The Spotlight Series highlights upcoming Latin Jazz musicians that have yet to reach national recognition. Many of these musicians thrive in local scenes and some tour in support of releases. All these musicians contribute greatly to the overall Latin Jazz scene, and they deserve our “spotlighted” attention.

Bridges
Chiemi Nakai & Emmanuel Bizeau
2008 - Chiemi Nakai
Creating a fresh Latin Jazz sound requires a musician to combine elements of the genre’s past, present, and future. Their music needs a solid foundation in tradition and history. By necessity, the musician needs to study their predecessors and digest the lessons of the past. At the same time, their music needs to reflect current thought and modern artistic trends. Their musical interests cannot lie solely in the past; they need to trade ideas with peers and stay open to new directions. While bringing both the past and present into their music, the musician needs to push the style boldly into the future, putting a unique spin on the music. This personal touch shares the artist’s own vision and predicts the style’s evolution. Pianist Chiemi Nakai and percussionist Emmanuel Bizeau unite past, present, and future on Bridges, creating an exciting release that displays their knowledgeable foundation and clear artistic vision.

Clear Connections To The Past
Nakai and Bizeau respect their history with several songs that make clear connections to the past. A bata rhythm in 6/8 quickly transitions into an Irakere influenced groove before settling into a rumba guaguanco for the group’s interpretation of the standard “Obsesion.” Nakai creates a commanding presence with an improvisation that assertively blends syncopated figures with logical melodies. She then moves into an up-tempo montuno for a solo from timbalero Marvin Diz and then a cha-cha-cha for Bizeau’s conga solo. Although “The Moon on the Water” exists as an original bolero, the group captures the feel of a classic jazz ballad. Vocalist Mari Koga brings a breathy elegance and inner strength to the song, supported by the rhythm section’s unobtrusive groove. Nakai takes a lyrical approach to her statement, while bassist Noriko Ueda presents an insightfully melodic solo. A unison bass and piano vamp leads into a minor melody over a son montuno rhythm on “La Frontera.” A return to the opening vamp introduces Nakai’s solo, which she builds into an aggressive stream of rhythmic tension and repeated phrases. Nakai and bassist Juan Carlos Formell establish a repeated pattern for Bizeau’s improvisation that displays his impressive technique. Each song highlights the group’s connection to tradition, taking standard forms and twisting them into original statements.

A Strong Awareness of Contemporary Styles
Some tracks reflect both Nakai and Bizeau’s strong link to contemporary Latin styles. Nakai boldly presents a timba groove over drum kit player Jerome Goldschmidt’s sparse breakdown to open “Más Y Más,” before moving into a jazz influenced melody. Bass player Mike Herscher alternates between slapped notes and interactive lines behind Nakai’s solo, giving her a diverse backdrop for ideas. The band commits fully to a driving timba groove, pushing the song into high gear for a rhythmic improvisation from trombonist Jimmy Bosch. A menacing series of chords leads into a melody full of long, winding phrases on “Nueva Visión 2,” reinforced by a series of quick rhythmic changes. Bassist Carlos del Pino thrives on the compositional complexity, integrating fast runs and bold phrasing. Nakai contrasts del Pino with a melodically intricate solo, leading into an assertive montuno for a rhythmic interplay between Bizeau and timbalero Richie Flores. Rubato piano flourishes lead into a dance montuno on “Azul,” quickly transitioning into Nakai’s colorful melodic work. Drummer Ludwig Alfonso’s flexible feel gives Nakai’s solo modern jazz freedom to create broad soundscapes with interplay from both hands. Bassist Mario Rodriguez and Nakai dive into a powerful timba groove, creating an opportunity for Alfonso to explode into a wave of improvisational ideas. Each track demonstrates Nakai and Bizeau’s awareness of contemporary trends and their ability to connect with those ideas in a small group Latin Jazz setting.

Moving Their Music In New Directions
Nakai and Bizeau put their own twist on Latin Jazz with compositions that move the music in new directions. Rodriguez’s funky bass line sets a contemporary tone on “Sedona,” mirrored by the percussionist’s timba-esque groove. He employs a variety of techniques to add color to his solo before the rhythm section transitions into a standard salsa groove for Nakai’s improvisation. Rodriguez and Nakai join together on a unison line that serves as a foundation for Bizeau’s creative percussion solos. Nakai presents an uplifting major vamp that blends into a subdued bata rhythm on “The Flying Gray Cat.” Formell builds a thoughtful improvisation full of subtle articulations that leads into a change in bata rhythm. Nakai develops an introspective statement, full of tipico phrases that create a striking contrast against the driving feel. Intertwining lines between the piano and bass form a reflective mood on “Fragments of Sadness” as different combinations of percussion instruments create alternating textures. Nakai’s solo explores several melodic and rhythmic possibilities as del Pino breaks the standard tumbao to insert interactive phrases. Her solo builds into a strong minor montuno for a ferocious bongó solo from Flores. These songs find Nakai and Bizeau experimenting with new ideas, pushing their Latin Jazz concept into the future.

Exciting Music That Respects The Past, Present, and Future
Nakai and Bizeau bring together their knowledge of the past, awareness of the present, and hopes for the future into a solid performance on Bridges. Their arrangements constantly assert their collective personality while touching a variety of traditional elements. Nakai’s keen harmonic sensibility shapes the form and flow of the songs, while Bizeau’s vast rhythmic vocabulary provides an exciting blend of styles. The duo’s ability to easily step between a traditional Latin Jazz approach and a funky timba groove reveals their deep knowledge of both genres. Despite any historical divides between the different styles, Nakai and Bizeau focus upon commonalities, making the music sound completely cohesive. Their creative combinations of bata rhythms, varying textures, and unique compositional techniques highlights the groups desire to move beyond interpretation and place their identities at the music’s forefront. The group’s inherent abilities imply success in this venture - Nakai demonstrates a breathtaking grasp on style with expressive solos and exhilarating montunos while Bizeau consistently brings instrumental virtuosity and tasteful stylistic performance to the recording. All these elements solidify into an exciting set of music on Bridges that simultaneously respects the past, present, and future of Latin Jazz.

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