nothing–here–that–can–harm–you modern Jazz of the highest caliber, played with such dexterity and warmth that one scarcely misses the more familiar standards. In fact, the tunes are so charmingly well–upholstered that they call to mind some of the excellent albums produced some years ago by the late trombonist/educator Ashley Alexander, which is high praise indeed. Five of the compositions are by Wendelboe, two each by bassist Frode Berg and pianist/organist Roy Temple Powell who sits in for Torge Railo as the only member of the group not on the earlier date. While both pianists are admirable, I was especially drawn to Powell who evidently has listened to and learned from another well–known pianist by that name. Berg is a marvelous bassist/composer (the haunting ballad “Your Song” and bustling “Decaffeinado” are his) and drummer Erik Smith, the only one in the quartet who doesn’t compose (at least not for this session) is no less indispensable in every other way. He’s especially impressive introducing “Fast Slide,” which closes the date on an uproarious note (or, more accurately, avalanche of notes). Another awesome trombone session in the Rosolino/Fontana/Watrous lineage, and easily recommended. Track listing: Crazy Energy — I Love You; All the Things You Are; Billie’s Bounce; My Foolish Heart; Bluesette; La Zorra; There Is No Greater Love; In a Sentimental Mood; Yardbird Suite; Confirmation; Oleo (52:18). Get Crazy! — Four Detectives; Ear Trumpet; What a Trip; Car Ride; Headlong; Your Song; Decaffeinado; Triplet Whisk; Fast Slide (56:47).

Personnel:
Crazy Energy— Jens Wendelboe, trombone; Torge Railo, piano; Frode Berg, bass; Erik Smith, drums.Get Crazy!— same, except Roy Temple Powell (piano, organ on “Triplet Whisk”) replaces Railo, and Berg plays electric guitar on “Decaffeinado.”
Style: Straight-Ahead/Mainstream/Bop/Hard Bop/Cool
Published: August 01, 1999
By: Jack Bowers

LOGOS - 2000 Years With Christ is a Cantate for choir, soloists, orchestra, rhythm and horn sections. The music is by Jens Wendelboe and the Lyrics by Martin Alfsen. The lyrics are inspired by and adapted from the Gospel of John. Kor-90, a choir from Gjovik, Norway commissioned Jens Wendelboe in 1999 to write this piece for the Jubileum Year - 2000. LOGOS is somewhat of a groundbreaker within the Cantate genre as it encompasses and embraces a wide range of music styles.

The Cantate had its premier concert in the Olympic Hall in Gjovik, Norway. This and all subsequent concerts have all been met with great reviews. Various movements from LOGOS were aired on NRK, the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, first on New Years Eve 99/00, and then again on a highly rated live entertainment program to raise funds for the Red Cross in August 2000. TV2, another national television corporation in Norway, produced LOGOS in its entirety and aired the enclosed program on the evening of April 14th, 2001. This time is commonly known as "Easter Eve" in Norway.

Jens, composer, arranger, conductor and trombonist is a highly regarded composer of jazz and symphonic music and has written music for numerous Norwegian television productions and 11 CDs. He lived in the United States in the early 1980's, then moved his base to Norway, and has just recently returned to reside in the United States. Among his more commercially known credits in the US is his work as Donna Summer's regular musical director from 1992-1995. Martin Alfsen, musician, producer, songwriter and choir director is a recognized name in Scandinavia's gospel and religious music circles. Resumes for both are enclosed.

From Oppland Arbeiderblad, " Jens Wendelboe has done it again. He has delivered an exciting piece of music, which playfully shifts between genres and takes ahold of the audience just when it is needed" and "The work which Jens Wendelboe has written is a great blend of musical styles which function impressively well together."

From Hamar Arbeiderblad, " Kor-90, Baerum Symphony Orchestra, the soloists…, and the skilled musicians who play in addition to the symphony orchestra have made a very listenable CD which can surely be used as inspiration to other choirs who seek to be both safe and a bit untraditional".

