LJC Community Conversations are designed to explore major ideas in the Latin Jazz world together as a community and inspire conversation through comments. My main motivator here is my belief that LJC readers hold a great deal of knowledge and passion around Latin Jazz, and I think that we can learn something from everyone. Whether you’re a seasoned Latin Jazz performer or a newcomer to the music, leave a comment and let your voice be heard!

We’ve been dealing with some serious topics lately, so I thought it might be time to have some fun . . .

I got inspiration for this week’s topic from a recent thread on the All About Jazz forums entitled “Your Dream Band.” Forum members put together their favorite jazz musicians and formed an all-star group that they would like to hear play. The groups ranged from trios to full big bands, with a range of emphasis from bebop to modern jazz. There were some inspired pairings – a large group that included Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, and DJ Logic; Scott LaFaro in a collective with John Coltrane; and another band that included Brad Mehldau and Adam Rogers. Realizing the musical possibilities inherent in these combinations, the thread struck a creative note with me. As I moved through the thread, I realized that Latin Jazz was dangerously underrepresented, so I decided to create my own Latin Jazz dream band.

When I first saw this topic, I immediately started thinking about a perfect combination of musicians for a Latin Jazz dream band. I created a list of my favorite musicians and soon realized that I had several dream bands. I tried narrowing things down to a couple of percussionists, one bass player, one piano player, and a couple of wind players, but I just couldn’t do it. Then I started thinking of arranging musicians into several themed dream bands – the Afro-Cuban Jazz group, the Brazilian Jazz group, the Peruvian Jazz group, and the list goes on. At that point, I realized that I wasn’t limited to musicians still alive – this a “dream” band – and another world of possibilities jumped into my head. I spent quite a bit of time (probably too much time) thinking about this.

Still thinking about last week’s conversation about West Coast and East Coast Latin Jazz scenes, I decided to create a bi-coastal Latin Jazz dream band. I brought together a list of players from both coasts and then bartered an even spread of East and West Coast players. The big band format eased my pain a bit; the ability to include multiple musicians allowed me to include many of my favorites. Creating an even spread between coasts helped me distribute the positions a bit; although I had to cut some top choices, I justified my choices with the East & West balance. It was a process, but I feel like I created a band that I’d like to hear!

Check Out My Bi-Coastal Latin Jazz Dream Band:

Vocals: Herman Olivera, Sofia Koutsovitis, Kat Parra, Freddie Crespo
Flute: Mark Weinstein
Saxes: Paquito D’Rivera (Alto), Melecio Magdaluyo (Alto), Peter Brainin (Tenor), Justo Almario (Tenor), Scott Martin (Bari)
Trombones: Papo Vazquez, Wayne Wallace, Francisco Torres, Chris Washburne
Trumpets: Brian Lynch, Michael Philip Mossman, Sal Cracchiolo, Frank Cano
Bass: John Benitez
Piano: Rebeca Mauleon
Drums & Percussion: Bobby Sanabria, Marlon Simon, John Santos, Chembo Corniel

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

This topic offers a world of possibilities, so let’s have some fun with this one. Get the discussion going – LEAVE A COMMENT and share your dream band. If you’re at a loss for a starting point, here’s some things to consider:

* Who Are Your Favorite Latin Jazz Musicians?

* Which Musicians Do You Think Would Complement Each Other?

* What Musician From Yesterday Would Work Well in Today’s Scene?

JOIN THE CONVERSATION!
LEAVE A COMMENT below with your dream band – there’s no wrong answers here; just share your group of favorite musicians! Can you create a great Peruvian Jazz group or will your group run the gamut of all Latin styles? Will your group play dance oriented jazz or cutting edge avant-garde Latin Jazz? Whatever your choice, share it! Your comment will be appreciated!

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I’ve been working overtime this past week trying to organize the Current & Upcoming Releases section as well as the new Live Latin Jazz section. Both parts of the site are still in flux as I try to find the best way to get you the information that you need. At this point, I need a little bit of feedback -

* After much deliberation, I decided to organize the Live Latin Jazz section by artist. I realize that this structure makes it a bit more difficult to find shows in your area, but I figured that individual posts could break things down by location. Does this work for you?
* Do you mind the extra posts around upcoming events/releases or does it seem like noise to you?
* Anything else that you’d like to see on the Current & Upcoming Releases page?

Let me know, I’d like to make these sections of the site useful for all the LJC readers!

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