With a vibrant Hispanic community of more than 5 million people, the city of Los Angeles boasts many ways to celebrate Latin American music. No wonder that L.A. based Lawson Rollins is infected by this type of music. He consequently started his career last year with the Latin guitar fusion album Infinita.

His sophomore album Espirito he produced with Shahin Shahida (of the Persian-American World Music group Shahin & Sepehr) and Dominic Camardella (3rd Force, Ottmar Liebert). Lawson is supported by singer Flora Purim, percussionist Airto Moreira, violinist Charlie Bisharat, Afghan vocalist Humayun Khan (harmonium), Jeff Elliot (trumpet), Randy Tico (bass), and Dave Bryant (drums, percussion).

“I love the hybrid quality of World Music and how it allows for cross-cultural communication and exchange. The Spanish guitar is a true manifestation of the commingling of cultures with its ties to the Arabic oud, the Persian tar, even the Indian sitar, so drawing on those connections seems natural to me,” Rollins explains his new album. “We took a far-ranging musical journey with the players on Espirito. Near the end (of the record), we slide into the ether. The notes slow down and evaporate into silence, a prayerful conclusion to the album, a moment of thankfulness for the alchemy that took place between the musicians.”

On Rumba del Sol Lawson Rollins and Charlie Bisharat fight a strong Flamenco battle. I will never find out who is playing the notes quicker, anyway really impressing. Moonlight Samba presents a modest attitude and let the lovely melody flow. Flora Purim and Flora’s daughter Diana Booker refine the song with breathed words, although Lawson’s powerful acoustic guitar takes the lead.

Continue reading Lawson Rollins – Espirito

El latin jazz goza hoy de muy buena salud no solo gracias a los músicos que lo practican sino tambien gracias a los entusiastas que los siguen. Y es que el latin jazz es sinónimo de alegría. Despertarte, ver lucir el sol y ponerte estos ritmos es uno de los mayores placeres que puedes disfrutar en la mañana.

Formada por el vibrafonista y marimbista Dave Samuels, junto con los maestros Paquito D’Rivera y Andy Narell. Caribbean Jazz Project se consolida probablemente como el proyecto musical más firme dentro del panorama del Latin Jazz.

Despues de abandonar el grupo Spyro Gyra en el año 1993 y pasado un tiempo prudencial, en 1995 Samuels se une con el clarinetista Paquito D’Rivera y el batería Andy Narell, para dar un concierto en el Central Park de Nueva York. De ahí surgirá la idea de Caribbean Jazz Project. De hecho pronto sacan su primer trabajo, este que tenemos aquí, al que también bautizarán como Caribbean Jazz Project.

Este es el primero de los tan solo dos álbumes en los que participan Andy y Paquito, ya que después solo grabarían juntos un álbum más en 1997, “Island Stories”. En el trabajo posterior, “The Gathering”, Narell ya no está y Paquito sólo colabora.

Los sonidos de este trío, al que posteriormente se le unirán músicos de la talla del flautista Dave Valentin , son muy fáciles de asimilar incluso para los no iniciados. Un refrescante cocktail sonoro compuesto de música de raíces latinas, ideal para introducirse en el mundo del Jazz fusión.

Personalmente este álbum me parece buenísimo, sobretodo todo y como ya he dicho para empezar el día con buen pie.

Espero que lo disfruteis tano como yo.

 

Ver álbum completo

Temas:

1-One For Tom
2-Abracadabra
3-Carousel
4-Como un Bolero
5-Paco & Dave
6-Valse Triste
7-Latin Quarter
8-Todo Aquel Ayer
9-Three Amigos
10-Afro
11-Cafe España

Músicos:

Paquito D’Rivera – saxo alto, clarinete
Dave Samuels – marimba, vibráfono
Dario Eskenazi – piano
Oscar Stagnaro – bajo
Mark Walker – batería
Andy Narell – steel pans
Luis Conte – congas, bongos, timbales, percusión.

