Latin Jazz This Week will bring you a weekly look into news from the Latin Jazz world. You’ll find new releases, recommended performances, web finds, and more. You can check out some current sounds in the Listening Center tab at the top of the page. Performance dates will be kept in the Live Latin Jazz tab at the top of the page.
NEWS
The fantastic website on everything Brazilian – Brazzil.com – recently published a review of the upcoming CD from Mark Levine & The Latin Tinge, Off & On: The Music of Moacir Santos. It’s more than a review though; it goes in depth into Santos’ history and contributions, a necessity for those of us with much to learn about his large body of music. The article takes some time to discuss the Levine album as well with some very positive comments. The album is an incredible piece of work – it will be a necessity for your record collection, so get the inside scoop now. Read the article HERE.
Speaking of Levine’s Off & On: The Music of Moacir Santos, next Sunday, September 6, he will be interviewed by one of the most important media figures in Bay Area Latin music, Jesse “Chuy” Varela. The interview will air as part of Varela’s regular Sunday Latin Jazz show on KCSM Jazz 91.1, a wonderful dip into the past and present of Latin music – definitely worth a listen if you’ve never heard it before. The interview will air at 3:00 p.m. PST, and even if you’re not on the West Coast, you can stream it live online – go HERE to stream the show!
Photographer Carlos Haddock took the opportunity to capture some outstanding pictures at the recent 2009 Heineken Jazz Festival, which have been posted on the Latin Jazz Network. There are some incredible shots here, you can check out everyone, including Enclave, Eddie Palmieri’s Afro-Caribbean Jazz Octet, Giovanni Hidalgo, Paulo Stagnaro’s La Timbistica, Oscar Castro Neves, and more. It’s an incredible look inside the festival for those of us not lucky enough to attend. You can check out the photo album HERE.
Legendary Cuban vocalist Benny Moré would have celebrated his 90th birthday this past week on August 24th, certainly a milestone for an important figure. Hector Aviles captured the essence of the event this past week with a great post on Moré’s life and influence, including points about more modern groups reflecting his impact. It’s a good article about an important man – check it out HERE.
If you’re in EUROPE this week . . . OMAR SOSA
Seminario Nuoro Jazz WHEN: Thursday 9/2/09 WHERE:Santuario di San Cosimo
Mamoiada
Sardinia, Italy TIME: 9:30 p.m.
Festival di Regnos Altos WHEN: Saturday 9/5/09 WHERE:Convento Dei Cappuccini
Bosa
Sardinia, Italy TIME: 9:30 p.m.
If you’re on the EAST COAST this week . . . ARTURO O’FARRILL
Solo Piano WHEN: Wednesday 9/2/09 WHERE:Puppet’s Jazz Bar
481 5th Avenue Park Slope
Brooklyn, NY TIME: 7:00 p.m. TICKETS: $10
WHEN: Sunday 9/6/09 WHERE:Jefferson Park
3rd Street and Komenac Street
Menasha, WI TIME: 4:30 p.m. TICKETS: FREE
CHEMBO CORNIEL WHEN: Thursday 9/3/09 WHERE:Nuyorican Poet’s Cafe
236 East 3rd Street
New York, NY TIME: 9:00 p.m. TICKETS: $7
EDDIE PALMIERI
New York Salsa Congress WHEN: Sunday 9/6/09 WHERE:Hilton New York Hotel
1335 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY TIME: 11:30 p.m. TICKETS: $35
ERIC KURIMSKI WHEN: Thursday 9/3/09 WHERE:Terraza Cafe
40-19 Gleane St
Elmhurst, NY TIME: 10:00 p.m. TICKETS: FREE
GABRIEL ALEGRIA AFRO-PERUVIAN JAZZ SEXTET WHEN: Thursday 9/3/09 – Sunday 9/6/09 WHERE:Tutuma Social Club
164 East 56th Street
New York, NY TIME: Thursday – Saturday 8:00 p.m. & 10:30 p.m.; Sunday 7:00 p.m. TICKETS: NO COVER
JOEL HOMES WHEN: Tuesday 9/1/09 – Wednesday 9/2/09 WHERE:Tutuma Social Club
164 East 56th Street
New York, NY TIME: 8:00 p.m. & 10:30 p.m. TICKETS: NO COVER
OSCAR PEREZ WHEN: Thursday 9/3/09 WHERE:Jazz Gallery
290 Hudson Street
New York, NY TIME: 9:00 p.m. & 10:30 p.m. TICKETS: $15 – 9:00 p.m.; $10 – 10:30 p.m.
PAQUITO D’RIVERA WHEN: Friday 9/4/09 WHERE:Seiji Ozawa Hall
297 West Street
Lenox, MA TIME: 8:00 p.m. TICKETS: $31 – $55
RICHIE FLORES WHEN: Thursday 9/3/09 WHERE:Fonda Boricua
172 East 106th Street
New York, NY TIME: 9:00 p.m. TICKETS: NO COVER
TRIO DA PAZ WHEN: Tuesday 9/1/09 – Sunday 9/6/09 WHERE:Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola
33 West 60th Street
New York, NY TIME: 7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.; 11:30 p.m. on Fri. & Sat. TICKETS: $30 – $25
If you’re in the MID-EAST this week . . . ALFREDO RODRIGUEZ
Detroit Jazz Festival WHEN: Sunday 9/6/09 WHERE:Mack Avenue Pyramid Stage
Hart Plaza
Detroit, MI TIME: 2:15 p.m. TICKETS: FREE
CHICAGO AFRO-LATIN JAZZ ENSEMBLE WHEN: Saturday 9/5/09 WHERE:Jackson Stage
Jackson Street
Chicago, IL TIME: 4:30 p.m. TICKETS: FREE
CHUCHITO VALDES
Detroit Jazz Festival WHEN: Monday 9/7/09 WHERE:Mack Avenue Pyramid Stage
Hart Plaza
Detroit, MI TIME: 4:15 p.m. TICKETS: FREE
GONZALO RUBALCABA WHEN: Saturday 9/5/09 WHERE:Petrillo Stage
Grant Park
Chicago, IL TIME: 4:30 p.m. TICKETS: FREE
PETE ESCOVEDO
Detroit Jazz Festival WHEN: Sunday 9/6/09 WHERE:Chase Main Stage
Cadillac Square
Detroit, MI TIME: 9:00 p.m. TICKETS: FREE
TUMBAO BRAVO WHEN: Thursday 9/3/09 WHERE:Liberty Plaza Park
SW Corner of East Liberty and South Division
Ann Arbor, MI TIME: 11:30 a.m. TICKETS: FREE
WHEN: Sunday 9/6/09 WHERE:Sangria – Royal Oak
401 S. Lafayette
Royal Oak, MI TIME: 9:00 p.m.
If you’re in the MID-WEST this week . . . PETE ESCOVEDO WHEN: Friday 9/4/09 WHERE:Jackson Hole Center For The Arts
265 S. Cache St.
Jackson Hole, WY TIME: 7:00 p.m. TICKETS: $10 in advance; $15 at door
If you’re on the WEST COAST this week . . . ALEXA WEBER MORALES WHEN: Saturday 9/5/09 WHERE:Cafe Claude
7 Claude Lane
San Francisco, CA TIME: 7:30 p.m.
BELASCO/ROWELL PROJECT
Celebrating Kenny WHEN: Monday 8/31/09 WHERE:Yoshi’s – Oakland
510 Embarcadero West
Oakland, CA TIME: 8:00 p.m. TICKETS: $16
FRANCISCO AGUABELLA WHEN: Saturday 9/5/09 WHERE:Steamer’s Cafe
138 W. Commonwealth
Fullerton, CA TIME: 8:30 p.m. TICKETS: $8
GILBERT CASTELLANOS WHEN: Monday 8/31/09 WHERE:GIO
8384 La Mesa Boulevard
La Mesa, CA TIME: 7:00 p.m. TICKETS: NO COVER
WHEN: Tuesday 9/1/09 WHERE:Onyx Room
852 5th Avenue
San Diego, CA TIME: 9:00 p.m. TICKETS: FREE
JOHN SANTOS SEXTET WHEN: Friday 9/4/09 WHERE:De Young Museum
50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive
San Francisco, CA TIME: 6:30 p.m. TICKETS: FREE
JOVINO SANTOS NETO WHEN: Wednesday 9/2/09 WHERE:Waterfront Park
1301 Alaskan Way
Seattle, WA TIME: 12:00 p.m. TIME: FREE
NAGUAL WHEN: Friday 9/4/09 WHERE:Formaggio
11211 East Point Drive,
Rancho Cordova, CA TIME: 6:00 p.m. TICKETS: NO COVER
PONCHO SANCHEZ WHEN: Monday 8/31/09 WHERE:Typhoon Restaurant
3221 Donald Douglas Loop South
Santa Monica, CA TIME: 8:00 p.m. & 9:30 p.m. TICKETS: $10
WHEN: Monday 8/31/09 WHERE:Blue Cafe
210 Promenade
Long Beach, CA TIME: 8:00 p.m. TICKETS: $12
SCOTT MARTIN LATIN SOUL BAND WHEN: Saturday 9/5/09 WHERE:Hip Kitty
502 W. First Street
Claremont, CA TIME: 8:00 p.m.