JENS WENDELBOE BIG BAND/NEW YORK BIG BAND
´Lone Attic/Letter from New York (Rosa)

These discs could well be subtitled "Jens Wendelboe: The Early Years", as both were recorded in the mid-´80s, the second as the (still relatively youthful) Norwegian-based trombonist/composer was completing work on a master´s degree in composition from the Manhattan School of Music. They may have been intended as LPs (the digital revolution was then in its embryonic stage) which would explain the relatively brief playing times (40:02, 48:36). Wendelboe´s compositions (he wrote and arranged everything on both discs) are good-humored and energetic, and he has a penchant for such "modern" contrivances as synthesizer and "electrified" instruments. Lest that be construed as negative, we should add that Wendelboe is an excellent writer whose compositions, whatever their character or tempo, are consistently lyrical and swinging. His Latinesque "Suite for Bjørn", which won an award in Norway as best composition for the year in which it was written, is plainly deserving of such an honor (in spite of guitarist Alnaes, irksome chalk-on-a-blackboard scraping). Also worthy of commendation on ´Lone Attic are the ballad "When You´re Gone" (featuring Wendelboe´s trombone), "Leddy Freddy" (a Latin showpiece for tenor saxophonist Riisnaes), the saucy "Timbuktu" (on which Alnaes sounds far more agreeable) and the closing "Duo" between pianist Iberg and alto saxophonist Bergli. Some better-known players (alto Kenny Garrett, baritone Roger Rosenberg, pianist Richard Sussman, drummer Steve Johns) are among the sidemen on Letter from New York, another exuberant session that opens with the fast-paced samba "222 E. 75 St." (featuring altos Garrett and Ed Jackson) whose tangy flavor personifies the Big Apple. "Flumpy", a sensuous ballad with solos by Sussman, Wendelboe and flugel Rogers, is followed by the tone poem "From Here to ´Jazz-Alive, and Back Again" and a flat-out burner, "Krønsch", with Rosenberg´s baritone and Mike Hall´s bass front and center. "J´ We Have No Bananas!", which derives its inspiration from a ´20s novelty tune, is no parody but a lovely bossa with solos by Wendelboe (on electric trombone) and flutist Lisa Lacross. "Banquers" is a spirited workout for the full ensemble, "Lunatuna II" a dark-hued ballad feature for tenor saxophonist Anders Paulsson. The dynamic brass passages on "Mordere" pave the way for flashing solos by Rogers and guitarist Bill Bickford before a brief quote from the "1812 Overture" leads to the marvelous finale, the 11-minute "Suite Animal", which blends elements of classical romanticism with mainstream Jazz in a dazzling tour de force for ensemble and soloists (Wendelboe, Sussman on DX-7, pianist Boko Suzuki). While he´s not well-known here in the States, Wendelboe shows clearly on these exemplary recordings that even by the mid-´80s he had earned a place near the head of the class among contemporary big-band composers and arrangers.

Track listing: ´Lone Attic - 76-77; Leddy Freddy; Günther Balade; Timbuktu; Cactus; When You´re Gone; Secret Name; Suite to Bjørn; Duo (40:02). Letter from New York - 222 E. 75 St.; Flumpy; From Here to "Jazz-Alive" and Back Again; Krønsch; J´ We Have No Bananas!; Banquers; Lunatuna II; Mordere & Røvere i Kardemommeby; Suite Animal (48:36).

Personnel: ´Lone Attic - Jens Wendelboe, trombone, leader; Christian Beck, Fred Nøddelund, Bernt Steen, Ole E. Atonsen, trumpets; Tore Nilsen, Harald Halvorsen, Drag Eriksen, Øyvind Westby, trombones; Johan Bergli, Arild Stav, alto sax; Knut Riisnaes, Odd Riisnaes, tenor sax; Vidar Johansen, baritone sax; Helge Iberg, piano, synthesizer; Tom E. Antonsen, bass; Frode Alnaes, guitar; Svein Christiansen, drums, percussion. Letter from New York - David Zalud, Jeff Folkens, Chris Rogers, Steve Jankowski, trumpet, flugelhorn; Chris Setter, Terry Nigrelly, Dave Graf, Jack Schatz, Jens Wendelboe, trombone; Ed Jackson, alto, soprano sax; Kenny Garrett, alto sax, flute; Anders Paulsson, tenor sax, clarinet; Bob Francischini, tenor sax; Roger Rosenberg, baritone sax, bass clarinet, flute; Richard Sussman, piano, DX-7; Bill Bickford, guitar; Mike Hall, acoustic, electric bass; Steve Johns, drums; Lisa Lacross, flute, piccolo flute; Erika Yamada, English horn, oboe; Dan Lochrie, clarinet; Boko Suzuki, piano; Amadin Rivera, go go bells, cabasa, whistle, queeker.
Reviews by Jack Bowers (www.allaboutjazz.com/)

