Maxine Troglauer plays the bass trombone — an unusual choice compared to the tenor trombone she started out on. She stuck with it thanks to her early involvement in ensembles such as the German National Youth Orchestra and the German Jazz Orchestra. In 2021, she completed her master’s degree with New York–based bass trombonist David Taylor. These days, Troglauer is attracting plenty of attention in the cultural press — occasionally accompanied by somewhat patronizing projections. Because she’s nonchalantly staking her claim in what’s often considered a male-dominated field. Because she’s on a mission to raise awareness of her instrument’s unique qualities. And because she refuses to acknowledge boundaries between classical music, jazz and contemporary composition.
The album Troglauer recorded at Cologne’s chamber music hall — together with her bandmates and special guest Peter Evans on trumpet — is as versatile as her résumé. The opener Prelude features only her trombone. On the following track Cantus Firmus, double bassist Robert Lucaciu lays down a minimalist framework for her playing — sometimes tentative, sometimes bold. Bit by bit, pianist Julius Windisch, drummer Wouter Kühne and Evans join in, building toward the centerpiece of the album: Hymn, a title track that begins bursting with jazz energy before easing into a more elegiac tone. One by one, the players bow out again. Troglauer is left alone — and proves that she has plenty to say about the sound of her instrument, which all too often remains in the background.
Hymn