Descargar

Pass:blondy007

* Si alguna vez olvido poner la pass, siempre va a ser blondy007

“Nouveau Latino is about the groove and the dancer, about romance and seduction through melody”. It is also a testament to Torres’ impeccable credentials as the pre-eminent Latin Jazz flautist of his generation.

In his brand new CD, Nouveau Latino, Nestor Torres returns to his Latin roots with a fresh approach, impeccable musicianship, and irresistible improvisations. Featuring songs from stars like Celia Cruz and Ruben Blades, Torres’ interpretations of these great Latin hits appeal to those discovering the songs for the first time as much as those who remember them.

11 hits from the 60s through the 80s, plus a couple of Latin Jazz Standards, makes this a great collection of songs that helped shape an era. “The blessing of having been part of the New York Salsa scene at its hottest cannot be expressed in words. Finally, the time is right for me to celebrate and share with my fans – and the world – at least part of a legacy I owe so much to”.

Nestor Torres pays homage to some of Salsa’s greatest stars, from the beginning of the genre to its heyday. Mon Rivera & Joe Cuba; Celia Cruz, Willie Colon, Cheo Feliciano & Ruben Blades. The Fania All Stars and Omar Alfanno. These artists are part of a dynasty responsible for creating a sound that transcended the Latino experience and went on to become an integral part of the mainstream. With Cuban music as the backbone and NYC’s El Barrio as the breeding ground, Salsa music came about as artists and musicians from different parts of the Caribbean and Latin America came together, bringing their own music and traditions to the mix: Puerto Rican Bomba & Plena, Brazil’s Samba, Dominican Republic’s Merengue, Colombia’s Cumbia, and Panama’s take on it all through the compositions of Blades and Alfanno.

For more information about Nestor Torres and his new album visit his website.

Gail Boyd Artist Management is pleased to announce the addition of Grammy-nominated pianist/composer/bandleader Danilo Perez to it’s talented roster. In addition to being a one of the influential and dynamic musicians of our time, his distinctive blend of Pan-American jazz (covering the music of the Americas, folkloric and world music) has attracted critical acclaim and loyal audiences around the world. We are pleased to welcome Danilo!

John Santos—outstanding California-based musician, composer, educator, and historian—introduces the artists featured in Montgomery County Community College’s Sabor Latino series (funded by the Philadelphia Music Project), and examines the cultural history of Latin jazz.

John Santos (photo by Tom Ehrlich)

Sabor Latino: A Caribbean Journey

The amazing artists featured in the “Sabor Latino: A Caribbean Journey” series represent a marvelous cross section of modern Latin jazz, but to refer to them simply as Latin jazz musicians would do them a disservice, as they all bring a broad range of experience and awareness to their art. They are all musically multi-lingual, equally at home playing myriad rhythms and styles from all over Latin America as they are with classical music, straight-ahead jazz, and funk.

David Sanchez is a veteran young lion at the forefront of a vibrant Latin jazz scene found in Puerto Rico today. His impeccably produced recordings have all become instant classics. His compositions are as beautiful and adventurous as his soaring tenor sax solos, informed as much by his early rhythmic experience as a percussionist as by his deconstruction of masters such as John Coltrane. I had the pleasure of hearing him and sitting in with a band in which he was playing in 1989 in Old San Juan. I don’t think he was twenty years old, yet he was burning the place up. The band featured some highly respected musicians, such as percussionist Mañengue Hidalgo (the great Giovanni Hidalgo’s father), drummer Jimmy Rivera, and the late saxophonist Hector Veneros. Each of them individually told me “Watch out for this kid—he’s going to make some noise in the States soon.” They were extremely proud of him and knew he was destined for international notoriety. How right they were!

