In 2019 boundary-breaking trombonist Joe Fiedler released Open Sesame, packed with inventive jazz readings of material drawn from his longstanding "day job" as an Emmy-nominated music director and staff arranger for the famed children's show Sesame Street. The album gave long-time fans of the television show a chance to hear musicians reinterpret tunes that were part of their formative years, including "Rubber Duckie" and "Sing."
Fuzzy and Blue (Multiphonics Music), Fiedler's second volume of Sesame Street songs, shines still more light on the extraordinary wit and melodic gift of the foundational Sesame Street composers Joe Raposo and Jeffrey Moss, among others. The album boasts the same top-tier lineup as Open Sesame, with a couple of twists. Trumpeter Steven Bernstein, who played on only part of Open Sesame, now becomes an integral cog in a nimble three-horn section, expanding and varying the palette and allowing Fiedler to bring his seasoned orchestration skills to the foreground.
Reedman Jeff Lederer plays tenor and clarinet and relies more heavily on soprano sax this time out, helping achieve the ideal blend of colors and registers that Fiedler was seeking. Drummer Michael Sarin and bassist Sean Conly keep the rhythms locked and creatively churning, from the Dr. John/Professor Longhair vibe of "Fuzzy and Blue" to the reggae feel of "Elmo's Song" (by Tony Geiss), to the Hugh Masekela-inspired Afropop of "Ladybug's Picnic." The ensemble also gets a visit from vocal powerhouse Miles Griffith, the very model of a guest on Sesame Street, to provide fire for "I Am Somebody."
A native of Pittsburgh, Fiedler is an accomplished jazz improviser and bandleader with sideman credits including Andrew Hill, Charles Tolliver, Satoko Fujii, Eddie Palmieri, Celia Cruz and a host of others. In addition to his trio and other small-group lineups, Fielder leads the low-brass quartet Big Sackbut (three trombones & tuba), which has released the albums Big Sackbut, Sackbut Stomp and Live in Graz. He was nominated for an Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Music Direction and Composition in a Children's Series in 2013 and 2016. He plays lead trombone on the 2021 movie soundtrack album for Lin-Manuel Miranda's In the Heights, contributing horn orchestrations for five major numbers and underscoring cues as well.
Podcast 862 is my first talk with Joe Fielder since his visit in 2012, as we talk about his deep love and respect for the musicians and composers involved in Sesame Street, and how he and his bandmates find new and originals ways of interpreting the songbook. Musical selections from Fuzzy and Blue include the title track, "We Are All Earthlings," and "I Am Somebody."
