You don't encounter a lot of trombone-centric fusion dates these days. But then again, you also don't encounter too many musicians like Steve Wiest, the unabashedly enthusiastic veteran trombonist fronting this project. He's a true polymath, respected as a performer, educator, science fiction author, cartoonist, and composer-arranger. But he also clearly knows how to let rip and have a good time. That much is made clear on this powerful date.

The High Road was born out of a change of professional circumstances and scenery. After spending more than two decades in Texas, where he first established his sterling reputation as an educator and later directed the world-renowned One O'Clock Lab Band at The University of North Texas, Wiest accepted a teaching position at The University of Denver's Lamont School of Music and relocated to the Colorado Front Range. The new homestead inspired him to put together the wryly spelled Phr?ntrange, a fiery and feisty outfit that simply uses fun as its credo.

Wiest's dead serious skills are counterbalanced here with his humor and good-natured personality. He proves to be a commanding soloist, ably traversing the tricky ground that he himself laid out on these hip and incendiary charts, but his strong statements are often spiked with levity. It's that willingness to don the mask of the warrior and the garb of the humorist that makes for such an appealing mix on this album.

The majority of these seven pieces—five Wiest originals along with his takes on