Latin Beat Reviews - Reseña

Latin Beat Magazine, March, 2001 by Luis Tamargo, Jesse Varela, Elmer Gonzalez, Rudy Mangual, Gil Rivera

VARIOUS ARTISTS

Cuban Son

(Rough Guide/World Music Network)

Although most of the tunes were recorded in Havana during the past decade by small son ensembles (septets, sextets, etc.) of a revivalist nature, this compilation also covers larger instrumental formats employed by the practitioners of the son idiom. Ironically, many of the best tracks were recorded before the 1990s by the few charangas and big bands included in the musical anthology. I am referring to such Cuban classics as Francisco Guayabal (one of Benny Moré's greatest hits of the 1950s) and Orquesta Aragón's swinging Baile del Suavito. By the way, any charanga connoisseur is bound to appreciate the wonderful violin solo prodigiously provided by Brindis (a.k.a. El Niño Prodigio) on Melodías del 40's melodic interpretation of the son montuno Me voy pa' Morón. Equally recommendable, on the other hand, is the unprecedented vocal controversy established by four generations of Cuban soneros on the Afro-Cuban All-Stars delightful 1990s big band version of another venerable son montuno, Lilí Martínez's Alto Songo. (LT)

JOVINO SANTOS NETO

Ao Vivo Era Olympia - Live in Olympia

(Liquid City)

A protege of Brazilian jazz wizard Hermeto Pascoal, pianist-composer Jovino Santos Neto is a leading exponent alongside Airto Moreira, Flora Purim and others of his musical school. On Ao Vivo Em Olympia--Live in Olympia, we hear the influences Neto gleaned from this creative genius but most importantly, what he's added along the way to forge a brilliantly balanced album of jazz and Brazilian beats with a stellar quintet from the Pacific Northwest.

Recorded live last year at the Olympia State Theatre in Washington (he's been in Seattle since 1993), the group features Bay Area sax-clarinet ace Harvey Wainapel with Chuck Deardorf, a first-call bassist who has toured with Bud Shank, Kenny Barron and Larry Coryell. Drummer Mark Ivester and percussionist Jeff Busch provide the percolating rhythmic foundation upon which Neto's melodic stories unfold. The music has contour and pulls you along with superb improvisations and interplay on all-original material.

A couple of upbeat sambas --Mendanha and A Mountain Atop A Mountain-- open the album with Neto burning on piano while comping hip chords to inspire the soloists, or streaming musical thoughts together with clusters, single note riffs and hardbop harmonies. The songs are written in a jazz-combo style with provocative melodies and turnarounds, and the top caliber musicianship shapes them into something personable and unique.

Wainapel's alto-sax on the haunting ballad The Flowing of the Night is intimate and breathy with the bowed arco-bass tones of Deardorf adding to its dusky drone. Switching to clarinet, the chorinho duet --Intrigas no Boteco do Padilha-- between Neto and Wainapel is a highlight! Overall, this is a live and in living color musical portrait of Jovino Santos Neto at his best with smart swinging original music rooted in the rhythmic essence of his native Brazil. (JV)

GRUPO X

X-Posure

(Loft Recordings)

Representing the UK's endowment to Latin jazz music is the London-based band Grupo X (Group X). This debut production titled X-Posure, parades 8 original compositions that interweave the classic Nuyorican salsa and Latin jazz sounds of the seventies with a dose of boogaloo, R&B and dance floor jazz sounds of the London of the eighties. Grupo X emerged in the Euro-music scene as an offspring of the popular London-based salsa band of the nineties, Orquesta La Clave. Led by trombonist Jonny Enright, the group features Carlos A. Peña (the only Latino in the band) on vocals and minor percussions, plus a quintet of excellent British musicians. Guest artists on this production include vocalist soul-diva Lisa Millet (featured on the opening track Brand New Love), Roger Beaujolais on vibes (in the selections Why? and The X-Factor), and Sean Corby on trumpet on several tracks. Johnny's Bugalú (a Latin soul party number) and Guaguancó en Chicago Chico (straight ahead rumba jazz) are the CD's highlights. Grupo X delivers a bona-fide brand of Latin soul jazz dance music from the streets of London to the entire world. (RM)

ROBBIE KWOCK - MELECIO MAGDALUYO SEXTET

Halad -- The Offering

(RKjazz)

Trumpeter Robbie Kwock and reedman Melecio Magdaluyo are talented instrumentalists who have paid their dues around the San Francisco Bay Area with the orchestras of Pete Escovedo, John Santos & Machete and many other great jazz and Latin ensembles. For the last several years, the longtime friends have co-led a well-rounded sextet comprised of refugees from the Escovedo band, such as drummer Paul Van Wageningen and pianist Murray Low, alongside trombonist Al Bent (a veteran of the 1970s-80s salsa scene) plus the exceptional grooves of bassist Ronnie Belcher and percussionist Jesús Díaz.

The album is comprised of ten largely jazz Latin originals of cool straight-ahead acoustic colors with mystic titles such as Dante's Journey, Don Quixote, Dragon's Mambo, and the title track, Halad-The Offering. They also interpret an upbeat rendition of Jobim's No More Blues, but the melodies and head charts are simply a means to an end, as big chunks of space are allowed for the group members to improvise. Kwock's wailing evokes the influential spirit of Freddie Hubbard, Clifford Brown and Miles Davis and you realize that he is now saying what he wants to say as a soloist and doing it remarkably! Ditto for Magdaluyo, whose creative ideas spew out of his horn as he tells a story that draws you in with impassioned clarity and patient presentation. The jazz bolero Waterfall is impressionism with "Blue Note" flair. It grooves nicely with a light tempo and intense interplay of contrasting colors. Protocol is hardbop swing with "El Doctor" Wayne Wallace performing a superb solo on trombone. Magdaluyo and Kwock also carve nice statements with Paul Van Wageningen definitely having fun on traps. Thumbs up to Robbie Kwock and Melecio Magdaluyo and the first-call cats featured who represent a generation of musicians at their peak and demonstrate why the jazz Latin continuum is still a San Francisco treat! (JV)