The great American trumpeter, flugelhorn player, and composer Herb Robertson passed away suddenly in December 2024, at the age of 73. His last European tour was in March 2024 in Germany with the long-standing German trio of vibes player Christopher Dell, double bass player Christian Ramond, and drummer Klaus Kugel. The double album Blue Transient documents a brilliant 85-minute free jazz set from this tour.
The trio of Dell, Ramond, and Kugel is known for its work with German clarinetist Theo Jörgensmann (who passed away early this month), as his quartet with American reed player Sabir Mateen, and recently as the Transatlantic five with fellow American trumpeter Nate Wooley and reed player Ken Vandermark (Transitions, Nemy, 2023). But the quartet with Robertson best distilled the complementary, strong qualities of both sides. It was presented
