The Revisiting series features albums from the past that played a significant role in Latin Jazz history. The purpose of this series is to introduce new Latin Jazz listeners to important albums and look back at these albums in historical perspective. Each entry will jump to a different point in Latin Jazz history – this week we’ll visit 1985.
Respect doesn’t come easily in the musical community. An artist must display an exceptional musical ability. They might stand out as an improviser, an arranger, a technician, or a composer; the skill may vary, but the requirement remains the same – excellence. A one-time act of incredible musicianship may inspire awe, but it doesn’t amount to respect. A musician needs to repeatedly perform with a high degree of artistry to earn a musical community’s respect. Once they garner respect within that given community, they face the reality that their reputation falls upon deaf ears outside that community. The true ability of earning a widespread respect requires a musician to walk across several musical worlds and master them all. Once this massive feat is accomplished the musician needs to maintain that respect on multiple fronts. Not many musicians receive long lasting and deep respect in one genre, more or less several different styles – so when a musician breeds this much respect, they are historically significant.
Jorge Dalto was born on July 7, 1948, in Jorge Perez, Argentina, where he studied music until he relocated to the United States in 1969. He found work quickly, building his reputation and eventually recording on Carmen McRae’s 1971 album Ms. Magic. His increased profile led him to New York in 1973, where he soon became a part of saxophonist Gato Barbieri’s band. He appeared on Dizzy Gillespie’s 1975 collaboration with the Machito Orchestra Afro-Cuban Jazz Moods and he won a Grammy Award in 1976 for his work as pianist and arranger on “This Masquerade” from George Benson’s hit album Breezin’
. The fusion crowd made good use of his skills – he appeared extensively with Benson, as well as with Grover Washington, Jr. on the 1979 album Skylarkin’
and Spyro Gyra on the 1983 album City Kids
. He traveled with Tito Puente, Carlos “Patato” Valdes, and Alfredo de la Re as the Latin Percussion Jazz Ensemble, recording the album Live At The Montreaux Jazz Festival. He became a member of Tito Puente’s band in the early 1980s and recorded the albums On Broadway
and El Rey
. In addition, percussionist Jerry Gonzalez hired Dalto to play on The River Is Deep
and saxophonist Paquito D’Rivera used him for Taste of Paquito
. In the midst of Dalto’s busy schedule, he formed his own group – the Interamerican Band – and then began performing and recording.
The 1985 album Urban Oasis from Dalto and his Interamerican Band includes some fine Latin Jazz with a recurring commercial edge. Dalto’s unbeatable rhythmic groove starts “Samba All Day Long,” which moves the melody towards some energetic improvisations from Dalto and flautist Artie Webb. “Killer Joe” receives a cha cha cha underpinning, which Dalto and Webb attack with solo ideas until conguero Carlos “Patato” Valdes and bongocero Jose Mangual, Sr. trade invigorating ideas. Dalto’s wife Adela adds vocals to the Brazilian-tinged, English language piece “Ease My Pain,” which includes a short but captivating piano solo. Sergio Brandao’s driving bass livens Freddie Hubbard’s “Skydive,” where Dalto shows a wide palette, moving his solo between piano and Fender Rhodes. A rubato piano statement moves into a gentle yet catchy cha cha cha on “La Costa,” providing a forum for some insightful work from Dalto and an ear-catching bass solo from Sal Cuevas. In many ways, the album captures the best of Dalto’s work in several worlds, showing his multi-lingual ability to bring out artistry in any setting.
Urban Oasis marked the beginning of countless possibilities for the Interamerican Band, but unfortunately most of those future options never emerged. Dalto had been diagnosed with cancer, and the disease overtook him during 1986. He spent most of the year outside the music scene, and in October of 1987, he died in New York at the age of 39. Jazz and Latin musicians felt the blow of such a major loss, but Dalto was never forgotten. In 1989, the Cheetah label released Rendevous
, an album that Dalto recorded with a group he dubbed as his Superfriends. This group included fusion superstars such as saxophonist David Sanborn, guitar player George Benson, drummer Steve Gadd, bassist Anthony Jackson, and more. In 1992, the previously unreleased album Solo Piano
displayed a completely different side of Dalto’s work, expanding his audience even more. 2007 saw the release of New York Nightline
, another Superfriends affair that recalled the same mix of funky backbeats, bluesy improvisation, and Latin flair. Dalto’s work maintains a timeless nature – due to the high quality musicianship that he consistently displayed and the overarching respect that his work demanded and deserved.
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Check Out These Related Posts:
Revisiting Latin Jazz Classics: Live At The Montreux Jazz Festival 1980, The Latin Percussion Jazz Ensemble
Revisiting Latin Jazz Classics: Manhattan Mambo, Hilton Ruiz
Revisiting Latin Jazz Classics: Afro-Cuban Jazz Moods, Dizzy Gillespie with the Machito Orchestra
Revisiting Latin Jazz Classics: Chapter Three – Viva Emiliano Zapata, Gato Barbieri
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