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 1961.

The Latin Jazz world offers an unlimited range of possible interpretations, giving musicians with a far-reaching artistic vision the opportunity to explore a variety of directions. History provides guidelines and a defined performance practice, but the path laid out by history does not necessarily dictate the direction that an artist must follow. They can integrate a variety of jazz influences from bebop to fusion leanings and free improvisation. Each one of these directions presents a large group of variations that allows an artist to tweak the style even further. For the creative musician, the challenge then becomes the balance between tradition and innovation - a controversial topic and a never ending process. The struggle to find a voice within tradition while pushing the boundaries of exploration helps an artist put the genre into perspective and shapes their performance technique into a refined skill. When they do return to the world of traditional Latin Jazz performance, the results can be astounding, and leaving the Latin Jazz world with a truly memorable event.

Louis Martinez was born on July 14, 1930 in New York’s Spanish Harlem, and spent his childhood building his inherent musical talents into a career. By the age of 14, he was performing regularly with several popular Latin dance bands, including groups led by Marcelino Guerra and Catalino Rolón. This early professional experience paid off; in 1948, the 18-year-old Martinez earned a golden Latin Jazz gig, replacing the late Chano Pozo in trumpet player Dizzy Gillespie’s band. Gillespie gave Martinez the well-known nickname “Sabu,” due to his resemblance to a popular Indian actor with the same name. He stayed with Gillespie until the following year when he toured with the Benny Goodman Orchestra. By this time, Martinez had captured the attention of the jazz world, recording and performing with popular artists such as pianist Horace Silver and trombone player J.J. Johnson. In 1957 Martinez joined drummer Art Blakey to record Orgy in Rhythm, Vol. 1&2, an influential mixture of jazz, African music, and Afro-Cuban rhythms. Martinez also made his debut as a leader that year with Palo Congo, a percussion heavy release that featured legendary Cuban tresero Arsenio Rodriguez. In the next couple of years, Martinez entered the realm of “exotica” with Safari and Sorcery, two recordings that blended Afro-Cuban drumming and implications of African music. These recordings stepped far outside Martinez’s jazz background, but became cult classics and a major piece of his reputation. By the 1960s, Martinez had established himself as a major musical figure that crossed between a variety of genres as both a sideman and leader.

Martinez’s work as a leader moved back towards traditional Latin Jazz in 1961 as he collaborated with timbalero Louis Ramirez on the Alegre release Sabu’s Jazz Espagnole. Ramirez penned several tracks, including the up-tempo son montuno “The Oracle,” a burning jam session with intensive solos from trumpet player Marty Sheller, saxophonist Bobby Porcelli, pianist Arty Jenkins, and Sabu on congas. The group cleverly turns the Livingstone and Evans composition “Delilah” into a medium tempo Afro, giving Sheller extensive room to display his gift for melodic invention. Ramirez contributes “Flamenco Ain’t Bad,” a driving salsa piece that provides a perfect opportunity for Porcelli to weave his biting tone through a series of bebop-inflected lines. Sheller foreshadows the success of his career as a top-notch composer and arranger with “Breakin’ It In,” a creative piece that skillfully combines melodic ideas and rhythm section kicks. Martinez looks back upon a former employee as the band storms through a scorching version of Gillespie’s “Woody’n You,” with virtuosic bebop solos from Porcelli and Sheller. The group also dives into material from jazz giant Horace Silver with enthusiastic arrangements of two of his classic compositions, “Endearment” and “Nica’s Dream.” Sabu’s Jazz Espagnole resonates with strong compositions, inspired performances, and an underlying passion that pushes the recording into the realm of unmissable music.

Martinez continued his creative path following Sabu’s Jazz Espagnole, moving in a variety of directions. He moved to Puerto Rico in 1964, where he performed with a variety of local bands including the Johnny Conquet Orchestra. Martinez met his first wife in Puerto Rico; they married in 1967 and moved to her homeland, Sweden. Martinez quickly found a wealth of work in Sweden, performing with artists such as the Radio Jazz Group of Stockholm, Mads Vinding, the Peter Herbolzheimer Rhythm Combination and Brass, Gugge Hedrenius’ Big Band, and Ivan Oscarsson. He worked extensively as a private teacher, published a book of conga exercises, and formed a Sweden-based group, New Burnt Sugar. The American jazz community remembered Martinez fondly and he appeared on several recordings, including Kenny Clarke’s 1973 release Latin Kaleidoscope, Art Farmer’s 1976 album Sleeping Bee, and George Russell’s 1978 recording New York Big Band. He recorded his final album as a leader in 1973, Afro Temple, a brilliant mix of Cuban music, free jazz, and exotic sounds. Martinez died on January 13, 1979, at the young age of 48, a victim of a gastric ulcer. During the course of his career, Martinez explored a wide spectrum of his creative passions, touching upon genres as far reaching as traditional jazz and exotica. Sabu’s Jazz Espagnole stands as a shining example of the potential in his interpretation of traditional Latin Jazz, a strong showing of musicality, creativity, and knowledgeable performance.

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Check Out These Related Posts:
Revisiting Latin Jazz Classics: Urban Oasis, Jorge Dalto and the Interamerican Band
Revisiting Latin Jazz Classics: At The Blackhawk, Mongo Santamaria
Revisiting Latin Jazz Classics: Paunetto’s Point, Bobby Vince Paunetto
5 Important Recordings Featuring Carlos “Patato” Valdes

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