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Jazz journalist and blogger Peter Hum recently threw the hypothetical question to his audience about whether the Europe jazz scene had overshadowed the scene in the United States. Hum seemed to imply that he still found jazz in the US as a vital force, but based upon the recent explosion of interest in the jazz audience (due to an inflammatory article from Terry Teachout – read it HERE.), it seemed like a valid question. Hum cites several important examples of stateside musicians collaborating with European musicians, including video of Wynton Marsalis performing with accordion player Richard Galliano and pianist Chano Dominguez. There’s the increasing lack of work for jazz musicians in the United States, coupled with the ongoing availability and public admiration for the art form in Europe, as pointed out in a quote from Dave Liebman. In addition, Europe has turned out a good number of outwardly creative musicians with distinctive voices over the past few years, including Thomas Stanko and Esbjorn Svensson. These artists have made a major impact on stateside audiences, making us rethink our current state of creative affairs – and these are just the artists that have gotten wide US public exposure. There have to be a long list of additional European jazz musicians just waiting to be heard by US audiences. While the jury is still out on which side of the Atlantic Ocean currently holds more jazz muscle, there’s certainly ample evidence to support a demand for attention by European jazz artists.
I’m not sure if European jazz audiences outweigh US sources – it’s really an area where I need to dig deeper- but I do know that a lot of good Latin Jazz is happening in Europe. United States artists are making a habit out of touring through the Old World, finding a wealth of venues eager to provide work and audiences anxious to hear their music. Individuals in Europe are integrating the influences of master musicians, but being far removed from the pressures of tradition, they put their unique spin on the music. In England, percussionist Snowboy has built a career upon the shoulders of stateside musicians such as Tito Puente, but his DJ alter ego has brought different sounds such as organ into the mix. Without a legion of watchful eyes keeping them online with tradition, many European musicians have taken broad interpretive liberties with the music. The CMS Trio follows along the lineage of Latin rhythms and jazz, but their lack of a chordal instrument allows for wide harmonic and improvisational freedoms. On the other hand, European musicians have the opportunity to stay more closely connected to the music’s source than US artists – Cuban musicians can perform in Europe. Hamlet and His Latin Jazz Experience integrate elements of timba and modern Latin Jazz in a distinctly European way. Regardless of comparisons to the United States, the Europe has embraced the Latin Jazz world and we are seeing some interesting results.
Recent LJC spotlight artist Samuel Quinto serves as a great example of a contemporary European Latin Jazz artist making a serious statement. His easily identifiable style brings together pieces of American jazz, Cuban and Brazilian music, as well as a strong European personality. I don’t believe that Latin Jazz is making a move for Europe, but I certainly think that it is alive and thriving there. In honor of that thought, today’s Latin Jazz Photo Album features Quinto and his trio performing in a series of actively engaging shots. Enjoy!
———- Samuel Quinto
The Samuel Quinto Trio
Trio Members Bassist Marcos Borges & Drummer Manuel Santiesteban
Samuel Quinto
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Looking for more from Samuel Quinto? Check out his album: Salsa’ N Jazz
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Do you have pictures to contribute to the Latin Jazz photo album? I’d love to have everyone in the Latin Jazz community contribute! I’ll be posting five to ten pictures a week – I’m looking for live performance shots, not promo pics. I’d like to keep them centered around one artist per week, but if you’ve got another idea, let’s talk. So come on Latin Jazz photographers, musicians, and fans – let’s put some more memorable pictures in the Latin Jazz Photo Album! Get my contact info HERE.
Entre Cuerdas Edmar Castaneda
Artistshare
Musicians that play unique instruments in jazz certainly bring attention to themselves, but the enduring appeal of their work depends upon more than their chosen musical tool. When an audience first discovers the musician, they most likely will focus upon the association between artist and instrument; new and unfamiliar musical personalities inspire curiosity. This initial fancy only lasts so long though, until the audience moves beyond their eyes and open their ears to the music. As the audience changes their perception, the artist needs substantial musicianship and a defined artistic concept to forge a positive connection with their audience. Once they find a bond with their audience, they need to continue on the path of artistic development, further defining their voice. At this point, their chosen instrument is a footnote as they follow the same process that any jazz musician experiences. This road will build a sustainable career and ensure an interesting long-term artistic output. Other choices may simply lead the artist into a creative dead end filled with novelty. Colombian harpist Edmar Castaneda moves beyond the confines of his instrument and displays outstanding musicianship throughout Entre Cuerdas, leading his trio on a journey through diverse musical settings.
Presenting Original Compositions With The Core Trio
Several tracks find Castaneda presenting original compositions with his core trio. He delivers a dramatic unaccompanied solo filled with trills and counter lines on the introduction to “Entre Cuerdas” before diving into a rapid set of arpeggios behind trombonist Marshall Gilkes’ assertive melody. Gilkes slides into a contemplative improvisation, before handing the spotlight to Castaneda who tears through a rhythmic set of chords. The two musicians continue their driving exchange, building into an exciting climax consisting of syncopated harp attacks and brash trombone figures. An enthusiastic swing section smoothly segues into a Columbian cumbia on “Colombian Dixie,” providing the foundation for a winding melody. Castaneda utilizes a combination of space, quickly ascending arpeggios, and harmonized melodies to construct a potent statement that pushes the momentum forward. After a brief return to the melody, Gilkes moves slowly into his improvisation, cleverly building figures around the groove with his strong, cutting tone. Castaneda sets the rhythmic foundation with clearly defined chords on “Afro Seis” before sharing melodic duties with Gilkes. The group thins the texture as Castaneda brings his harp into the forefront, attacking the instrument with sharp quick jabs that build tension and excitement. An angular interlude transitions into Gilkes’ solo, allowing him to ride the band’s inertia into a frenzied development that leads into an abrupt end. Each musician displays an obvious comfort in the trio format, helping their performances rise into powerful statements.
Sharing The Spotlight With Guest Artists
Castaneda and his trio share the spotlight with a number of guest artists on other pieces, inserting different voices and aesthetics into the mix. Stuttering staccato lines from Castaneda’s harp explode into a dramatic rhythmic vamp on “Sabroson” before Gilkes jumps into a melody with a funky background. The band quiets behind Castaneda, who begins his improvisation with single note lines that grow into driving chordal patterns. A series of jagged breaks provide an open environment for guest guitarist John Scofield to race into a distinct statement filled with edgy licks and his classic distorted tone. Castaneda flies through an ascending pattern before establishing a firm foundation on “Colibri” while Gilkes and guest vibraphonist Joe Locke deliver a melody based around rhythmic accents. Locke finds a comfortable fit among the trio, with sympathetic melodies and a tone that blends beautifully into Castaneda’s harp. After a quick interlude, Castaneda takes a turn improvising with percussive chordal attacks and tense repeated patterns, before the whole group falls into sharp breaks for a virtuosic display from guest percussionist Samuel Torres. Gilkes plays against a solid arrangement on “Canto” before the he and Castaneda fall into an open free flowing foundation behind vocalist Andrea Tierra. As the group returns to a defined forward motion, Tierra dramatically delivers a combination of spoken word and traditional Colombian vocals with a commanding presence. Tierra’s vocals push the group into an unstoppable forward motion, providing the opportunity for Gilkes and Castaneda to enter into a furious conversation that takes the song into a powerful climax. These pieces both inspire and challenge the trio to find creative approaches to working with a number of diverse artistic voices.
