Conrad Herwig - Reflections-Facing South (2025)

Posted By: Fizzpop

Date: Aug. 26, 2025

In March 2024, I spoke with bassist, composer, and educator Luques Curtis about his longtime mentor, Eddie Palmieri—whom he affectionately called a “surrogate grandfather.” Palmieri had just withdrawn from a scheduled run at the Blue Note. His health was faltering, but the fire in his voice and the determination in his spirit were undiminished. He spoke with the same spark that had carried him across decades of bandstands, eager to return to performing and animated by the promise of new music.

Two projects were in motion: an intimate duo recording with Curtis, still awaiting release, and Reflections Facing South (Savant Records), a trio session with trombonist Conrad Herwig, Curtis on bass, and Palmieri at the piano. Scheduled for an August 29 release on Savant, the album has now taken on a gravity its creators never could have imagined. On August 6, Palmieri—the most influential artist of my generation by far—passed away. By sheer circumstance, Reflections Facing South has become not only a continuation of his prolific journey but also one of its final chapters. It is a challenging listen, weighed down by loss, but also a necessary one.

Herwig frames the project in deeply personal terms: “Eddie and I aren’t spring chickens. This is basically a reflection of a lifetime of work. And there are a lot of reflections here—of jazz, of salsa, of Afro-Cuban, Afro-Caribbean, and South America. We were born a generation apart, but we both grew up when an album was like a work of art to be shaped and sculpted. This is my album—it was my idea, and I twisted everybody’s arm to do it. But Eddie never does anything without playing a huge role in shaping it into something beautiful.”

TRACKLIST

1. Conrad Herwig - Bianco's Waltz
2. Conrad Herwig - C'mon (Mi Guajira)
3. Conrad Herwig - Que Viva Barry
4. Conrad Herwig - Reflections-Facing South
5. Conrad Herwig - Listen Lady
6. Conrad Herwig - Augmented Blues
7. Conrad Herwig - Cuando se Habla de Amor
8. Conrad Herwig - Monica
9. Conrad Herwig - El Guerrero Solitario

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