Jiggs Whigham - Hope (1977)

An excellent trombonist who has not received the attention that he is due, Jiggs Whigham is in top form on this 1976 studio session, accompanied by a top-notch band, including keyboardist Rob Franken, multi-reed player Ferdinand Povel, bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and drummer Grady Tate. Five of the album's eight tracks are originals by the leader, with the haunting ballad "Bodge" and the funky "Owa Tagu Siam (Oh What a Goose I Am)" (in which he plays through a King Multivider) standing out. Franken switches to an electric piano for a dreamy interpretation of the spiritual "Goin' Home." Initially issued by Pausa, this recommended release was finally reissued on CD by the German Mons label nearly two decades after its first appearance.

Review by Ken Dryden