Exploring Unique Musical Situations
Several pieces place Castaneda in a series of unique situations that demand advanced musicality and creative energy. Castaneda reaches into the upper range of his harp on a freely phrased introduction to “Jesus De Nazareth.” Once the harpist creates a steady pulse, he intersperses deep bass notes and quick chords between melodic pieces, creating a personal and introspective mood. Castaneda remains alone throughout the piece, demonstrating the ability to create powerful mood and message on his instrument through the careful application of his prodigious technique. An exchange of high, pinched notes from both Castaneda and Locke on “Song Of Hope” open into a shared vamp and then melody from the two musicians. After a beautifully arranged melody, Locke steps into a quietly intense improvisation filled with a bluesy grace that grows into a flight of notes. The musicians fall into an open freedom before Castaneda begins soloing, wrapping harmonized melodies and rhythmic chords around Locke’s lush vibes chords. Castaneda presents a steady stream of chords and a syncopated bass line on Gilkes’ “Looking Forward” before the trombone player delicately travels through his own melody. Gilkes improvises thoughtfully over Castaneda as the harpist finds his way smoothly into a modern jazz setting. Castaneda starts his improvisation with healthy doses of space, developing his theme into a full-blown vamp for a colorful statement from Silliman. Each of these pieces explores a different side of Castaneda’s musicianship outside the trio, as he navigates each new territory with style and grace.
Engaging Music And A Highly Developed Musical Vision
Castaneda delivers a rich artistic statement on Entre Cuerdas that shines with a highly developed musical vision. Castaneda’s approach sparkles with originality, but that unique nature stems from more than his instrument. As a composer, Castaneda integrates elements of traditional Colombian music, modern jazz harmony, contemporary improvisation ideas, and even quick dips into swing and funk. He carefully relates each of these musical worlds to his bigger concept, always maintaining a consistent personality. His approach to the Colombian harp stands apart from traditional performance techniques, drawing upon a variety of colors and sounds. Sometimes he sounds like a piano, while at other times you can hear a distinct guitar influence. Intelligence, passion, and conviction always underline his performance, audible through quick tremolo and sharp chordal attacks. His harp bass lines sound like a fourth band member, demonstrating wide stylistic knowledge and mind numbing independence. As Castaneda applies his numerous techniques though, it becomes easy to forget the physical nature of his harp and simply enjoy the engaging music. Gilkes plays an essential role throughout the album, appearing as a smart and sometimes explosive soloist. Silliman works as the glue holding each song together with defined forms and an immense array of percussion colors. Castaneda applies his unique ideas boldly throughout Entre Cuerdas but in the end he simply delivers engaging music that transcends his instrument of choice, serving as a natural extension of his musical personality.
I’ve adopted a report card format to keep track of the Latin Jazz presence at major festivals here at LJC. It’s time to break down the facts and examine the honest support of Latin Jazz at jazz festivals. I’ve developed ten categories that ensure the success of Latin Jazz at a festival, assigning each category ten points. I want to be fair and reflect the needs of musicians, audience members, and promoters, realizing that festivals cater to more styles than simply Latin Jazz. Still, I want to keep an eye on festivals and their use of Latin Jazz, hopefully inspiring some reflection, discussion, and eventually changes in the support of Latin Jazz at festivals.
The categories are listed below; we have 10 categories, each assigned 10 points. At the end of the report card, we have a total of 100 points.
10 – Freebie points for holding a jazz festival at all
10 – Freebie points for simply including Latin Jazz in the festival line-up
10 – Flexible points that can be molded to festival special circumstances
10 – Percentage of Latin Jazz artists in the festival line-up
10 – Inclusion of both local and international Latin Jazz artists into the festival line-up
10 – Inclusion of both established and emerging Latin Jazz artists into the festival line-up
10 – Inclusion of a variety of Latin Jazz approaches into the festival line-up
10 – Scheduling of Latin Jazz acts during the festival to ensure maximum visibility
10 – Special event programming for Latin Jazz acts
10 – A Latin Jazz educational component
The Chicago Jazz Festival enters its 31st year in 2009, upholding a long legacy of great jazz in the windy city. The main Chicago Jazz Festival will occur over Labor Day weekend, from Friday September 4th – Sunday September 6th, covering four stages with continuous music. The city’s festival season started on August 1st with a series of events that provided some necessary diversity and built momentum into the Labor Day weekend. In addition, educational activities and cultural events happen year-round. The Jazz Institute of Chicago organizes all these events with a thoughtful and intelligent approach, taking into account the needs of their community and the greater jazz scene. This year, the Institute brought a major sponsor into the festival, as Carefusion provided significant financial backing for the city’s events. Although the festival has never gained the massive reputation of Newport or Monterey, the festival’s long-standing history and careful programming deserves a study. It’s a major event, and Latin Jazz should be represented fairly and intelligently.
So let’s run the 31st Annual Chicago Jazz Festival through the Latin Jazz Report Card . . .
———- Freebie points for holding a jazz festival at all
Freebie points for simply including Latin Jazz in the festival line-up
Flexible points that can be molded to festival special circumstances
The report card begins with the freebies, which award 30 points to the Chicago Jazz Festival from the start. The simple fact that the city holds a festival deserves merit, and the fact that they integrate Latin Jazz into that experience also brings credibility. In today’s precarious economic climate, the existence and survival of any jazz festival should be recognized. Chicago doesn’t get bogged down in these details though; they’re offering a free festival to the citizens of their city. Not only can they support and promote great jazz in Chicago, the lack of a price tag opens the door to new listeners and works towards audience development. In an age where we face a gradually declining jazz audience, The Jazz Institute of Chicago sees the bigger picture. This forward thinking viewpoint earns the festival the 10 flexible points without hesitation.
Chicago’s Grade In This Category = 30
———- Percentage of Latin Jazz artists in the festival line-up
The actual inclusion of Latin Jazz artists over the Labor Day weekend is a bit slim and in some ways underrepresented. The festival houses a number of acts, ranging from students groups to professional bands. For our purposes, we’ll focus upon the professional acts, which bring the total number of groups to 33. Within this collection of artists, only two groups represent the Latin Jazz world. We’re looking for 20% of the artists dedicated to Latin Jazz, a fair balance considering the inherent diversity in a major jazz festival. Unfortunately Chicago only dedicates a meager 6% of their festival to Latin Jazz.
The festival extends over more than a single weekend though, opening the possibilities of further Latin Jazz support. The Jazz Institute of Chicago holds festival concerts all year, including a mini-festival dedicated exclusively to Latin Jazz. In 2009, the event featured the Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble, John Rodriguez and Latin Inspiration, and Paulinho Garcia. The single event delivered some outstanding music, yet it also shined a focused spotlight upon Latin Jazz. With this event, The Jazz Institute of Chicago made a singular statement that Latin Jazz was an important piece of their musical landscape, and they jumped into a major support role. This focus upon Latin Jazz bumps the city’s score a bit in this category.
Chicago’s Grade In This Category = 6
———- Inclusion of both local and international Latin Jazz artists into the festival line-up Chicago boldly supports their local scene throughout the festival, featuring a long list of top-notch local performers. Most of these performers emphasize traditional jazz in their repertoire, reflecting the major artistic culture in the city. The Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble strongly represents the city’s local Latin Jazz scene, bringing the conceptions of their leaders pianist Darwin Noguera and trumpet player Victor Garcia into the forefront. Being a large ensemble, the band also hosts a number of musicians from all aspects of the city’s jazz scene, expressing their clave sensibilities in full force. The other two groups from the Latin Jazz festival were also local acts, reinforcing the Jazz Institute’s dedication to the local scene.
The sole Latin Jazz act originating outside Chicago would be pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, who will perform on Friday night, September 4. Granted, much of the traditional jazz from the festival originates in Chicago and very few outside groups enter the festival. In many ways, the festival stands as a celebration of Chicago’s jazz community. At the same time, the inclusion of musicians from other regions brings excitement into the crowd and allows for vital artistic exchange. Chicago could integrate more international artists into their line-up, and they loose points in this category.
