(Post-Bop, Modern Creative) Monika Herzig - Sheroes - 2018, MP3, 320 kbps

The jazz supergroup of the year is right here – SHEroes, convened by pianist-composer Monika Herzig for a second recording by distinguished improvising virtuosos who are all, not just incidentally, women. Monika's deft, always supportive pianism and her warm, joyous, practical sensibility marks every tune with SHEroes. Each song is engaging, the playing accomplished and inspiring.
One could argue that there is no better time than now to release this remarkable recording. Sheroes, brought together by pianist/composer Monika Herzig, features an international cast of virtuous players—all women, all first-call talents—including Reut Regev (trombone, Israel), Jennifer Vincent (trumpet, USA) Jamie Baum (flute, USA), Leni Stern (guitar, Germany/US), and drummer Rosa Avila (Mexico). Others, including Jennifer Vincent on bass, Mayra Casales on percussion and trumpeter Ingrid Jensen—round out the theme as well as the serious pedigree. Herzig does much of the writing, but Regev, Baum, and Stern all contribute compositions, alongside a few covers, including “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “House of the Rising Sun." Together, on this second recording, they are, in the broadest sense, a model of empowerment. As an ensemble, they stand unequivocally as a musical force, with deftness, invention, enthusiasm and ambition. This is an album full of extraordinary stuff that deserves your attention.