Viva Latin jazz

Latin Beat Magazine, Feb, 2005 by Jesse Varela

Director Jim Nadel and his Stanford Jazz Workshop (SJW) unveil a weekend of Latin jazz scheduled for this spring, showcasing the vibrant talents of Michael Spiro, Rebeca Mauleón, Wayne Wallace and Claudia Villela. From March 11-13, at Stanford University's Braun Music Center, SJW is finding new and interesting ways of educating people about the fusion of jazz with Afro-Caribbean rhythms.

Concerts by Claudia Villela (whose latest recording for Adventure Music features her in a duet with pianist Kenny Werner) are among the anticipated events in the Bay Area. She appears with longtime collaborator Ricardo Peixoto, on Friday, March 11, at Campbell Recital Hall, starting at 7 p.m. (with an artist pre-talk).

Dr. Wayne Wallace will lead a "Descarga Workshop" on Saturday afternoon that will no doubt be a revolving door Latin jam session with his many students and friends dropping by to play. But as it is warned in the pertinent press release, "musicians must be proficient on their instruments" to sit in.

Rebeca Mauleón has been getting renewed attention around these parts with her latest release Latin Fire (Rumbeca), and deservedly so, as she is a pacesetter. Although their names are not listed in the pertinent press release, she will probably have an excellent crew of accompanying musicians for the evening.

"Everything you always wanted to know about (Latin) Jazz but were afraid to ask" is the title of a presentation that percussionist Michael Spiro will lead on Sunday, March 13, to close out the Latin jazz weekend. The concert will be interspersed with commentary and lively Q&A to provide an exploration of Latin jazz styles from a musician's point of view.