Doug Scarborough - Color Of Angels (CD)

... Some of the most interesting, original music coming from anybody in a long, long time. - Bill Watrous. Composer/trombonist Doug Scarborough presents a compelling collection of new works, fusing music of the West - jazz, with overtones of classical and prog rock - and traditional Middle Eastern elements. Setting the stage with his 2015 release Bridges, where he introduced the trombone to the world as an instrument capable of expressively playing Arabic scales (maqamat), The Color of Angels is a riveting follow-up as he retains the dynamic core of collaborators, Jeremy Siskind on piano, bassist Damian Erskine, and engineer/producer Bob Stark, while adding the distinct voices of violin virtuoso Akram Abdulfattah, Mustafa Bozty on darbuka and the dynamic drummer, Reinhardt Melz. Possibly reminiscent of some recent projects by Nate Smith, Ibrahim Maalouf, or bassist Avishai Cohen, Scarborough's musical vision is exciting, surprising and cinematic in scope.