Chicago’s Grade In This Category = 7
———- Inclusion of both established and emerging Latin Jazz artists into the festival line-up
Although the festival only choose to include a couple of Latin Jazz artists over the weekend, they did provide a good balance of experience and youth. Rubalcaba certainly stands as the tested veteran at this point in his career, displaying a refined, unique, and influential artistic personality. He brings a ton of history into every performance – from the influence of his band leader father to his cutting edge fusion in Cuba and explorations with modern American jazz artists, Rubalcaba has been around the block. The Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble represents a new generation of musicians making a definitive statement in the music. They integrate new ideas harmonically, explore different rhythmic traditions, and build upon the big band tradition. The balance between Rubalcaba and Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble clearly represents both sides of the equation; still, it would be nice to get a little more weight on either side.
Chicago’s Grade In This Category = 7
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Inclusion of a variety of Latin Jazz approaches into the festival line-up This is a tough category to gauge, due to the small number of acts at the festival, but the artists involved provide some diversity. The Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble’s repertoire includes traditional Cuban rhythms and fiery dance numbers that most people might expect. At the same time, the group’s leaders, Darwin Noguera and Victor Garcia regularly explore other regions, including Peru, Nicaragua, and more; most likely, the group’s direction will reflect this. Rubalcaba always paints a wide swatch of influences in his work, including traditional rhythms, modern jazz, free improvisation, and contemporary genres. He may explore any one of these directions at the festival, but there’s a guaranteed amount of diversity. The separate Latin Jazz festival included Brazilian rhythms and dance approaches, giving Chicago more weight here. Still, the modern Latin Jazz world contains an overwhelming amount of variety, and there’s just not enough here.
Chicago’s Grade In This Category = 6
———- Scheduling of Latin Jazz acts during the festival to ensure This category is a bit of a mixed bag for the Chicago festival, illuminating both positive and negative points. On one hand, Chicago prominently features Latin Jazz artists by placing them in the prime time slots on both Friday and Saturday. Gonzalo Rubalcaba closes the Petrillo Stage on Friday night, headlining the event from 8:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. On Saturday, the Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble headlines the afternoon portion of the event, playing at the Jazz on Jackson stage from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The high profile attention helps spread the word about Latin Jazz and certainly earns Chicago some points. At the same time, there are large chunks of all three days where a Latin Jazz fan can wander throughout the festival and not hear one bit of clave. Granted, the festival simply needs more Latin Jazz acts in order to fill this need – but that’s really the point. This fact lowers Chicago’s score a bit in this category.
Chicago’s Grade In This Category = 7
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Special event programming for Latin Jazz acts Special event programming can take many shapes from guest artists to the commission of original pieces; Chicago takes a bit of a creative approach here. Their support of the Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble deserves recognition here – hiring a big band requires a major financial investment. The existence of large Latin Jazz ensembles has become a bit of a rarity, and their appearance at a festival has been even more of a special event. The fact that Chicago integrates a large Latin Jazz ensemble into their festival qualifies as special programming. In addition, the Jazz Institute regularly organizes a mini-festival exclusively dedicated to Latin Jazz. In every way, this directed focus upon Latin Jazz screams special event programming. We’ll still leave room for improvement – wouldn’t it be amazing to hear someone like Paquito D’Rivera as a guest artist with the Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble – but Chicago scores high here.
Chicago’s Grade In This Category = 8
———-
A Latin Jazz educational component
The Jazz Institute of Chicago looks beyond the financial benefits of a jazz festival and looks at the long term benefits of education in their community. The Institute runs an outstanding educational program that actively involves young people in the art of jazz performance. While most of the program focuses upon traditional jazz, they consciously expose young people to Latin rhythms as part of their curriculum and build an awareness of the style. The Institute wisely fuels the future Chicago jazz scene with musicians and audience members that hold an active appreciation for Latin Jazz. At the same time, the Institute organized a free public screening of Calle 54 in order to educate their population about Latin Jazz and build some excitement around the Latin Jazz portion of the festival. Once again, Chicago sees the bigger picture and focuses upon audience development – as a result, Chicago score high again.
Chicago’s Grade In This Category = 9
———-
Our categories total 100 points, giving us a traditional A-B-C-D-F breakdown. Based on our above tallies, the Latin Jazz Report Card for the 31st Annual Chicago Jazz Festival looks like this:
Freebie points for holding a jazz festival at all
10 – Freebie points for simply including Latin Jazz in the festival line-up
10 – Flexible points that can be molded to festival special circumstances
6 – Percentage of Latin Jazz artists in the festival line-up
7 – Inclusion of both local and international Latin Jazz artists into the festival line-up
7 – Inclusion of both established and emerging Latin Jazz artists into the festival line-up
6 – Inclusion of a variety of Latin Jazz approaches into the festival line-up
7 – Scheduling of Latin Jazz acts during the festival to ensure maximum visibility
8 – Special event programming for Latin Jazz acts
9 – A Latin Jazz educational component
TOTAL: 80
GRADE: B-
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While they still have significant room for improvement, the Chicago Jazz Festival has made steps in the right direction. They’ve got their eye on the bigger picture, trying to create events that benefit their community rather than sell tickets. Their inclusion of educational activities helps build audience, ensuring a 50th Annual Chicago Jazz Festival. Hopefully next year we’ll see more Latin Jazz artists on their roster, but until then, let’s hope they maintain their smart focus.
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.
The Gardener
Darwin Noguera
Chicago Sessions
The younger generation of Latin Jazz musicians enters the field with an advantage over their elders, and in some ways, a bigger responsibility. History wrote itself before their emergence on the scene, and the work of their predecessors provides a large body of music to study. As they reflect upon the past, their current statements respond and react to their lessons, pointing towards new and original ideas. This give and take between past and present makes their music more diverse, varied, and at times, more sophisticated. They play upon the work of bebop musicians, but they also integrate the freedom and advanced harmony of modern jazz. Their use of Latin rhythms moves far beyond the Afro-Cuban and Brazilian genres, finding natural transitions into Peru, Argentina, Nicaragua, Colombia, and beyond. They base their work off a different aesthetic – the cultural mash-up of Latin rhythms, jazz harmonies, and popular music seems like a natural act that results in powerful music. All these advantages allow the young Latin Jazz musician to race into the future, but they can’t move ahead without remembering an important responsibility; each move into the future needs to reflect respectfully and intelligently upon the lessons of the past. Pianist Darwin Noguera and his Evolution Quintet maintains a balance between the lessons of the past and the advantages of the present on The Gardener, a spellbinding collection of performances that walk the line between traditional jazz, Peru, Nicaragua, and Argentina.
Dipping Into Music From Nicaragua And Argentina
Noguera covers a broad swatch of Latin Jazz territory on several pieces that integrate rhythms from Nicaragua and Argentina. A lively piano line twists around percussionist Juan Daniel Pastor’s cajon on “Aguas Quietas” as harmonica player Howard Levy places an upbeat melody over a Son-Nica rhythm. Levy and Noguera wrap their parts closely around the arrangement, providing a clever combination of lyrical grace and rich tonal colors. As Levy flies into an impressive improvisation, he winds virtuosic embellishments around the main melody with an enthusiastic vigor. The rhythm section creates a stately tango foundation as Levy provides a bold melodic statement on “Tango Astoroid” which grows into a powerful momentum with the help of trumpet player Victor Garcia and alto saxophonist Greg Ward. Drummer Ernie Adams bursts into a driving swing rhythm as Garcia leaps into a hard bop tinged solo with an even balance of introspective melodies and fiery flurries of notes. Levy tears through the swing rhythm with an attention grabbing improvisation that leads into a tango interlude and an engaging unaccompanied statement. A brief piano introduction leads Noguera into a Son-Nica rhythm on “Mamanicara,” before eloquently presenting a firm yet graceful melody over a creative arrangement. The rhythm section disappears as Noguera moves into his improvisation unaccompanied, building a beautiful and reflective statement that reveals a sensitive artistic presence. The rhythm section enters gradually behind Noguera, gaining momentum behind him until they reach a furious double time section that sends the pianist’s solo into an unforgettable climax. These songs demonstrate Noguera’s broad view of Latin Jazz, delivering an artistic approach that respectfully integrates traditional music from Nicaragua and Argentina while maintaining a serious jazz presence.