The Spanish Harlem Orchestra specializes in “old school” New York salsa, mambo, and Latin jazz for hardcore salseros. Their classic sound harkens back to the golden era of highly danceable, jazzy orchestras like those of Machito, Tito Puente, and Tito Rodriguez during New York’s “Palladium Days” (1940s to 1960s), as well as to the golden decades of salsa (1970s & 1980s), when all of the members of this fabulous orchestra, including musical director Oscar Hernandez, made their debuts in New York City. They are the “little big band” of salsa, achieving a surprisingly large sound through the inventive voicings of Oscar’s arrangements. Three of New York’s best vocalists; tight, tasty, clave-imbued arrangements; a full house of exciting soloists; and a powerful rhythm section are the hallmarks of this Grammy-winning orchestra.

The Spanish Harlem Orchestra, above, will perform in the Philadelphia area on November 20th as part of Montgomery County Community College's Lively Arts Series. (Photo by Jerry Lacay)

Multi Grammy-winning saxophonist and composer Paquito D’Rivera is a living legend and musical genius.   He was a child prodigy in Havana, and since moving to the United States in 1981, has taken his place as one of the greatest and most versatile musicians in the world, shining particularly on the clarinet.  His masterful work throughout the 1970s with the seminal Afro-Cuban jazz/fusion group, Irakere, will always stand as a milestone in quality, versatility, and creativity within the genre of Latin jazz. Paquito’s superb musicianship, boundless imagination, stage presence, and sense of humor always come across in his playing. He is a true master.

Marlon Simon is part of a highly respected musical family, representative of the imaginative movement of Latin jazz found throughout Latin America. With the diverse and beautiful music of his native Venezuela as a foundation, Marlon has creatively integrated traditional and contemporary music from the entire hemisphere into a unique and very personal expression. He is a complete percussionist, recording artist, bandleader, and educator, part of a new wave of fearlessly innovative Latino musicians unbound by national musical styles.

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What is Latin Jazz?

The Latin roots of jazz belong in the discussion of the origins of jazz, along with the blues, work songs from the southern United States, and Western European classical music. Latin jazz is an American legacy of immense value, as it documents our history in the true, pan-American sense of the word.  With Afro-Euro roots, and marked by the ugly beauty of colonial history, Latin jazz is an important part of our cultural landscape that has been afforded token attention.

“What is Latin Jazz?” is a question that has always, and will always, provoke discussion and disagreement among practitioners, students and fans. The regular risk-taking and profound emotion embodied in Latin jazz make it attractive to many listeners and unappealing to many dancers.  Tito Puente and Ray Barretto, two pioneers in the field—may they rest in peace—were highly influential Puerto Rican percussionists and bandleaders. They each made statements that appear contradictory.  Maestro Puente felt that the dance element is an identifying trademark of Latin jazz, while Maestro Barretto thought that dancing identified music as salsa, or any number of earlier genres, and that Latin jazz is not necessarily danceable.

Like jazz, Latin jazz has origins in dance music, particularly when you consider its Afro-Cuban folkloric roots, where movement is at least as important as music. The most essential rhythms of Latin jazz—mambo, son, rumba, and many others—are all dances as well. So musical language extends to choreography, and that connection must be learned in any Latin jazz “apprenticeship.” Also, the idea of an audience is relatively new when you consider that for centuries, dancing has involved the “audience,” uniting them with the musicians, rhythms, celebrations, and ancestral rites. In African traditions, the music-dance connection is like DNA. The Western concept of sitting and appreciating the beauty and nuances of the music has brought another aesthetic to Latin jazz.

Improvisation, essential to jazz, is also essential to Latin jazz, as it is to all of its seminal genres such as the Cuban traditional forms rumba, son, conga de comparsa (carnaval music), and all of the spiritually-based musical expressions of the island such as Abakuá, Palo-Kongo, Lucumí, Arará, and Iyesá. The same is true of traditional African and Spanish-derived music of the entire Caribbean basin.