Wendelboe, Jens/Letter from New York/Rosa 2/3 ½ stars (excellent)/1998/1. 222 E. 75^th Str.~7:13~Wendelboe, Jens 2. Flumpy~4:13~Wendelboe, Jens 3. From Here to “Jazz-alive” and Back Again~4:23~Wendelboe, Jens 4. Krønsch~2:59~Wendelboe, Jens 5. J, We Have No Bananas~5:00~Wendelboe, Jens 6. Banquesrs~2:27~Wendelboe, Jens 7. Lunatuna II~5:43~Wendelboe, Jens 8. Mordere Revere I Kademmeby~5:12~Wendelboe, Jens 9. Suite Animal~11:00~Wendelboe, Jens

Wendelboe, Jens/conductor/trombone/electric trombone/co-producer/mixing producer

Zalud, David/lead trumpet/flugelhorn, Folkens, Jeff/trumpet/flugelhorn, Rogers, Chris/trumpet/flugelhorn, Jankowski, Steve/trumpet/flugelhorn, Seiter, Chris/trombone, Nigrelly, Terry/trombone, Schatz, Jack/trombone, Jackson, Ed/alto saxophone/soprano saxophone, Garrett, Kenny/alto saxophone/flute, Paulsskon/tenor saxophone/clarinet, Farancischini, Bob/tenor saxophone, Rosenberg/baritone saxophone/bass clarinet/flute, Hall, Mike/acoustic bass/electric bass, Johns, Steven/drums, Sussman, Richard/piano, Bickford, Bill/guitar, Lacross, Lisa/flute/piccolo, Yamada, Erika/English hor/oboe, Lochrie, Dan/clarinet, Suzuki, Boko/piano, Rivera, Amadin/go go bells/cabasa/whistle/queeker, Rogers, Barry/recording producer, Fox, Berhard/recording engineer, Bøhn, Knut/additional engineer, Kazan, Georg/additional engineer, D’Agusto, Frank/additional engineer, Back, Maribeth/additional engineer, Cadley, Tomm/additional engineer, Juliano, Tom/engineer assistant, Konghaug, Jan Erik/mixing engineer, Schille, Mikkel/digital CD mastering, Vestøl, Fred/cover design, Hruza, Madia/cover design

At the time of its initial release, the talented jazz performer, Jens Wendelboe, was well known in his native Norway but virtually unknown on the other side of the Atlantic - so an album with Americans must have been an intriguing prospect. This one is subtitled (“featuring Kenny Garrett,”) which is a bit misleading as Garrett only solos on the first number, “222 E. 75 Str.” Other soloists include baritone saxophonist Roger Rosenberg, pianist Richard Sussman, and guitarist Bill Bickford. Wendelboe composed for the album in 1984 and 1985 while studying at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City – hence the title. He only improvises on a few tracks, though, which is a shame because, as usual, his thoughtful and exciting trombone solos complement his excellent writing skills. On “J, We Have No Bananas,” Wendelboe splits his solos between acoustic and amplified trombones, displaying a surprisingly accessible, experimental side on the latter. As to be expected, many of the pieces swing lustily, with Wendelboe’s signature brass and high volume ensemble work in the forefront. As a composer, Wendelboe layers sounds with hard-driving, tight playing, while exhibiting a characteristic exuberance and sense of humor. The pieces, while fully ensconced in the big band tradition, reflect his diverse training and interests, sometimes borrowing rhythms and motifs from rock and classical genres. Steven Loewy

