Michael Dease, widely admired as one of the world’s foremost jazz trombonists but rather less-known as an educator, dons his professorial garb on Spartan Strong, supervising a splendid session by a special corps of undergrads (and students in his trombone studio) who together comprise the MSU (Michigan State University) Jazz Trombones, 23 members in all when one counts Dease and the group’s half-dozen bass trombones.
Dease lets the students have full rein, soloing only twice (on Steve Turre’s smoothly walking “Groove Blues” and Oscar Pettiford’s fast-paced and dazzling closing theme, “Blues in the Closet”). There are brief respites from the trombone avalanche courtesy of guest artists Benny Benack III (who sings on the standard…
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Less than a year after her luscious solo debut, Pacífico Maravilla, 
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Minneapolis trio