The inclusion of Afro-Cuban percussive instruments such as tumbadoras (conga drums), timbales, bongos, cowbells, maracas, güiro, claves, etc., has always been a large part of the music’s identity. That concept has expanded to include batá drums, chekere (beaded gourd) and other liturgical drums and instruments from the Afro-Cuban canon, as well as the Peruvian cajón (wooden box) and quijada (jawbone of a donkey or horse), the double-headed tambora drum from the Dominican Republic, the pandereta and barril from Puerto Rico, the fulía and redondo drums from Venezuela, and a host of percussive instruments from Brasil and other places. The role of the U.S.-born drum set has steadily increased. It is fairly common today to find Latin jazz that depends as much, if not more, on the drum set as on the traditional percussive instruments.

For many artists, social commentary, especially the subject of self-determination, informs their work to a great extent, while others avoid such commentary and seek to provide an escape from the harsh realities of the working class communities that gave birth to Latin jazz and its related forms. The words, actions, and compositions of many major artists speak volumes about the function of the music and the unbreakable ties between jazz, Latin jazz, American pop culture, and social justice movements. Paul Robeson said, “The artist must choose between slavery and freedom.”  Thelonious Monk stated that “Jazz is freedom.”  In Strange Fruit, Billie Holliday boldly commented on the practice of lynching. Duke Ellington’s Immigration Blues, Black Beauty, and Black Brown and Beige Suite, John Coltrane’s Alabama, Charles Mingus’ Haitian Fight Song, Max Roach and Abbey Lincoln’s We Insist, Eliseo Grenet’s Lamento Esclavo, Rafael Hernandez’ Lamento Borincano, Canario’s Están Tirando Bombas, and Arsenio Rodriguez’ Bruca Manigua are just a few examples of song-statements that reflected the political and social realities of their times.

Jazz Latino: America’s Music

While some argue the differences between jazz, Latin jazz, jazz latino, Afro-Cuban jazz, world music, son, salsa, salsa gorda, salsa monja, salsa romántica, salsa dura, cumbia, bachata, merengue, timba, tropical music, etc., the lines that might have delineated some of these forms from others continue to blur, perhaps leaving the gray areas larger than the categories themselves. Today, what we refer to as Latin jazz crosses over into the aforementioned styles and many others as well. While this may prove problematic for the marketers, vendors, and award-givers in the “industry,” I’m delighted at the gradually increasing opportunities to musically tell historical truths that have been neglected for far too long. The first on my list is the essence of the word “America.” Central and South America and the Caribbean are no less American than North America. We construct imaginary barriers between the United States and the rest of the hemisphere by continuing to equate “America” exclusively with our young country.  In fact, we have much more in common with the rest of the Americas than what separates us, and few things demonstrate this better than Latin jazz.

Our national art form, jazz, is arguably the greatest example of our shared histories. Although you wouldn’t know it from the curriculum of most jazz studies programs, popular culture in the U.S., through jazz, draws considerably from the Afro-Latin-Caribbean experience. Jazz was born in the major Caribbean port of New Orleans, which has been intimately connected to every other major Caribbean port since the advent of colonialism in the Americas. This old connection, from its beginning, has been political, economic, and highly cultural, with music playing a crucial role in documenting the region’s evolution.

The area’s common Creole nature, born of nasty political history, certainly had much to do with the creation of jazz, son, rumba, plena, calypso, merengue, beguine, and many other forms of Black urban expression. The “Negro Brass Bands” that eventually came to be known as jazz bands in the United States were identical in their instrumentation to the Caribbean “Orquestas Típicas” for the simple reason that all the Americas shared the colonial tradition of the military band. Seasonal work cycles and the need for survival spawned inter-Caribbean, post-slavery migrations of cane cutters, dock and field workers, and other manual laborers—New Orleans and other points along the entire U.S. Gulf Coast were significant stopovers in these movements. The common surnames of French, Spanish, English, Portuguese, and Dutch origin found throughout the extended Caribbean community are evidence of these migratory patterns. Musicians counted heavily in the ranks of these laborers, and their music, rhythms, and songs intermingled freely. This is the environment from which jazz and Latin jazz sprouted.

