On their third CD, Sacred Chrome Orb, the Joe Fiedler Trio has developed an expansive language all their own. Fiedler is an inventive trombonist whose talents have found him founding the eccentric brass band Big Sackbut, working with visionary leaders Andrew Hill, Lee Konitz and Maria Schneider and avant-garde giants Anthony Braxton and Cecil Taylor; in big bands led by Satoko Fujii and Charles Tolliver; a member of the Captain Beefheart tribute band Fast and Bulbous; or accompanying pop stars like Jennifer Lopez and Wyclef Jean. His compositions thus draw on a wealth of diverse sources and experiences, but nothing has been more inspiring, he insists, than his bandmates themselves. In bassist John Hebert and drummer Michael Sarin, he has found two highly individual voices who meld into a chameleonic unit, able to morph from the airy to the explosive with supple, surprising grace. The uncommon trombone/bass/drums line-up was inspired by similar trios led by Albert Mangelsdorff (to whom Fiedler paid tribute on the trios 2006 debut) and Ray Anderson. But despite surface similarities, Fiedler, Hebert and Sarin have evolved their own unmistakable slant on that tradition, which the leader was keen to showcase on this new release. The trio has matured nicely, Fiedler says, and has something strong to say.