JENS WENDELBOE BIG CRAZY ENERGY BAND
Volume 1/Volume 2

These releases by Norwegian trombonist Jens Wendelboe´s appropriately named Big Crazy Energy Band date from 1991/92, and they show again that while Wendelboe is an excellent Jazz composer/arranger, he is never one to take himself or the music too seriously, sprucing up his works with all manner of modern contrivances and conferring on them such highly descriptive names as "Fanfare and Punk (for the Monkey and the Monk)." There is some overlap, as Elisabeth Moberg sings "We Need Us All" on Volumes 1 and 2 (she´s also heard on "Take the Chance", Vol. 1, and "Seasons Wander", Vol. 2). Each disc contains an extended and charming three-part suite, and Wendelboe fashions an opulent arrangement of the hymn "Abide with Me" on Vol. 1 (written by William Henry Monk, who could be the Monk referred to in "Fanfare" and not Thelonious) to feature organist Christian Bugge Wesseltoft. Wendelboe solos sparingly, but shows his superior chops on "Husky Walk", "Free Fall" and "The Waiting Collapse" (Vol. 1) and "Over and Out", "Cayo Hueso" and "The Morning Bird" (Vol. 2). The band boasts a number of other respectable soloists including Wesseltoft, saxophonists Daniel Wilensky, Knut Riisnaes and Vidar Johansen, trumpeter Petter Kateraas and drummer Erik Smith (who anchors a nimble rhythm section). It´s hard to describe Wendelboe´s compositional approach except to say that it´s closer to Henry Threadgill, Lester Bowie or Maria Schneider than to Basie or Ellington, and always, as we said, laced with humor and surprise. While the titles of his suite on Vol. 1 ("Free Fall", "The Waiting Collapse", "The End") resonate with portents of gloom and doom, the music itself doesn´t convey such a somber point of view; on the contrary, it is, more often than not, conspicuously upbeat. "The End"is a funky shuffle that reminds one of something Bob Mintzer might have written (that is, until the tempo changes and guitarist Asbjørn Ruud lives up to his name with some screeching and irksome choruses). After that, it´s almost a relief when Moberg makes her entrance on the peaceful finale, "We Need Us All", Vol. 2 picks up where that one left off with Wendelboe´s composition, "Over and Out" (he seems to have a penchant for ominous-sounding song titles), which opens quietly before building to a thunderous climax, and the velvet-voiced Moberg´s alternate version of "We Need Us All" Wendelboe the composer is at his best sans gimmicks on the swinging "Cayo Hueso", which features his trombone and Wesseltoft again at the Hammond B-3, and the bustling "Crazy Place" recorded at the 1992 Molde International Jazz Festival to showcase guest tenor saxophonist Andy Middleton. Three-Winged Bird, the suite that closes Vol. 2 sketches three of our feathered friends, "The Morning Bird", "The Gliding Bird" and "The Boogie Woogie Bird" (with likable solos by Wendelboe and Wilensky on Part 1, Wesseltoft on piano on Part 2, tenor Johansen and drummer Smith on Part 3). For the open-minded listener, a savory banquet of enterprising big-band Jazz.

Track listing: Volume 1 - The Night of the 1990s; Fanfare and Punk; Abide with Me; Husky Walk 86 Degrees South; Take the Chance; Suite: Free Fall, The Waiting Collapse, The End; We Need Us All (54:34). Volume 2 - Over and Out; We Need Us All; Cayo Hueso; What a Crazy Place; Seasons Wander; Suite: The Three-Winged Bird (Morning Bird, Gliding Bird, Boogie Woogie Bird) (48:40).

Personnel: Volume 1 - Jens Wendelboe, conductor, composer, arranger, solo trombone; David Zalud, Petter Kateraas, Svein Gjermundrød, Jens Peter Antonsen, trumpet, flugelhorn; Anders Strengård, Harald Halvorsen, Helge Sunde, trombone; Øivind Westby, bass trombone; Johan Bergli, Georg Reiss, Knut Riisnaes, Vidar Johansen, Rolf Malm, saxes, flutes; Bugge Wesseltoft, keyboards; Asbørn Ruud, guitar; Bjørn Holta, electric bass; Erik Smith, drums; Frank Jakobsen, percussion. Volume 2 - same; add Andy Middleton, tenor saxophone, on "What a Crazy Place", "Boogie Woogie Bird".

Wendelboe, Jens/Big Crazy Energy Band/Nopa/Nrk 1001/1991/1991 04 22 - 1991 05 02/1. The Night of the 1990s~1:52~Wendelboe, Jens 2. Fanfare and Punk (for the Monkey and the Monk)~5:35~Wendelboe, Jens 3. Abide with Me~6:09~Monk, William Henry 4. Husky Walk 86° South~6:11~Wendelboe, Jens 5. Take the Chance~3:19~Wendelboe, Jens 6. Free Fall~8:05~Wendelboe, Jens 7. The Waiting Collapse~9:53~Wendelboe, Jens 8. The End~8:48~Wendelboe, Jens 9. We Need Us All~4:20~Wendelboe, Jens