“It Don’t Mean a Thing if it Ain’t Got That Swing”

Duke Ellington’s famous quote is a direct reference to perhaps the strongest inter-connective element in jazz and other Afro-Latin-Caribbean music: rhythm. Clave (clah-veh) is a basic rhythm, feel, and concept that underlies a great deal of West and Central African music. It spread throughout the Americas with the numerous Africans and African descendants who were forced into slavery. It is prevalent in Caribbean folk and popular music, and is present in the jazz tradition and its related antecedents and offshoots. Clave is not generally recognized in music of United States origin because it is usually played or implied on European instruments rather than on African or African-derived percussion.

The Gullah traditions from the Georgia Sea Islands and typical New Orleans music such as Mardi Gras second line and rhythm and blues carry obvious connotations of clave. The same can be said for much early rock and roll, which was a direct descendant of rhythm and blues.  Most funk and hip-hop also depend upon clave-based rhythmic phrases.  The 20th century proliferation of recordings, radio broadcasts, and the touring they instigated, were strong pre- and post-jazz, cross-pollinating influences.

There are many levels on which the terms “Latin” and “jazz” intersect: Latin musicians who participated in the development of jazz, jazz musicians who toured in Latin American countries and incorporated what they experienced into their own music, and Latin American rhythmic, lyrical, and melodic elements used in jazz.

Alberto Socarrás’ first recorded flute solo on a jazz record with Clarence Williams in 1927, W.C. Handy’s jazz-tangos, Jelly Roll Morton’s “Spanish tinge,” Louis Armstrong’s Peanut Vendor (El Manicero), Chick Webb’s Cuban musical director Mario Bauzá, Duke Ellington’s Puerto Rican trombonist/composer Juan Tizol, the Machito Orchestra, the Dizzy Gillespie-Chano Pozo collaboration, the Cubop period, Puerto Rican bandleader Tito Puente, and the century-old history of Puerto Ricans in Harlem and throughout New York City are just a few examples of people and elements that lend weight to the position that jazz must honor its Caribbean roots.

Alberto Socarrás (photo by Max Salazar)

Afro-Latino Displacement & Identity

The undeniable contributions, as well as the socioeconomic problems, of Black and Latino communities in the United States are universally acknowledged. However, the concept and existence of the Afro-Latino, and his or her relationship to traditional Black and Latino communities, are still under-recognized and misunderstood, not only among the general populace, but within the Black and Latino communities themselves.

Latin jazz is living cultural expression, born of the Afro-Latino experience, and directly connected to its inception, history, and future. The tumbadora, and other African drums, are the symbols of centuries-old African wisdom, spirituality, and creative expression of music and dance. They were uprooted from the communities for which they were, and are, a centerpiece, and rose like a phoenix from the ashes to become the center of an international movement, despite centuries of concerted persecution intended to eliminate them and all that they represent. Today, the tumbadora is the backbone of much Latin jazz and other music, carrying forth its message of resistance, peace, ancestor recognition, respect for the environment, and dignity for all. The international community of practitioners and followers of this drum/dance movement, of which Latin jazz is a major component, represents a formidable part of American history that has been effectively swept under the rug.

Has jazz borrowed more from Latin music, or has Latin music borrowed more from jazz?  It really doesn’t matter. The importance lies in recognizing that they have enjoyed a mutually beneficial, parallel relationship since long before the word jazz became commonplace. Latin jazz has evolved into a true pan-American and worldwide phenomenon that continues to distill traditional and contemporary sociocultural elements in its endless movement toward creative expression, identification, and preservation. It is a Creole model of beauty, power, and cooperation with tremendous historical significance, whose example inspires the propagation of truth, freedom, and the continued dismantling of boundaries and barriers, be they real or imagined.