Deriving Inspiration From Peruvian Rhythms
Noguera reveals another side to his Latin Jazz concept with two pieces that derive inspiration from Peruvian rhythms. An angular and attention grabbing vamp send the rhythm section racing into “Señor Del Pozo” before Garcia and Ward wind an interesting melody around an up-tempo combination of festejo and swing. Garcia enters his improvisation with an intelligent melodic approach over a festejo rhythm until the rhythm section explodes into swing, pushing him towards aggressive streams of flying notes. Noguera follows with a smartly constructed improvisation that reveals well-studied jazz chops until bassist Joshua Ramos makes a rhythmic statement that burns with a percussive intensity. The rhythm section enters with an understated momentum on “Lejana Esperanza” as Ward thoughtfully places the melody over a lando rhythm. Noguera begins his improvisation with a reflective mood, eventually stretching phrases into an emotionally charged statement brimming with tension. The band quiets behind Ward, who carefully develops ideas utilizing plenty of space, expressive articulations, and a growing sense of dynamics. Noguera shows a strong connection to Peruvian music on these songs, delivering performances that creatively wrap jazz aesthetics around festejo and lando.
A Strong Connection To Traditional Jazz
Several tracks demonstrate Noguera’s strong connection to traditional jazz and his solid performance skills in the genre. Tenor saxophonist Rocky Yera, Ward, and Garcia delicately intertwine melodies over a spacious swing rhythm on “Izzy’s Lullaby” before Garcia takes the melodic lead. The melody blurs into Garcia’s solo, which builds momentum with a combination of lyrical phrases and short percussive jabs, instigating playful response from the rhythm section. Noguera plays around the music’s steady flow, building his ideas over the band’s interactive spirit until Yera dives into his statement with a commanding presence that calls distinctly upon the modern jazz language. As Noguera steadily provides a series of steady chords, Ramos states the melody with a quiet intensity on “Grace” before the pianist journeys through the song’s main theme with help from Ward. The rhythm section balances between a Latin tinge and an implied funky backbone behind Noguera who constructs an eloquent statement using bluesy phrases. Ward leaps into his solo with a soulful sound that travels through flashes of rapid runs and a rhythmic edge, delivering an emotion packed statement. A simple yet graceful vamp from Noguera provides the foundation for understated improvised lines from Garcia, Ward, and Yera, opening “Color De Tu Sonrisa” into a slowly simmering melody. Ward grabs his improvisation with a quiet intensity, using his expressive tone, masterful sense of dynamics, and wide range to construct an attention grabbing statement. A lushly arranged interlude leads into a statement from Noguera, who drives bold melodies through the rhythm section, building the song into a dramatic ending. These tracks display a different side of Noguera’s musicality, exposing a keen ability to step into the traditional jazz world while staying connected to a Latin foundation.
Proud Representatives Of The Latin Jazz World’s Next Generation
Noguera delivers a smart series of compositions and performances on The Gardener, filled with respectful references to a broad variety of genres. As a pianist, Noguera emergences as a significant young voice, ready to move into the future. He shapes melodies with the intelligent musicality and lush harmonic knowledge of a classically trained musician while improvising with the fearless passion of an experienced jazz artist. He skillfully moves between a prominent role as an improviser and the quietly supportive background role of an accompanist without dropping a beat. As a bandleader, Noguera smartly balances his own artistic presence with the contributions of his quintet. From compositions to solo time, Noguera shares the spotlight, letting the needs of the music take top priority. Garcia appears as a fiery and commanding improviser with the poignant ability to send the rhythm section into a screaming frenzy. Ward stands as a striking contrast to Garcia, making his own personal statement with a wide range of expressive articulations and almost vocal inflections. Levy integrates the harmonica with class and style on two tracks, finding a defined spot for his unique instrument among the ensemble. Noguera and the Evolution Quintet stand tall as proud representatives of the Latin Jazz world’s next generation on The Gardener, delivering an essential blend of modern savvy and lessons from the past.
2008 marked a banner year for the growth and acceptance of Afro-Peruvian Jazz as it moved into a major position in the Latin Jazz world – a trend that continued strongly into 2009. In 2008, a number of artists released outstanding recordings that authentically captured the depth of the Afro-Peruvian music tradition while holding onto the beauty of jazz harmony and improvisation. Musicians such as Gabriel Alegria and Kiki Sanchez brought Afro-Peruvian Jazz into the forefront of their artistic personalities, with Alegria becoming particularly influential. A scene coalesced around Afro-Peruvian Jazz in New York, fueled by the creation of Lima Limon Records, a label dedicated to the promotion and survival of Afro-Peruvian Jazz. Backed by Pasache Music, the label helped produce albums from Alcatraz, a New York group bringing together jazz and Afro-Peruvian rhythms, as well as The Year Of Two Summers, an outstanding release from bassist and composer Edward Perez. When 2009 arrived, the move towards Afro-Peruvian Jazz just kept gaining momentum with head turning releases from Manante, Yuri Juarez, and Geoffrey Keezer. Tutuma Social Club opened its doors in 2009, becoming the first club to provide a home exclusively to Afro-Peruvian Jazz with regular live music, no cover, and great Peruvian food. The move towards Afro-Peruvian Jazz seems unstoppable at this point, a rush of kinetic energy that keeps becoming more powerful. Here at Latin Jazz Corner, we knew that Afro-Peruvian Jazz had arrived as an important piece of the Latin Jazz world when guitarist Eric Kurimski scored a significant victory in the LJC Best of 2008 Awards, as LJC readers named his recording Réplica Album of the Year.
Kurimski’s Album of the Year award made a strong statement about his emergence as a major musical voice and the growth of Afro-Peruvian Jazz as a style. A tasteful and eloquent player, Kurimski speaks with the depth of a New York jazz musician and the lyrical spirit of a thoughtful composer. He blends Afro-Peruvian rhythms into his compositions with a natural ease, invoking the folk nature of the genres as well as the aggressive sophistication of each rhythmic structure. The guitarist works as a thoughtful bandleader, smartly structuring the music around his strengths while providing ample time for this sidemen to shine. All of these elements come into play throughout Réplica, presenting an outstanding example of the possibilities inherent in Afro-Peruvian Jazz and Kurimski’s potential as a leader to the genre. From the gentle introspection on “Hope For Spring” to the up-tempo festejo of “New York Titlan” or the clever lando version of “Giant Steps,” Kurimski validates the style with a substantial performance that demands recognition. In a year filled with incredible albums that stretched between Afro-Cuban Jazz, Brazilian Jazz, and more, Kurimski’s Réplica deserved the accolades that it received – the album and the subsequent LJC award stand as an important musical milestone for Kurimski. As we’ve moved eight months into the future, it’s time to look past individual milestones and check in with Kurimski as a current artist.
I’ve collected a couple of videos from Kurimski’s recent performance at The Blue Note in New York as part of the Afro-Peruvian Festival. The videos find Kurimski’s top-notch musicality in high gear, showing his outstanding performances as both a soloist and a sensitive accompanist. Most important, they trace the evolution of his presence as a stylist, displaying artistic growth since his award winning performance on Réplica. The videos feature his regular collaborators on New York’s Afro-Peruvian Jazz scene, bassist Edward Perez and vocalist Sofia Rei Koutsovitis. Both of these musicians lead potent careers as bandleaders, but they find a sympathetic artistic voice in Kurimski; the power of their collaboration shines throughout the videos. These videos serve as an incredible example of the bustling Afro-Peruvian Jazz scene in New York City, led by the deep and intelligent guitar playing of Eric Kurimski. Enjoy!
———- Eric Kurimski Trio At The Blue Note
Eric Kurimski With Sofia Rei Koutsovitis At The Blue Note
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Want a little bit more of Eric Kurimski? Take a minute to check out a couple of albums: Réplica
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Do you have a video to contribute to satisfy our weekly Latin Jazz video fix? If so, send it in – it’s time to feed our addiction. I’m looking for live performances, from any context. I’ll most likely be posting one video per week, but if you’ve got another idea, let’s talk. So come on Latin Jazz videographers, musicians, and fans – let’s share some of our memorable videos! Get my contact info HERE
Latin Jazz This Week will bring you a weekly look into news from the Latin Jazz world. You’ll find new releases, recommended performances, web finds, and more. You can check out some current sounds in the Listening Center tab at the top of the page. Performance dates will be kept in the Live Latin Jazz tab at the top of the page.
