Blood • Spirit • Land • Water • Freedom
The Curtis Brothers Quartet
Truth Revolution Records
Fearlessness is a great quality in an improvising musician that can lead to the creation of an innovative and inspiring artist. Jazz requires personal growth from an artist over the course of time, and reaching that goal demands a constant stream of risk taking. Musicians need to fearlessly grasp the opportunity to take risks, but they must decide which risks will push them in the right direction. A musician can be absolutely fearless, taking every available risk, but in most cases, this simply seems wild and reckless. They attack the music aimlessly without a foundation, skipping serious background work in favor of blind ambition. A true state of fearlessness in jazz comes from a confident attitude built upon years of training, technical ability, and an in-depth stylistic knowledge. Musicianship and practiced technique allow a musician to execute the intricacies of their stylistic insights effortlessly. As these stylistic elements become a natural extension of their artistic identity, they can fearlessly explore the outer limits of their style. They understand the detailed inner workings of the tradition and they’ve internalized its core components; as they explore, they will take intelligent risks. They understand how to push the boundaries and explore new ideas while paying respects to innovations of the past. Their fearlessness will result in stylistic growth and exciting innovations instead of disrespect and degradation. Pianist Zaccai Curtis and bassist Luques Curtis lead their quartet on a fearless journey through modern Latin Jazz concepts on Blood • Spirit • Land • Water • Freedom, making smart inroads into new stylistic directions.

A Defined Sense Of Personality In the Core Quartet
The core quartet boldly dives into several strong Latin Jazz pieces, displaying a defined sense of personality. Zaccai assertively establishes a rhythmic ostinato, sending the band into an upbeat son montuno groove on his composition “Curtis Anew.” A sudden shift sends Zaccai into a timba-influenced montuno underneath a series of explosive drum breaks, leading into a propulsive piano solo. Zaccai rides his tense statement into a driving montuno behind an energetic improvisation from conguero Reinaldo De Jesus. Foreboding chords drift over a rumba guaguanco on Noro Morales’ “Maria Cervantes” before Zaccai interprets the classic melody with an elegant reverence. The pianist infuses his solo with the same tasteful phrasing, balancing the statement with modern jazz chromatic development. Luques plays upon the percussive nature of the bass with a combination of rhythmic accents and long melodic lines before De Jesus stretches into a virtuosic improvisation. Drummer Richie Barshay and percussionist Reynaldo De Jesus provide a strong plena rhythm on “El Calderon,” laying the foundation for a clearly defined melody. Zaccai runs long flowing lines over the driving groove, trading phrases with percussive ideas from Luques. The exchange provides some insight into the brothers’ different personalities, but also shows a sympathetic artistry that allows them to build the song into a climax. The brothers dive into an off-kilter rhythmic pattern while De Jesus riffs through the spaces on Bud Powell’s “Bouncing With Bud,” until Zaccai jumps into the decidedly boppish melody. Zaccai displays some serious jazz chops, racing through bebop inspired lines until Luques takes a melodic improvisatory approach, running rapid lines across the range of his bass. The brothers join into a unified groove, allowing both Barshay and De Jesus to build engaging solos full of smart thematic development. These pieces show the group’s true strengths, as they display strong group interaction and distinct individual artistic personalities.

