Recording technology advances offer jazz musicians the choice between documenting a live performance and creating a product. The ability to record a solo several times means that jazz musicians can produce exactly what they hear in their heads, albeit at the expense of spontaneity. In some cases, this can result in a finely tuned jazz release that sounds crystal clear. On the other hand, jazz musicians can also abuse this technology, resulting in an instrumental album that sounds more like a pop album. Arturo Sandoval’s Rumba Palace walks that line and too often strays into the territory of overproduction.

Much of the problem comes from the recording process used to put this album together. In essence, the music on Rumba Palace is written for Latin Big Band, yet single wind players overdub themselves several times to create the illusion of a large ensemble. So Sandoval not only plays 1st Trumpet, he also plays 2nd, 3rd, and 4th; the same process was used to record trombones and saxes. The resultantly thick texture becomes muddy through synthesized horn sounds added into the mix. “Peaceful” and “Having Fun” sound tailor made for the smooth jazz crowd due to the ever-present synthesized “pads” and the funk backbeats. The fusion feel of “21st Century” seems quite out of place, neither fitting into the Big Band feel or the Latin theme. These elements make for an uneven sound, and an unbalanced feel to the album.

Despite the production issues, there are some outstanding moments on this album, largely due to the wealth of musicianship in this ensemble. “El Huracan del Caribe” is a top-notch piece of Timba; so blistering hot that you can’t help but dance. “A Gozar” moves between jazz harmonies and a repeated montuno for Sandoval’s lip-splitting high note solos and vocal improvisations. The synocpated rhythmic melodies between the brass and saxes on “Nouveau Cha Cha” find a strong balance between jazz and traditional Cha Cha Cha. The rhythm changes structure and bopish melodic lines in “Guarachando” meld into a solid piece of Latin Jazz. Sandoval’s beautiful tone drives a softer groove in “Rumba Palace,” which also feature a Tony Pérez solo through a Fender Rhodes sound. These moments save the album, creating several musical highlights.

The strong musical moments are the most frustrating part of listening to Rumba Palace – they show the hidden potential of the musicians. The rhythm section contains some of the strongest Cuban musicians from Miami, that left unrestrained can light a fire under any band. Sandoval has prodigious musical skills as a trumpeter, a composer, and a bandleader. An all-out blowing session would bring out the best in these guys - it would achieve the balance between the musical depth of jazz and the entertainment value of dance music. Although the potential for this balance can be heard on Rumba Palace, it would have been a bolder statement if the musicians had just played.

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