NEWS
There are certain points in the year when the juggling act between LJC, teaching, performing, and family becomes way out of balance, and I’m in the midst of one of those times. With the start of the academic year, my teaching job has been demanding the lion’s share of my attention. Things should slow down this week, but I’ve been buried in work lately. As a result, I’ve missed a couple days of LJC posts and today I’m offering a shorter version of Latin Jazz This Week, minus the Live Latin Jazz listings. My apologies to LJC readers that count on the listings, I’ll do my best to add a dates to the Live Latin Jazz page this week.
The Latin Giants of Jazz have changed their name to the Latin Giants Orchestra, created a new website, and opened a fund raising drive for a completely fan supported album. The website provides a clean and professional look at the group, full of photos, videos, a discussion board, news, and more – it’s a great hang based around this incredible group, check it out HERE. It also offers the complete run-down on the fan-funded album and provides the opportunity to donate. It’s a great concept and a meaningful way to connect with fans; if you’ve got some extra cash to spare, send it to The Latin Giants Orchestra. There aren’t many better musical causes.
Canadian jazz drummer Jon McCaslin maintains a fantastic blog entitled Four On The Floor that provides profiles, info, and news about the art of jazz drumming. Anyone interested in the drums in jazz should definitely check this site out, there’s tons of great info there. This past week McCaslin took a look at one of the most exciting and underrated drum kits players in Latin Jazz, Ignacio Berroa, giving us background and plenty of great video. It’s a great article, you can read it HERE.
Our current Spotlight Artist, Coto Pincheira brings a cutting edge modern Latin Jazz sound to the forefront of his compositions through his current release The Sonido Moderno Project. He combines the best elements of fusion, Afro-Cuban music, and jazz improvisation into an intriguing mix, proving that the Latin Jazz world holds plenty of room for innovation. He integrates the influence of modern Cuban music, reflecting ideas from Irakere, Mezcla, and a number of contemporary timba bands. These inspirations come from authentic experiences, a result of Pincheira’s extensive performing experience in South America, Cuba, and beyond. His talents as a pianist, composer, and arranger have earned the respect and admiration of numerous musicians, including some legendary figures that appear on the album, timbalero Orestes Vilato and violin player Alfredo de la Fe. Now a resident of the San Francisco Bay Area, Pincheira utilizes some of the regions highly respected musicians, including trumpet player Mike Olmos, drummer David Flores, guitarist Dave McNab, and saxophone player Sheldon Brown. These musicians interpret Pincheira’s challenging compositions with skill and deep musicianship, giving the content even more flavor, and a healthy dose of enthusiastic fire. All the pieces come together into a strong mixture that should appeal to a wide number of LJC readers; there’s a lot of great music on The Sonido Moderno Project worth checking out.
Pincheira really presents an original voice through his music, and fortunately, there’s plenty of places to check out his work online. Pincheira’s website includes a number of great features, including pictures, music samples, links, a bio, and much more. Become Pincheira’s friend at his MySpace page, where you’ll find streaming music, pictures, video, and more. Pincheira has done us all a favor and captured plenty of great video, featuring clips of his band as well as footage of him performing with other ensembles – you can catch it all on his YouTube page. You can become part of Pincheira’s network on his Facebook page, giving you access to photos, direct chat, and his wonderful wall. If you like what you hear, you can head on over to Pincheira’s CDBaby page, take the leap, and support Pincheira by purchasing the album. You’ve got plenty of possible options, so get out there and check out Pincheira’s music; you’ll like what you hear.
If you like your Latin Jazz with a modern edge, a bit of fusion, a powerful dose of musicianship, and a passionate energy, you’ve got to check out The Sonido Moderno Project, it’s sure to become a favorite. For those of you that want to know a little bit more about Pincheira first, I’ve included a brief bio and a video of his group performing in San Francisco. Read the bio and take a look at the video, you’ll be glad that you did. Enjoy!
———- From the coast of South America to the coast of El Caribe and now to the coast of San Francisco, Chilean born pianist Julio “Coto” Pincheira is one of the most sought after and well-respected musicians on the Bay Area jazz scene. Coto is an internationally experienced pianist and musical leader with over 20 years of education and experience, playing a variety of musical styles which include but are not limited to: classical, jazz, Afro-Cuban Jazz, Cuban salsa, and pop music. Coto is on the forefront of a new sound bringing Electro-Acoustic timbres into Latin Jazz
Coto started his music studies at the early age of nine, studying organ at the Yamaha Academy in Viña Del Mar with Leonardo Barrientos, and piano at the Conservatory of the Catholic University of Valparaiso with Professor Anibal Correa, Chile’s most renowned classical pianist. Coto also studied classical music in several consevatories of Viña Del Mar and Santiago. In 1990 Coto studied at the Modern School of Music in Santiago Chile’s most prestigious institution. Of course, the best school of all was “La Calle” (The streets) where there is an infinite amount of music to learn and to experience that will never end.
At 24 Coto headed to Havana, Cuba for ten years, meeting, studying and getting to work with Cuba most renowned pianists such as Hilario Duran, Ernan Lopez Nussa, Ruben Gonzales, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Chucho Valdes, and Frank Emilio. His abilities were such that he performed for two years in the world famous Tropicana Cabaret – the first and only foreign pianist to accomplish the honor of playing with the big band (36 musicians ) for 2 years. He also had the privlege of playing for artists such as Omara Portuondo, Oscar Valdes, Amaury Perez Los Papines, Bamboleo, and Oscar Valdes Y Su Grupo Diakara.
He came to the San Francisco Bay Area in mid 2002 gracing the Cuban Salsa and jazz scene. Coto consistently plays with the most respected musicians around the Bay Area. some of the well-known artists from the Bay Area that he has played with include John Santos and The Machete Ensemble and Ritmo Y Armonia.
I’ve had plenty of time to reflect upon Latin Jazz and education lately – between discussions around youth and jazz as well as my own teaching, it’s been one of the only things on my mind. While the statistics and general opinions about connections between jazz, youth, and education can be grim at times, I find myself optimistic. Latin Jazz awareness and appreciation has grown, and I believe that things can only get better. We simply need to accept the fact that there’s a great deal of work in front of us, embrace it, and work towards a change.
My focus upon Latin Jazz and education has led me to a strong conclusion – there simply is not enough good Latin Jazz educational materials available. We’ve made great progress over the past twenty years, with some incredible books from Sher Music and a number of other publishers. Still, there are numerous gaps in the available resources. The world can’t be changed overnight, so it’s time to look at the gaps and move forward. I’ve compiled a list of four gaps in the current Latin Jazz educational materials. I’m working from my own experience, so it’s very possible that I’ve missed a resource or it’s currently being created. Please let us know if that’s the fact – awareness is half the battle, so let’s spread the word about good materials. Enjoy!
———- Charts From The Big 3 For All Different Levels Of Educational Ensembles Considering the major artistic and social impact of the music from Machito And His Afro-Cubans, Tito Puente, and Tito Rodriguez, every jazz student should encounter them during their education – unfortunately, that’s not the reality. While some colleges get the opportunity to dig into the repertoire deeply, these studies stay rooted in schools that house incredible educators like Bobby Sanabria or Oscar Stagnaro. Most colleges touch upon them in passing, and then continue onto more traditional or modern jazz options. High schools may visit Puente through “Oye Como Va,” but further pursuits in this direction fall short. Middle school or junior high school students rarely hear about the Big 3, unless they get a surface exposure to salsa through a general music course. All three of these great bandleaders have left us, yet their work continues to escape the greater population.
Duke Ellington and Count Basie arrangements fill the repertoire of jazz ensembles from middle school to college; the same fact should hold true for Puente, Machito, and Rodriguez. In the case of Ellington and Basie, the charts are greatly simplified for middle school students; they get increasing more difficult at the high school level; and they reach into professional performance quality at the college level. While a middle school student may not perform “Wild Jungle,” they could tackle a basic version of “Picadillo” or “Philadelphia Mambo.” It would plant the seed for a college level exploration of something like “The Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite.” The integration of great jazz artists like Ellington and Basie happened over time, with a huge educational push towards music teachers. Sliding the Big 3 into common practice may require some additional materials tied into charts, such as literature around clave, percussion patterns, horn phrasing or more. Steps need to be taken in this direction; without the representation of the Big 3 in education, we are robbing our students of important historical and cultural connections.
