Latin Jazz Live: Bobby Carcasses At Jazz Gallery

Latin Jazz Live reflects upon the most vital piece of the music’s existence – live performance. Recordings stand as historical milestones, but in a spontaneous and evolving art form like Latin Jazz, live performance in the standard by which musicians are measured. In this recurring series, LJC writers will provide their impressions about Latin Jazz concerts and share the evening’s proceedings with the Latin Jazz community. Comments are welcomed and discussion encouraged as we dig into the live music experience.

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Latin Jazz Live
Bobby Carcasses And Afrojazz
The Jazz Gallery
Thursday, March 11, 2010
By Tomas Peña

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Afro Cuban Jazz guru Bobby Carcasses made a rare New York appearance at The Jazz Gallery, an international cultural center and performance space located in downtown Manhattan. The elder statesman is celebrating 50 years (plus) in the music business and visited the Big Apple as part of a promotional tour for his most recent recording, De La Habana a Nueva York (Vero Records, 2010), which was recorded in Brooklyn, New York.

A consummate showman with a flair for the dramatic, Bobby sings, dances, plays the piano, bass, percussion and flugelhorn. In addition, he is a visual artist and an avid practitioner of yoga and meditation.

Bobby kicked off the evening’s festivities with a unique a cappella interpretation of “Son de La Loma,” integrating elements of bebop, scat, Yoruba chants and rhythms. He then turned to the keyboard and accompanied himself on the bolero, “No Sera De Mi.” Midway through the tune, pianist Manuel Varela, bassist Yunior Terry, drummer Dafnis Prieto, saxophonist Yosvany Terry and percussionist Marvin Diz joined him onstage (followed by flutist Andrea Brachfeld who joined the band onstage later). Bobby‘s passion for American jazz was most apparent during his interpretations of “On Green Dolphin Street” (sung in Spanish) and “Sometimes I’m Happy” (sung in English). He also paid tribute to two Cuban icons, Miguelito Valdes (“Babalu“) and Chano Pozo (“Blues Para Chano”), which evolved into an all out descarga (jam session). Lastly he performed “De La Habana a Nueva York” and a heartfelt bolero titled “Veronica,” which he dedicated to his daughter.

I can‘t say enough about the band, all of whom are Cuban expatriates, Bobby’s “apprentices” and formidable musicians in their own right. From the outset it was apparent that they were there to make a joyous noise and demonstrate their love and respect for an icon and father figure who has had a major impact on their lives.

Bobby was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1938. At the age of four, his family moved to Villa Clara, Cuba, where he was surrounded by the sounds of Beny More, Conjunto Casino and Roberto Faz as well as the music of Enrico Carusso, Sarah Vaughan, and others. During the 1950’s he became involved with some of the best vocal groups in Cuba and began to experiment with bebop and scat vocals. During the 1960,’s he traveled to Europe and spent a year in Paris where he performed with the legendary Kenny Clarke and Bud Powell among others. Upon his return to Cuba, he worked in the Teatro Musical where he encountered the future founders of Irakere. Throughout the next decade, he performed in the best nightclubs in Havana, appeared in films and formed his own group, Afrojazz. During the 1980’s he organized the first Jazz Plaza Festival in Havana. Since then he has traveled to Canada, England, France and the U.S. where he has performed with Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, Mario Bauza, Chucho Valdes and Patato Valdez among others. Bobby, who is 71 years young, resides in Cuba, where he continues to perform, teach and inspire young musicians, care for his mother (who is 96) and fight the good fight.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION VISIT: Bobby Carcasses’ Website

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Bobby Carcasses And Afrojazz At The Jazz Gallery