Criollo

Creole culture, emanating from the Caribbean heart of the Americas, was born of slavery and forced migration. Huge Spanish-speaking communities throughout the Caribbean and all the Americas have directly integrated cultural practices of African origin. Caribbean vitality has attracted the world’s attention and admiration through the powerful cultural representations of music, dance, Vodún, Santería, etc., but the pervading images of the region are those of occupation, exploitation, poverty, dictatorships, Indigenous tragedies, and the tourist industry. Yet Caribbean roots unite us. The Caribbean example of Creole society, with African, European, and Asian roots, is the epitome of American migration, adaptation, and survival. Of particular interest to me, as a person of Puerto Rican descent, is the fact that there are more Puerto Ricans living in the US than in Puerto Rico, and that most of the 4.1 million people calling themselves Puerto Ricans were born outside the island.  Yet we strongly identify with the culture of that tiny island—a culture which by its very nature is what the islanders call trigueña, composed of “three races,” European, Indigenous and African. Music plays a central role in that identification, and Latin jazz has always been among its most vibrant forms.

The Afro-Latino experience that emerged to various degrees from every corner of Latin America is a quiet powerhouse in the U.S. in terms of overlapping and paralleling Black history and experience. This story must be revealed as an important link in the fragmented history and identity of African-Americans, and as such, of all Americans. The separation in the United States between Black American communities and those of Hispanic origins is stark, and perceived to be representative of American culture. However, our common American histories of labor, displacement, struggle, and spirituality outweigh the gaps in communication, understanding, and empathy.  Though slavery and neo-colonialism discourage such notions, knowledge of our historical and current bonds unites us and empowers us all to move forward as a positive cultural and political force.

Spirituality

African spirituality permeates Caribbean life and greatly informs Caribbean-based music. Just as jazz has evolved from its Blues, Gospel, and Spiritual roots, the spiritual roots of Latin jazz are also immense. Many of the rhythms employed in Latin jazz on tumbadoras, bells, chekeres, and other percussive instruments are directly derived from the folkloric, ceremonial contexts where they are used to call the presence of our ancestors into the room. The music comes from amazing oral traditions of gorgeous poetry, melodies, and rhythms of spiritual and secular origin that unite all the African-based spiritual traditions of the Americas. Among these spiritual traditions we find Santería, Palo, Candomblé, Macumba, Umbanda, Quimbanda, Gagá, Vodun, Espiritismo, and Mesa Blanca, all stigmatized by negative, colonial stereotypes born of dangerously empowered ignorance. Latin jazz is the an evolving manifestation of all these forms. The music is transformational. It is a gift, not intended to be a commodity.  From the perspective of the student, fan, dancer, and musician, it represents our efforts to strive for improvement, for elevation, for enlightenment.

New York, New York

It is not a coincidence that New York City, the Mecca of jazz, is also the Mecca of Latin jazz and salsa. Neither is it a coincidence that New York is also a major center of Caribbean culture, particularly Spanish-speaking Caribbean culture. The 1930s explosion of Cuban and Puerto Rican music in New York set the stage. During the 1940s, the terms “Afro-Cuban jazz” and “Cubop” emerged, clearly delineating the origin of the genre’s major musical elements, despite the fact that the Latino community where the music proliferated was mainly Puerto Rican.

During the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, the music that would come to be known as Latin jazz was akin to pop music. Musicians, dancers, and listeners from New York’s Latino, Italian, Jewish, and Black American enclaves found themselves playing, dancing, and listening together at huge dance halls, theaters, supper clubs, after-hours joints, and neighborhood bars. The music graced the silver screen, Broadway, and even the living rooms of every American home with a television, when the groundbreaking I Love Lucy Show debuted in 1951.

Although the term “Afro-Cuban jazz” is still used, it very gradually gave way to the term “Latin jazz,” which is much more popular today, and a reflection of the great contributions of artists and musical forms from all over Latin America. Latin jazz, and Cuban music in general, fell from pop status towards the end of the 1950s with the rise of rock and roll, even as they helped birth the new genre, and moved into a position of spawning another New York musical giant in the 1970s that claimed pop status in its own right—salsa.