An Instructional Book On Afro-Peruvian Styles Afro-Peruvian music has been a particular inspiration to me lately – I’ve listened analytically to Afro-Peruvian music, but I’m at the point where I need more thorough instruction. At the very least, I’d like to see a book that outlines Afro-Peruvian rhythms like festejo, lando, and marinera. Ideally, I’d like the book to dig a little deeper, pointing out performance practices and relationships between different instruments. The resource would need to discuss technique on cajon, cajita, quejada, and more, providing basic patterns, common variations, and concepts around improvisation. Multiple reference books exist around Afro-Cuban and Brazilian rhythms, forging the path towards a greater awareness of these styles and their extensive use in the music world. Books like Micheal Spiro’s The Conga Drummer’s Guidebook, Robby Ameen and Lincoln Goines’ Funkifying the Clave, and all opened the door for education around Afro-Cuban rhythms – we need the same type of drive behind Afro-Peruvian music. A second volume of the book could demonstrate contemporary applications of the rhythms in jazz and popular music settings. This section should cover integration of the drum kit, the addition of piano and bass parts, as well as vocal or horn phrasing. I’d even hope for a section on arranging concepts with sample scores, accompanying recordings, and ideas around song creation. All books would need extensive references to listening suggestions and important artists for further research. These types of resources would lead to more musicians adopting Afro-Peruvian rhythms, and the eventual growth of Afro-Peruvian Jazz as an art form.
An Irakere Transcription Book Stacks of transcription books are available around the great fusion bands of the seventies and eighties, ranging from full Weather Report scores to Chick Corea piano transcriptions and lead sheets of Brecker Brothers tunes; we should have at least some volumes dedicated to Cuba’s legendary fusion band, Irakere. Unfortunately, Irakere’s music remains an impressive mystery to most musicians, providing an addictively funky role model that can be difficult to follow. The pure technical virtuosity of the collective musicians present daunting transcription tasks, which translate into hours of notation time. The sketchy availability of recordings from some Irakere eras also makes a full understanding of the band difficult. Musicians in the Afro-Cuban realm and beyond would definitely agree that Irakere stands as one of the important and influential fusion bands of the past three decades, there should be easier inroads into a thorough study.
I’d love to see several different perspectives upon Irakere’s overall body of work. The most vital piece of this puzzle would be a book of scores that covers Irakere’s most important pieces from their multiple decades. This would include detailed and clearly notated versions of “Juana 1600,” “Bailando Asi,” Ciento Años De Juventud,” “Calzada Del Cerro,” and more. It would notate parts for piano, bass, guitar, drum kit, percussion, horns, and voice, going into distinct details around synthesizer sounds and guitar effects. The Latin Real Book took some of these pieces and presented lead sheets; this was a great start, I’d like to see something more complete. The second book that would need to arise around Irakere would be a book of complete Chucho Valdes transcriptions that included both his improvisations and his accompaniment patterns. Valdes represents one of the most iconic voices in Latin Jazz, and a deep study of his work would be a major benefit. I’d also like a book that breaks down the Irakere rhythm section parts to different songs and analyzes their relationship to Afro-Cuban traditions. These three volumes would be a minor start to the tremendous task of understanding Irakere’s massive repertoire.
Exercise Book That Helps Young People Phrase Around Clave Teaching improvisation includes concepts of direct imitation, theoretical knowledge, and personal creativity – a tough combination for young people to grasp on many levels. Jazz pedagogy tackles this idea with multiple exercises that guide students through any one of these paths. They might run patterns through chord changes that strive towards a mastery of certain fingering combinations. They might force a musician to transpose a master’s most common licks through all twelve keys. They might offer a variety of conceptual ideas and challenge the musician to improvise around that certain concept. They sometimes present listening suggestions not just in terms of track choice, but also around what to focus upon in the music. There’s a number of possibilities to structure improvisation practice, aimed at helping the musician grow without stifling their creativity.
The idea of improvising in clave is a dubious grey area in the tool bags of many soloists, and an exercise book aimed at an understanding would be beneficial. Exercises that encourage a basic rhythmic understanding about starting and ending phrases as well as emphasizing the two or three side could immediately help improvisers. Common rhythmic ideas would be a course of study as well as ways to easily embellish them without breaking clave. One section could discuss the conceptual changes that a soloist should make when moving between different styles such as son montuno, songo, and cha cha cha. Connections between clave emphasis points and typical bebop phrases could connect new information with the improviser’s current knowledge. Then a number of suggestions about how to break the rules would be an absolute necessity so that musicians don’t create a constant stream of stiff rhythmic phrases. All these concepts could be presented within the framework of several different descargas with written rhythm section parts. A collection of exercises like this could open a new world of rhythmic language to improvisers.
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This list touches upon four gaps in the available Latin Jazz educational resources, but let’s be real – there’s far more gaps than that. What knowledge would you like to gain? Which styles do you still need to understand? What sort of information would make you become a better Latin Jazz musician? Share your ideas with us and get the gaps out in the open!
The development of Latin Jazz in the United States has relied upon musicians from the Caribbean and South America bringing cultural traditions into the North; a similar exchange occurs when they return to their countries of origin after time in the United States. After years of performance with American musicians, these artists integrate new perspectives and approaches into their music, moving towards a blend of cultural ideals. A return home at first sparks an air of familiarity and can bring a sense of authenticity to the surface of their work. Strong artists can teach American musicians to breed a sense of authenticity in their stateside work, but a different element arises when an artist joins musicians from their homeland. There’s a different reaction when the artist performs for an audience that gets the music on a cultural level. They gain an inherent inspiration that can sometimes drive their best performances and bring new ideas to the forefront. In return, they share ideas from their American experience with musicians in their homeland, bringing a new set of aesthetics into the local music scene. These cultural flows instigate musical growth on both sides of the ocean, ensuring the continual development of a Latin Jazz sound stretched across international borders.
Brazilian pianist and composer Jovino Santos Neto has been a major force in the cultural exchange between the United States and Brazil, leading to the creation of some amazing Latin Jazz. As a young musician, he joined Hermeto Pascoal’s band, learning from the legendary composer over the course of fifteen years and developing his own writing style and performance approach. After becoming firmly entrenched in the culture of modern Brazilian Jazz, Neto left Brazil, pursuing collegiate studies at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. His strong musicality led to a teaching position at the school where he continues to share his knowledge about writing, arranging, jazz, and Brazilian music with a number of students. Neto kept the cultural flow between Brazil and the United States alive though, returning to Brazil for several recording projects, including the Grammy nominated Roda Carioca (Rio Circle). He serves as musical director for the Hermeto Pascoal Big Band, conducting performances in Brazil, Seattle, Europe, and beyond. In 2006 Neto received a grant from the Brazilian company Petrobras to research, compose, and record a work based upon the music of Northeast Brazil. The resultant 2008 album, Alma do Nordeste (Soul of the Northeast) brought together Neto’s experience, musicians from Brazil, and a unique cultural exchange that resulted in some inspiring music. Neto’s ebb and flow between the United States and Brazil has given the world some incredible art that brilliantly unifies the cultural aesthetics of both worlds.
Today’s Latin Jazz Video Fix looks into Neto’s music, taking him back to Brazil for a SESC sponsored live performance. Teamed with a group of Brazilian musicians, Neto performs two pieces from the 2008 album Alma do Nordeste (Soul of the Northeast). Neto originally recorded these pieces in Brazil and has since performed them in the States; it’s interesting to hear the enthusiastic vigor of his performance here. Enjoy!
———- “Passareio” & “Amoreira”
“Saudade De Sua Gente”
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Want a little bit more of Jovino Santos Neto? Take a minute to check out his releases: Caboclo
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Do you have a video to contribute to satisfy our weekly Latin Jazz video fix? If so, send it in – it’s time to feed our addiction. I’m looking for live performances, from any context. I’ll most likely be posting one video per week, but if you’ve got another idea, let’s talk. So come on Latin Jazz videographers, musicians, and fans – let’s share some of our memorable videos! Get my contact info HERE
I’ve adopted a report card format to keep track of the Latin Jazz presence at major festivals here at LJC. It’s time to break down the facts and examine the honest support of Latin Jazz at jazz festivals. I’ve developed ten categories that ensure the success of Latin Jazz at a festival, assigning each category ten points. I want to be fair and reflect the needs of musicians, audience members, and promoters, realizing that festivals cater to more styles than simply Latin Jazz. Still, I want to keep an eye on festivals and their use of Latin Jazz, hopefully inspiring some reflection, discussion, and eventually changes in the support of Latin Jazz at festivals.
