Skafrocubanjazz

Latin Beat Magazine, August, 1998 by Jesse Varela

YESKA

(Aztlan)

Variations on the Jamaican Ska one-drop-off-beat are everywhere, but this Los Angeles-based octet may be the first to fuse it with Afro-Cuban rhythms. Lacing it with jazz a nd '70s motifs from horn-heavy cruisers like Malo and Tower of Power, it's an almost all-instrumental joyride from a Montebello band that met playing in local junior college big bands and combos. From the onset, the 10-track debut establishes its sound and grabs you with a soul-ska -guajira called Fideo (para aqui). Much like the thin-noodled Mexican spaghetti that its named after, it's a steamy comfortable groove with flavors that melt into each other. The rhythm section is the engine, with drummer Alfredo Ortiz and bassist José Esquivel driving the bop as the rock-steady guitar of Joey Kraut synchronizes with Walter Miranda's contrapuntal piano montunos. It,s just the right stuff for the frontline of Seth Zwerling (trumpet), David Urquidi (reeds), and Sheffer Bruton (trombone) to riff with tight ensemble passages and brain blowing solos. But it's the addition of Cuban percussionist long John Oliva that consummates this fusion. The son of the legendry rumbero Pancho Quinto, Oliva brings a traditionally-strong drumming style that reinforces the clave and provides exciting features on pieces like Skaliente. Producer Scott Mickelson captures the sizzle of Yeska down pat with a homegrown swing that's not just for listening but dancehall mayhem. In the '40s Pachuco jargon of calo, Yeska is slang for marijuana. But you don't have to inhale anything to feel their high.