Exploring A Wide Range Of Textural And Rhythmic Variations
The group bravely explores a wide range of textural and rhythmic variations, putting a unique twist upon their sound. Zaccai bounces a funky keyboard line against De Jesus’
buoyant groove on “The Spoiler,” until the full band kicks things into high gear. Zaccai takes his time wrapping smart lines around the groove, focusing on the strength of his ideas. As the pianist stretches his improvisation, the power of his musicality emerges through his intelligent melodic construction and effective use of tension. Luques intently introduces an interesting bass groove on “Alkalinity,” before Zaccai delicately performs a thoughtful melody. Within the intimate setting of the two musicians, Zaccai’s carefully chosen lines shimmer with a shining beauty, reflecting the rich harmony. Luques improvises with a more aggressive approach, but the melodic integrity of his lines captures the deeply personal character of the piece. An edgy synthesizer sound introduces the funky groove on “Take That Seat” before a traditional piano presents the main theme. Zaccai cleverly plays off the difference between the two sounds by trading phrases between the two instruments, creating an attention grabbing exchange. Luques alters his phrasing to fit his strong melodies into the funk context, and after a return to the melody, the group finds a vamp for De Jesus’ explosive solo. Zaccai brings a new side of his artistry into the mix on Chopin’s “Op. 25, No.2” displaying a close familiarity to classical music. He winds the main theme around De Jesus’ driving conga groove, altering the phrasing slightly without sacrificing the integrity of the composition. The two musicians open the piece into moments of improvisatory exploration, showing their deep artistic foundations and the power of their musical relationship. The group stretches on these pieces, smartly integrating a variety of textural ideas into their music while holding onto their defined character.

Expanding Their Reach With Guest Artists
The quartet expands the reach of their group with some fantastic guest artists on a variety of pieces. The rhythm section establishes a sparse chordal pattern over a bomba groove on “Solutions” laying a foundation for a strong melody from guitarist Mark Whitfield. The group leaps into a driving momentum behind Whitfield’s improvisation, as the guitarist spins jazz fueled lines. Whitfield builds his statement into a wild unison melodic journey with both brothers accompanying him. Zaccai and the drummers establish a subtle 6/8 structure on “Song To Break The Spell,” as saxophonist Frank Kozyra and trombonist Michael Dease move through an understated melody. As the texture thins, Zaccai runs long melodic lines into a larger idea, inspiring an invested response from all members of the rhythm section. After a brief return to the melody, Kozyra stretches improvisational ideas over a lush setting filled with background vocals and rich chordal stretches. A subdued piano introduction leads into a jazz tinged and funky vocal from Giovanni Almonte on the potent “Thoughts Not My Own.” Luques and Zaccai take turns improvising over the 6/8 pattern, revealing an almost telepathic connection between their melodic ideas. Almonte returns with an impassioned vocal before the rhythm section jumps into an intense feel behind thought provoking poetry from the singer. Barshay and De Jesus explode into a bomba groove on “Taino Revenge” as Kozyra and Dease spin intertwining themes into a larger thought. Zaccai mixes equal shares of modern jazz aesthetics and syncopated phrasing into an invested improvisation. Luques creates powerful rhythmic ideas against the groove, creating an attention grabbing solo that gets to the heart of the song. These tracks allow the quartet to interact with a variety of musicians, allowing them to freely display many unseen sides to their musicianship.

An Unwavering Dedication To Fearless Growth
The Curtis Brothers Quartet takes bold steps towards a modern Latin Jazz sound on Blood • Spirit • Land • Water • Freedom, fearlessly pushing their musical approach into new territories. Zaccai and Luques bring a strong comfort level into their performance of Puerto Rican and Cuban rhythms, based upon their vast musical experience. As a result of their intimate familiarity, their mixtures with jazz effortlessly flow into lively improvisatory settings. As a composer, Zaccai brings a modern harmonic conception into the repertoire, and sets up interesting song forms for the group. At the same time, unique arranging ideas that organically integrate strings, electronics, and more show Zaccai stretching his concept into new directions. The group still stays connected to tradition at many points, revisiting standards from both the jazz and Latin genres. As performers, both Zaccai and Luques fearlessly storm through the music, spinning fierce improvisations and lively supporting lines. Barshay and De Jesus share the brothers’ passionate abandon for improvisation, consistently finding new opportunities to insert a personal touch. The strength and familiarity of the core quartet gives the music its powerful identity; at every turn, the musicians thrive upon their interactions, forming a continuous musical conversation. Whether working alone or in the company of guest artists, the musicians continually assert their creative identities with bold conviction. The group’s unwavering dedication to fearless growth and exploration makes Blood • Spirit • Land • Water • Freedom an exciting ride that intelligently defines the past, present, and future of Latin Jazz.

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