Freebie points for holding a jazz festival at all
Chicago boldly supports their local scene throughout the festival, featuring a long list of top-notch local performers. Most of these performers emphasize traditional jazz in their repertoire, reflecting the major artistic culture in the city. The Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble strongly represents the city’s local Latin Jazz scene, bringing the conceptions of their leaders pianist Darwin Noguera and trumpet player Victor Garcia into the forefront. Being a large ensemble, the band also hosts a number of musicians from all aspects of the city’s jazz scene, expressing their clave sensibilities in full force. The other two groups from the Latin Jazz festival were also local acts, reinforcing the Jazz Institute’s dedication to the local scene.
This is a tough category to gauge, due to the small number of acts at the festival, but the artists involved provide some diversity. The Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble’s repertoire includes traditional Cuban rhythms and fiery dance numbers that most people might expect. At the same time, the group’s leaders, Darwin Noguera and Victor Garcia regularly explore other regions, including Peru, Nicaragua, and more; most likely, the group’s direction will reflect this. Rubalcaba always paints a wide swatch of influences in his work, including traditional rhythms, modern jazz, free improvisation, and contemporary genres. He may explore any one of these directions at the festival, but there’s a guaranteed amount of diversity. The separate Latin Jazz festival included Brazilian rhythms and dance approaches, giving Chicago more weight here. Still, the modern Latin Jazz world contains an overwhelming amount of variety, and there’s just not enough here.
Scheduling of Latin Jazz acts during the festival to ensure This category is a bit of a mixed bag for the Chicago festival, illuminating both positive and negative points. On one hand, Chicago prominently features Latin Jazz artists by placing them in the prime time slots on both Friday and Saturday. Gonzalo Rubalcaba closes the Petrillo Stage on Friday night, headlining the event from 8:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. On Saturday, the Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble headlines the afternoon portion of the event, playing at the Jazz on Jackson stage from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The high profile attention helps spread the word about Latin Jazz and certainly earns Chicago some points. At the same time, there are large chunks of all three days where a Latin Jazz fan can wander throughout the festival and not hear one bit of clave. Granted, the festival simply needs more Latin Jazz acts in order to fill this need – but that’s really the point. This fact lowers Chicago’s score a bit in this category. 
Special event programming can take many shapes from guest artists to the commission of original pieces; Chicago takes a bit of a creative approach here. Their support of the Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble deserves recognition here – hiring a big band requires a major financial investment. The existence of large Latin Jazz ensembles has become a bit of a rarity, and their appearance at a festival has been even more of a special event. The fact that Chicago integrates a large Latin Jazz ensemble into their festival qualifies as special programming. In addition, the Jazz Institute regularly organizes a mini-festival exclusively dedicated to Latin Jazz. In every way, this directed focus upon Latin Jazz screams special event programming. We’ll still leave room for improvement – wouldn’t it be amazing to hear someone like Paquito D’Rivera as a guest artist with the Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble – but Chicago scores high here.
Our current Spotlight Artist, Coto Pincheira brings a cutting edge modern Latin Jazz sound to the forefront of his compositions through his current release 
From the coast of South America to the coast of El Caribe and now to the coast of San Francisco, Chilean born pianist Julio “Coto” Pincheira is one of the most sought after and well-respected musicians on the Bay Area jazz scene. Coto is an internationally experienced pianist and musical leader with over 20 years of education and experience, playing a variety of musical styles which include but are not limited to: classical, jazz, Afro-Cuban Jazz, Cuban salsa, and pop music. Coto is on the forefront of a new sound bringing Electro-Acoustic timbres into Latin Jazz
I’ve had plenty of time to reflect upon Latin Jazz and education lately – between discussions around youth and jazz as well as my own teaching, it’s been one of the only things on my mind. While the statistics and general opinions about connections between jazz, youth, and education can be grim at times, I find myself optimistic. Latin Jazz awareness and appreciation has grown, and I believe that things can only get better. We simply need to accept the fact that there’s a great deal of work in front of us, embrace it, and work towards a change. 
Considering the major artistic and social impact of the music from Machito And His Afro-Cubans, Tito Puente, and Tito Rodriguez, every jazz student should encounter them during their education – unfortunately, that’s not the reality. While some colleges get the opportunity to dig into the repertoire deeply, these studies stay rooted in schools that house incredible educators like Bobby Sanabria or Oscar Stagnaro. Most colleges touch upon them in passing, and then continue onto more traditional or modern jazz options. High schools may visit Puente through “Oye Como Va,” but further pursuits in this direction fall short. Middle school or junior high school students rarely hear about the Big 3, unless they get a surface exposure to salsa through a general music course. All three of these great bandleaders have left us, yet their work continues to escape the greater population.
Afro-Peruvian music has been a particular inspiration to me lately – I’ve listened analytically to Afro-Peruvian music, but I’m at the point where I need more thorough instruction. At the very least, I’d like to see a book that outlines Afro-Peruvian rhythms like festejo, lando, and marinera. Ideally, I’d like the book to dig a little deeper, pointing out performance practices and relationships between different instruments. The resource would need to discuss technique on cajon, cajita, quejada, and more, providing basic patterns, common variations, and concepts around improvisation. Multiple reference books exist around Afro-Cuban and Brazilian rhythms, forging the path towards a greater awareness of these styles and their extensive use in the music world. Books like Micheal Spiro’s 
, Robby Ameen and Lincoln Goines’ 
, and all opened the door for education around Afro-Cuban rhythms – we need the same type of drive behind Afro-Peruvian music. A second volume of the book could demonstrate contemporary applications of the rhythms in jazz and popular music settings. This section should cover integration of the drum kit, the addition of piano and bass parts, as well as vocal or horn phrasing. I’d even hope for a section on arranging concepts with sample scores, accompanying recordings, and ideas around song creation. All books would need extensive references to listening suggestions and important artists for further research. These types of resources would lead to more musicians adopting Afro-Peruvian rhythms, and the eventual growth of Afro-Peruvian Jazz as an art form.
Stacks of transcription books are available around the great fusion bands of the seventies and eighties, ranging from full Weather Report scores to Chick Corea piano transcriptions and lead sheets of Brecker Brothers tunes; we should have at least some volumes dedicated to Cuba’s legendary fusion band, Irakere. Unfortunately, Irakere’s music remains an impressive mystery to most musicians, providing an addictively funky role model that can be difficult to follow. The pure technical virtuosity of the collective musicians present daunting transcription tasks, which translate into hours of notation time. The sketchy availability of recordings from some Irakere eras also makes a full understanding of the band difficult. Musicians in the Afro-Cuban realm and beyond would definitely agree that Irakere stands as one of the important and influential fusion bands of the past three decades, there should be easier inroads into a thorough study.
took some of these pieces and presented lead sheets; this was a great start, I’d like to see something more complete. The second book that would need to arise around Irakere would be a book of complete Chucho Valdes transcriptions that included both his improvisations and his accompaniment patterns. Valdes represents one of the most iconic voices in Latin Jazz, and a deep study of his work would be a major benefit. I’d also like a book that breaks down the Irakere rhythm section parts to different songs and analyzes their relationship to Afro-Cuban traditions. These three volumes would be a minor start to the tremendous task of understanding Irakere’s massive repertoire.
Teaching improvisation includes concepts of direct imitation, theoretical knowledge, and personal creativity – a tough combination for young people to grasp on many levels. Jazz pedagogy tackles this idea with multiple exercises that guide students through any one of these paths. They might run patterns through chord changes that strive towards a mastery of certain fingering combinations. They might force a musician to transpose a master’s most common licks through all twelve keys. They might offer a variety of conceptual ideas and challenge the musician to improvise around that certain concept. They sometimes present listening suggestions not just in terms of track choice, but also around what to focus upon in the music. There’s a number of possibilities to structure improvisation practice, aimed at helping the musician grow without stifling their creativity. 
. He serves as musical director for the Hermeto Pascoal Big Band, conducting performances in Brazil, Seattle, Europe, and beyond. In 2006 Neto received a grant from the Brazilian company Petrobras to research, compose, and record a work based upon the music of Northeast Brazil. The resultant 2008 album, 