Zalud, David/lead trumpet/flugelhorn, Kateraas, Petter/trumpet/flugelhorn, Gjermundrød, Svein/trumpet/flugelhorn, Antonsen, Jens Petter/trumpet/flugelhorn, Stengård, Anders/lead trombone, Halvorsen, Harald/trombone, Sunde, Helge/trombone, Westby, Øivind/trombone, Bergli, Johan/lead saxophone/flute, Reiss, Georg/saxophone/flute, Risnæs, Knut/saxophone/flute, Johansen, Vidar/saxophone/flute, Malm, Rolf/saxophone/flute, Wesseltoft, Bugge/keyboards, Ruud, Asbjørn/electric bass, Smith, Erik/drums, Jakobsen, Frank/percussion, Tørmoen, Erik/recording and mixing engineer, Dypvik, Arne Kristian/recording and mixing engineer, Wicklund, Erling/recording producer, Sterri, Bjørn/photos/cover design, Karlsen, Morten Berger/cover design

Wendelboe gets it right on this one, with a powerful version of his Crazy Energy Band showing off the talented trombonist’s writing skills for big jazz band. The Norwegian musicians navigate the tricky rhythms, contrapuntal melodies, and scorching lip-busters, accentuated by pop undercurrents, revealing the universal appeal of this art form. The upbeat mood masks some serious performances by a diverse range of soloists. Wendelboe wows with his acoustic trombone on “Husky Walk 86ْْ South” while amplifying it on “Free Fall,” and Asbjorn Ruud takes no prisoners on his electrifying guitar solo on “The End,” punctuated by thrusting brass. Not to be missed are the saxophone solos of Daniel Wilensky, who attractively straddles the worlds of pop and jazz. Many of the pieces sound original yet surprisingly American-influenced, with relatively little local nuance. The composer favors Kenton-esque walls of sound, with lots of brass, though, to be fair, not everything is brash and bombastic. The lovely closer “We Need Us All,” for example, with lyrics by Asborg Håmo, is gorgeously interpreted by Elizabeth Moberg. In an alternate universe, it is not inconceivable that this band might have been much better known internationally, but at least in its native Norway it was recognized for its consummate musicianship and hard-swinging vitality. Steven Loewy

Wendelboe, Jens/Big Crazy Energy Band, Vol. 2/NOPA/ NRK 1002/1991 04 22 – 1992 07 13/1994/3 ½ stars (excellent)/1. Over and Out~7:26~Wendelboe, Jens 2. We Need Us All~4:41~Wendelboe, Jens 3. Cayo Hueso~6:24~Wendelboe, Jens 4. What a Crazy Place~5:28~Wendelboe, Jens 5. Seasons Wander~4:23~Wendelboe, Jens 6. The Morning Bird~7:52~Wendelboe, Jens 7. The Gilding Bird~4:30~Wendelboe, Jens 8. The Boogie Woogie Bird~7:45~Wendelboe, Jens

Zalud, David/lead trumpet/flugelhorn, Kateraas, Petter/trumpet/flugelhorn, Gjermundrød, Svein/trumpet/flugelhorn, Antonsen, Jens Petter/trumpet/flugelhorn, Stengård, Anders/lead trombone, Halvorsen, Harald/trombone, Sunde, Helge/trombone, Westby, Øivind/trombone, Bergli, Johan/lead saxophone, Reiss, Georg/saxophone, Risnæs, Knut/saxophone, Johansen, Vidar/saxophone, Malm, Rolf/saxophone, Middleton, Andy/tenor saxophone, Wilensky, Daniel/alto saxophone/soprano saxophone, Wesseltoft, Bugge/keyboards, Ruud, Asbjørn/guitar/mixing co-producer, Holta, Bjørn/electric bass, Smith, Erik/drums, Jakobsen, Frank/percussion, Tørmoen, Erik/recording and mixing engineer, Dypvik, Arne Kristian/recording engineer, Wicklund, Erling/recording producer, Ravnaas, Per/recording engineer, Hellem, Terje/recording engineer, Moberg, Elisabeth/vocals

As good a sampling as you are likely to find of Wendelboe’s big band concept from the 1990s, this recording combines tracks from the session that produced the earlier volume in this series with two from a live club date in Oslo and two from the band’s appearance at the Molde International Jazz Festival. As to be expected, there is tight playing from this highly disciplined Norwegian group and broad-based writing from Wendelboe that ranges from light, commercial fare to hard core abstractions. Guest saxophonists Daniel Wilensky and Andy Middleton solo impressively on a few tracks (with the latter delivering a raucous blast on “What a Crazy Place”), although they are hardly “featured,” as described in the CD leaflet. Elisabeth Moberg sings luxuriously with deep emotion on the beautifully arranged “We Need us All,” and follows with an almost as compelling interpretation of the delicate “Seasons Wander.” After giving this one a few spins, you realize how versatile Wendelboe is, whether it is his splendid work on trombone (he takes a few solos here) or his writing, which covers the waterfront. Wendelboe is particularly effective when penning closely knit harmonies for the trombones, as he does, for example, on “The Morning Bird,” which is the first part of a three-part suite called “The Three-Winged Suite,” the other parts being “The Gilding Bird” and “The Boogie Woogie Suite,” which closes the album with an old-fashioned, hard-swinging, uplifting finale. Steven Loewy