Into the 21st Century

Since the 1960s, Latin jazz has been greatly overshadowed by the barrage of industry-fueled commercial musical forms that come and go with the wind. As these styles come in and out of popularity, Latin jazz remains essentially an underground art form, with a slowly but steadily increasing international fan base and an unparalleled, if largely unknown, connection to American history.

The music continues to represent its evolving communities with all their issues around gender, race, and age and other aspects of identity. The lack of real support from the industry and government in the form of significant airplay, general media presence, and grant monies is considered by many to be directly related to the “double whammy” of Latin jazz’s Black and Brown roots. This is especially true in the post-9/11, anti-immigrant climate, despite the homegrown roots of Latin jazz.

Youth, of course, always seek new frontiers, and the modern tech age would appear to be a lunge in the opposite direction from the hands-on-instruments traditions that are still the foundation of Latin jazz. But the chameleon qualities of Latin jazz that made it multi-cultural from the outset, allow it to continue its path of evolution, through a revolving door of rhythms, styles, instrumentation, technology, and humanity.

Don’t be surprised if Latin jazz’s stock rises with the “greening” of the planet, as it holds many of the same truths around spiritual, physical, and mental development, while using organic, acoustic instruments, little or no electricity and fossil fuels, all the while uniting people around the globe in a fun, highly educational activity.

“The truth will set us free, but only if the truth is told.”

Perhaps history has not given Latin jazz its due because of the ill-informed perception that it is foreign, and the tendency in the United States to consider anything five minutes outside our borders as un-American and of lesser value. Perhaps the racism and classism of colonial and neo-colonial mentalities have kept the story of Latin jazz out of our history books. But Latin jazz is a highly expressive vehicle of identity, communication, and cooperation for millions of people of all colors and generations throughout the Americas and the world. It is, by nature, a barrier-breaking art form that touches all of us, whether or not we are aware of it, and has the potential to be even stronger if its truths are embraced by educational institutions, from elementary schools to universities.

The survival of Latin jazz depends on the activism of those who appreciate it. What can be done? Make noise. Let politicians, presenters, venues, promoters, radio, TV, print media, and children know that the music matters. There is a lot of work to be done in the field of education. Ask why the music is not represented in most university jazz departments, jazz camps, and jazz festivals, not to mention in the general curriculum of schools of every level. And perhaps most importantly, support live music!!

John Santos

Oakland, CA

November, 2009

www.johnsantos.com

Want to learn more? Click here to download a list of resources for further listening and reading.

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Spanish Harlem Orchestra: Friday, November 20, 2009. 8 PM. (Salsa party at 7 PM). Montgomery County Community College, Blue Bell Campus. 340 Dekalb Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422

Marlon Simon and Nagual Spirits: Friday, January 22, 2010. 8 PM. Montgomery County Community College, Pottstowm Campus. 101 College Drive, Pottstown, PA 19464

Paquito D’Rivera: February 12, 2010. 8 PM. Montgomery County Community College, Blue Bell Campus

Montgomery County Community College
Lively Arts Series at Science Center Theater
Box Office: 215-641-6518

Incredible grooves from Gerardo Frisina — only an EP, but a package of tracks that has all the depth of his full length albums! The sound here is almost all acoustic — save for a bit of rhythms from Paolo Fedreghini — real 60s-styled bossa/samba jazz, played by a tight combo that features heavy percussion, piano, tenor sax, and trumpet — all grooving away with a massively tight sound throughout! The set’s almost Frisina’s answer to the club jazz styles popping up in recent years from other European acts — showing that he was doing things first, and can still do them best. Andrea Maia sings lead vocals on two tracks — again with a really classic feel — and the instrumental numbers feature some especially great work from the tenor sax, played by Germano Zenga. Titles include “Samba Skindim”, “For My Mother”, “Solo”, and “EJ Estou Aqui”.

