Traditional and Latin Jazz musicians have taken separate risks to develop unique experimental approaches. Traditional jazz musicians have spent decades building, destroying, and reconstructing the harmonic foundation of jazz. Latin Jazz musicians have emphasized rhythmic diversity, exploring the connections between jazz and a variety of Caribbean and South American traditions. Paths often cross through the stylistic embellishment of jazz standards with fixed harmonic forms, and diverge between avant-garde and Latin music. Rolando Matias and his Afro-Rican Ensemble bring all jazz roads together into an intriguing mixture of risk, experimentation and history on “Live” Volume One.

Several repertoire choices immediately set the band apart from many Latin Jazz ensembles. Rasshan Roland Kirk’s “Volunteered Slavery” stands the furthest outside of Latin Jazz conventions. Matias opens the piece with spoken word, and then leaves the rhythm section work solely to bassist Roger Hines. He freely defines a sparse swing feel behind trumpet player Mike Wade and pianist Baris Buyukyildirim until the full Latin rhythm section brings the song to an up-tempo finish. The veiled appearance of a two-chord dance song starts Pharaoh Sanders’ “Thembi (Part 1),” as tenor saxophone player Eddy Bayard plays the melody. Wade and Bayard push their solos outside the harmony while Buyukyildirim and Hines boldly eliminate the harmonic center. As the band transitions into the sparse texture of “Thembi (Part 2),” Buyukyildirim freely explores the territory between traditional melodies, polytonality, and Tyner-like open voicings. Beyond the novelty of unusual song choices, the full commitment to the musical aesthetics creates a stimulating musical experience.

Matias and his group rhythmically reconstruct standards as well, elevating the traditional music with their inspired performances. Joe Henderson’s “Mamacita” inherits a salsa rhythm, while maintaining its original Hard Bop flare. Wade and Bayard have done their homework on this jazz era, and they deliver fiery solos full of blues flavor and bop shape. “Black Narcissuss” opens with Hines rhythmically bowing his bass over a comparsa rhythm. As the rhythm section builds intensity, Bayard delivers the melody and then plays a strong and passionate solo. Buyukyildirim takes center stage in “Tico Tico,” a Bomba with traditional melodic and harmonic structures. After locking the melody into the drums, Buyukyildirim completely explores the changes, alternating between tense rhythmic patterns and flowing melodic phrases. His creativity and technical precision inspire the percussionists and the overall performance generates an album highlight. “Song for Judd” features exciting percussion solos from Matias on congas and guest timbalero Bobby Matos. Matias and Matos bring a passionate sense of tradition to the ensemble, providing heartfelt and studied moments. The group builds strong performances, combining the best of both jazz worlds with their defined personal voices.

Matias and his group prioritize risk taking on “Live” Volume One, bringing together diverse musical aesthetics. At times, the album reflects the downsides of musical risks – momentary lacks of unity, occasional tuning issues in the winds, and an uneven recording. Yet the positive results push the band into uncharted Latin Jazz territory, forcing them to explore new improvisational challenges. Their musical journey reflects broad jazz history knowledge and an unbridled creative spirit. Their performance evolves into a clear statement of personality and character, exposing a tradition of unified experimentation.

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