Four Detectives / Ear Trumpet / What a Trip / Car Ride / Headlong / Your Song / Decaffeinado / Triplet Whisky / Fast Slide. 56:47.

JensWendleboe, tbn; RoyTemple Powell, p, org; Frode Berg, b, b g; Erik Smith,d. No'place of recording listed, October 19 and 20,1998. 2)

I Love You / All the Things You Are / Billie’s Bounce / My Foolish Heart / Blusette / La Zorra / There Is No Greater Love / In A Sentimental Mood/ Yardbird Suite / Confirmation / Oleo. 52:18.

Jens Wendleboe, tbn; Torge Railo, p; Frode Berg, b, b g; Erik Smith, d. No place or date of recording listed.

The duo of releases involving Norwegian trombonist Jens Wendelboe shows him to be a considerable talent as a trombonist, and as a leader, and more than a bit of a showman.

(1) The wild CD cover of this Oslo, Norwaybased quartet on Get Crazy! belies the fairly conventional results, though I must admit that the sparkling front and back photos of these fellows decked in semi-formal black garb in utterly silly poses piqued my interest, While Scandinavian Jazz is a surprisingly diverse lot, there remains a tendency to stereotype, and the first thing that comes to mind is the sort of bland atmospheric qualities that infuse some of the native music. It is a pleasant surprise to hear this delightful quartet, with trombone and rhythm, performing original compositions. Stylistically, this is very "American" sounding in that it is largely generic straight-ahead playing. As the only horn, Jens Wendelboe is the dominant performer and while he would fit in fine with the likes of Robin Eubanks, John Fedchock, A Rick Stepton, Tony Lada, and other mainstays of the modern Jazz trombone, Wendelboe's rough edged tone is just different enough to distinguish him as a unique personality. Solid meat 'n potatoes (are his game, with a forceful approach that is tempered somewhat on the slower numbers such as 'Your Song." Lest anyone question his talents, just hear him soar with fabulous emotional impact on the supercharged "Fast Slide" which closes the set: Wendelboe rips through the chords, evidencing solid technique and good range. The rhythm section, especially drummer Erik Smith, cooks a lusty brew, never missing a beat, providing more than ample support. While not a great album, it is a good one, and those who enjoy mainstream Jazz trombone will want to take this one for a spin.

(2) The first things to notice in comparing Crazy Energy to (1) are that the name of the group is slightly altered, there is a different pianist, and the album focuses on standards rather than original compositions. It is unclear which album was recorded first, as (2) lists no information, but white both albums are firmly planted in the modern mainstream, Jens Wendetboe's trombone bursts forth on Crazy Energy with palpable energy and a visceral excitement, giving it the edge. His selection of tunes is a good one: Three from Bird ("Billie's Bounce; '' "Yardbird Suite," and "Confirmation"), one by Bill Watrous ("La Zorra"), and one each by Duke / Ellington ("In a Sentimental Mood"), Sonny Rollins (“Oleo”), Cole Porter ("I Love You"), and several others. The majority are taken at a decent clip, though there is a good mix of tunes. Wendelboe is the dominant player, and he is right at home with the repertoire. The performance of familiar songs (makes it easier for the listener to pinpoint his playing, which is heavily influenced by J.J. Johhson without being derivative. Wendelboe blows confidently with a bit of blustery bravura, and he mostly sticks to the middle range of the horn, offering ah occasional growl (on Toots Thielemans' "Bluesette," for example) and a generally rough hewn edge. The trombonist compares well with some of the leading trombone icons of the American Jazz scene, and it is not difficult to imagine him rising to near the top of the pack if he resided in the States. As it is, he may not even make a mark due to the difficulty of a little-known musician getting recognized without the backing of a major label. But if you want to explore someone with whom you are likely to be unfamiliar but who blows a mean horn, you could check this out.

Critics and Reviews