A jazzy little single from Schema — the first two sides from singer Emily Jones, who we’re sure will soon be doing great things for the label! Lo Greco back up Jones on both numbers — bringing a solid acoustic groove into play with their loping lines on bass and drums — supported with additional jazzy instrumentation on piano, alto, tenor, and trumpet — all wrapped up warmly by Gerardo Frisina with a hell of a great groove! “If Dreams Come True” has Jones singing in this breezy, wordless style — skipping along with the rhythms beautifully — and “Espontaneo” has a bit more of a Brazilian flavor at the bottom, a cool bossa groove that’s a perfect fit for Emily’s singing!

Juan Tizol was a trombone player, but a composer too (and a borinqueño of course).

Here’s he doing his now classic tune, “Caravan,” with the Duke. This film was recorded in 1952. Ellington and Tizol first performed the song together in 1937.

I’m running like a headless chicken, so not posting much. I’ll have more posts later tonight.

Tilo did another gig at the Suite tonight.  It was OK actually …although it probably should be considering he’s been doing some of the same tunes for what seems like forever.  Jugi was on guitar as well adding some tasteful blues stuff.  And it was kinda full too from what I heard …so that was good.  Tilo was his typical heartfelt self on stage, and I think he may have been a little nervous.  Usually it’s hard to tell with him, but when we finished and the crowd was cheering for an encore, he was kinda in a pickle over what he had left to play …and couldn’t remember the tempo/intro for a song that he’s played a million times over.  So he was happy …and that’s good.

Here’s a shot from the gig of Dave and the Serge …and it seems that Dave has some interesting ears.  Or maybe sideburns?  I’ll find out later I suppose.  There’s some audio below as well.

How can you tell if a latin jazz album’s any good? Well, for one, if you can dance to it. For the new one by trombonist Wayne Wallace’s Latin Jazz Quintet, the answer is a joyous si! Over the course of two deliriously good Ellington covers, an imaginative rearrangement of a Coltrane classic and some rambunctious originals, they cover a variety of styles perfect for swinging or snuggling across the floor. In the spirit of the great latin bands of the 40s and 50s, there are as many as four trombonists on the album, including Ellington Orchestra vets Julian Priester and Dave Martell along with Murray Low on piano, David Belove on bass and percussionists Michael Spiro and Paul van Wageningen on trap drums. Obviously, with all the trombones, they go for a big sound, but there’s plenty of space for the rest of the band as well.

Of the originals, the best is the album’s title track, a rousing guaguanco. Eddie Harris’ Freedom Jazz Dance gets a slinky bomba treatment; another original, Mojito Cafe sets an expansive Low piano solo over some tricky changes and eventually a crescendoing call-and-response between the vocals and Wallace’s trombone. Memo Acevedo’s Building Bridges is inspiring and optimistic, with a sweet ensemble horn chart. The deceptively simple cha-cha Playa Negra – another original – is bouncy and even seductive. And the Duke would be proud of how Wallace works In a Sentimental Mood as wee-hours theme music, along with the group’s strikingly dark, intense version of Going Up (Subete).

The album wraps up with two innovative covers. Sonny Rollins’ Solid is basically a blues with a latin groove, transformed into a showcase in subtlety as the group brings it down to just Low and the percussion before soaring up again. And Coltrane’s Africa is brought vividly into focus, straight up and accelerated considerably over an unstoppable groove. It’s quite a change from the original but it works because it’s so different, and embraces the melody so strongly. This works equally well as dance music, as party music and just for listening. Wallace is a California native with an exhaustive gigging schedule: his next one with this crew is as part of the San Ramon Jazz Series at the San Ramon Library, 100 Montgomery St. in San Ramon, CA on November 20 at 8 PM.

What is going on in one of the most beautiful cities in the United States? Could it be a revival of classic Jazz? Following are just a sampling of the “jazz going’s on” that can be found in Miami.

University of Miami Jazz directed by Chuck Bergeron.

Miami Jazz Nightlife,  Miami Jazz Jam,  Latin Jazz Club in Miami.