Call
Arturo Stable
Origen Records
When a Latin Jazz artist digs deep into their personality to create original music, their work reflects the world around them. In every era, Latin Jazz musicians choose the most fascinating influences and combine them with concepts from their heritage. The great swing bands influenced early Cuban transplants, giving us the heavy mambo big bands. Latin Jazz musicians found a relation to bebop later and easily blended the genre’s complex harmonies with Afro-Cuban rhythms to create Cubop. Hard bop seemed like a natural extension of this idea and it pushed Latin Jazz musicians into fiery small group combinations. In each of these settings, jazz ideals found a place within the conventions of Cuban performance techniques, utilizing percussion patterns but also piano montunos, bass tumbaos, syncopated horn riffs, and more. In the post-modern age, jazz musicians have made a science out of breaking the music’s barriers, ranging from the obliteration of harmony to the flexibility of rhythm. Looking at Latin Jazz through these lenses requires the deconstruction of Afro-Cuban rhythmic structures along with new approaches to harmony and rhythm. This creates a unique challenge for the modern Latin Jazz musician; they need to apply to new set of aesthetics to traditional rhythmic structures without loosing a cultural connection. It’s a fine line that requires careful musical thought. Percussionist and composer Arturo Stable tackles this challenge on Call with a collection of modern originals executed with a keen awareness of Cuban tradition and contemporary jazz performance.

Traditional Cuban Music In A Modern Jazz Context
Stable integrates his Afro-Cuban heritage into several compositions, placing traditional rhythms in a modern jazz context. The steady pulse of Stable’s bata drums sets a somber tone as violinist Ian Izquierdo reverently plays the melody on “Call.” As the full rhythm section bursts into the song, saxophonist Javier Vercher screams into the melody with a focused intensity. Vercher takes his time developing an attention grabbing solo, moving from short darting licks to racing streams of piercing lines. Bassist Edward Perez establishes a percussive ostinato on “Goodbye To Eternity” until the rhythm section explodes into an uptempo and freely interpreted son montuno behind Vercher’s melody. Pianist Aruan Ortiz interjects ample phrases behind Vercher’s improvisation, helping push his improvisation into a frenzy. As the group reaches a climax behind Vercher, Stable takes the spotlight with an explosive conga solo that balances traditional phrases with the modern groove. A melodic vamp from Ortiz sends the band sailing into a driving cha cha cha on “Danz Sol” where Verchera moves his soprano sax through the quick phrases of the melody. Ortiz grabs the rhythm section’s propulsive inertia and flies through his improvisation with a focused passion, invoking rhythmic response from both Mela and Stable. The group lowers to a hush behind Verchera, who cuts through the quiet with a sharp tone and then proceeds to storm through his statement with fiery flurries of notes. Stable finds a thoughtful balance between Afro-Cuban tradition and modern jazz on these tracks, placing distinct qualities of each world into a potent mix.

Emphasizing A Jazz Influence
The group emphasizes the jazz portion of their music on other tracks, while Stable maintains a Latin tinge in the background. While Stable keeps a flowing bata rhythm in the background on “Zabana,” drummer Francisco Mela dances around Verchera’s swung melody with a wash of cymbals. Ortiz floats through this mixed world with quick rhythmic ideas and lush harmony until Perez builds a clever idea around his percussive attack and innate sense of melody. Verchera winds his unique sense of phrasing around the groove, sliding his flexible tone through constantly unfolding melodies. The solo sound of Verchera’s unaccompanied sax melody rings with natural reverb on “Landscape Of Luz,” until the rhythm section joins with a free background. Mela’s brushes swish around his set as Ortiz openly creates a lush and flowing improvisation that bristles with an understated feeling of liberation. As Verchera travels through a perceptive set of melodic ideas, Stable creates an ever changing atmosphere with a combination of bells, shaker, kalimba, and more. Verchera races into a rhythmic melody against an energetic son montuno on “Spider Web” before falling into a freely phrased section that provides rich contrast. Mela and Perez charge into an uptempo swing behind Ortiz, who conjures a Herbie Hancock influenced improvisation that twists the harmony into clever ideas. Verchera reveals a bop tinge to his playing in this context, winding through the swing feel with an upbeat intensity and chromatic embellishments. Stable and his group demonstrate a clear comfort level in the modern jazz world, opening themselves to a broad world of expressive possibilities.

Integrating World Sounds Into A Broad View
Some pieces integrate influences from around the world, reflecting Stable’s broad view of modern Latin Jazz. Stable provides an understated Peruvian lando rhythm beneath the rhythm section on “Old Memories,” as Verchera interprets the gorgeous melody with an intoxicating breathy tone. Perez carefully chooses each note in a reflective statement that delicately maintains the song’s mood while distinctly capturing the rich harmony. Ortiz reveals an intimate openness in his improvisation, subtly placing each phrase with a sensitive ear for the context. Mela, Stable, and Perez intertwine a series of rhythmic ideas around an African influenced 6/8 groove on “African Sunrise” while Verchera places a melody onto the defined structure. As the group moves past the written melody, Verchera and Ortiz engage in a smart call and response which finds both musicians working towards a greater statement. The conversation pushes Verchera into a larger idea which burns with a quiet intensity over continuing comments from Ortiz. Stable keeps a constant rhythm on a frame drum on “Anthem” while Verchera wraps his sax around a Middle Eastern flavored melody. An overdub from Verchera creates an intriguing harmony while Stable inserts some fire into the song with a colorful rhythm on the tablas. As the song grows into a huge sound, Stable places bata drums into the mix and Verchera provides a thick combination of woodwind instruments, creating a truly global sound. These tracks demonstrate Stable’s modern conception about the boundaries of Latin Jazz, which allows him to explore a diverse range of sounds and textures.

Drawing Upon Cuban Ideals And Modern Jazz Techniques
Stable and his group make a distinctly modern statement on Call that smartly draws upon both Cuban ideals and modern jazz performance techniques. As a composer, Stable remains distinctly aware of context and intention in his pieces, creating statements that powerfully capture emotion. The use of Cuban rhythms and instruments enable the completion of these pieces, but they certainly don’t drive their character. The musicians remain aware of the clave, but they treat it with a respectful flexibility – Stable’s themes and compositional concepts take top priority in these pieces. This change in approach is most evident in the pieces where clave disappears altogether; although the musicians are making a switch into a different rhythmic structure, the pieces still sound like Stable compositions. He changes gears at several points, expressing himself on several levels while holding onto his Cuban background. The percussionist’s integration of world sounds signal an awareness of a more global perspective, placing his identity as a Cuban musician in a larger picture. Stable’s group supports his music with a fiery intensity, displaying a passionate understanding of the composer’s modern viewpoint. Verchera’s unique approach to phrasing results in some exciting improvisational flights, while Ortiz, Perez, and Mela drive the pieces with a spontaneous and intelligent enthusiasm. Stable mixes all these pieces into a compelling statement on Call, reflecting a defined connection to modern jazz that never looses sight of his Cuban roots.

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Check Out These Related Posts:
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Building a Bridge Between Concept And Listener: Origen Records And Arturo Stable
Album Of The Week: The Year Of Two Summers, Edward Perez

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