Bring On The Boogaloo: Finding The Funk Today

Funky boogaloo based Latin Jazz certainly enjoyed its largest popularity during the sixties, but artists continued to draw upon the soulful mixture into modern decades. The style’s prime champions, percussionists Mongo Santamaria and Willie Bobo held onto the hit making formula, digging deeper into their funky groove throughout several albums. Their former employer Cal Tjader made occasional dips into the funky side of Latin Jazz, building upon his West Coast sound. New York collaborations such as the Alegre All-Stars and the Fania All-Stars each found time for boogaloo in their repertoire; although they stuck closely to the dance audience their funky vibe often extended to their occasional descargas. As the music moved into the seventies, both Latin dance music and jazz starting incorporating different influences, slowly changing the boogaloo element. Funk had evolved as a style as well, with groups like Tower Of Power, Earth, Wind, And Fire, Parliament Funkadelic, and more showing a visceral raw aggression. With both styles moving into new directions, the eighties and nineties found funk moving into the background of the Latin Jazz world. It never quite disappeared, but it simply wasn’t as obvious.

In the second decade of the twenty first century, funk still has a distinct spot in the Latin Jazz world, it’s just a bit different. Latin Jazz fusion groups rely on funk edges extensively, bringing an Irakere influenced power into the music. Bands like the Miami based Palo explode with funk and Latin Jazz, aggressively gaining audience attention and admiration. The classic sixties mixture of boogaloo and jazz seems removed for most bands at this point, as they explore more contemporary approaches. Fortunately, we still have some groups that exert a good deal of energy to promote this music. Yesterday we dug into three classic funky Latin Jazz albums from the sixties; today I’ve highlighted two important artists that blend funk, jazz, Afro-Cuban music, and more – check them out and enjoy the ride!

———-
Poncho Sanchez
Conguero Poncho Sanchez emerged as a natural heir to the throne of funky Latin Jazz. Sanchez developed his playing style in Los Angeles, spending ample time watching musicians like Mongo Santamaria and Armando Peraza. A long time gig with Cal Tjader built a connection between Sanchez and the classic sixties repertoire. Once he established his own career, he stayed close to Tjader’s mix of jazz standards and Latin rhythms, but he always included a funky edge. Throughout his early career, Sanchez regularly brought classic rhythm and blues into his repertoire, but kept them in the background behind the jazz material. The 1989 release Chile con Soul included a version of the James Brown songs “Cold Sweat” and “Funky Broadway” and the 1988 album La Familia included “Let A Woman Be A Woman, Let A Man Be A Man.” Both these tracks were dwarfed by huge numbers of jazz songs in the Sanchez book, but they showed signs of things to come. By the 2000s, Sanchez sat on a well established career as a leader in the Latin Jazz world, leaving him in a comfortable position to explore other musical directions. The conguero heavily emphasized funk, rhythm n’ blues, and soul on several albums, paying tribute to his early influences. By this point, Sanchez also had a tradition of using guest artists on each album, opening the possibility of incorporating several greats from the popular music world. Singer Ray Charles, organist Billy Preston, trombonist Fred Wesley, vocalist Sam Moore, and the Tower Of Power horns all made appearance on Sanchez albums during the 2000s. The conguero brought a powerful funk sound into his music, establishing himself as a strong flame bearer in the realm of soulful Latin Jazz.

Sanchez spent the better part of the 2000s diving into his soul roots, but the 2008 release Raise Your Hand found the conguero spreading the funk heavily into the mix. There’s an undeniable connection to the influence of Santamaria and Bobo throughout the album with the presence of several classic soul songs, reinterpreted with a Latin backdrop. Sanchez turns up the heat on these tracks, inviting a number of guest artists from the soul world into the mix, adding a fun and authentic connection. At the same time, Sanchez maintains a unbreakable connection to his Latin Jazz roots with driving originals and some quick dips into salsa. The Motown classic “Shotgun” explodes with bluesy licks from saxophonist Maceo Parker, leading into soulful vocals from Sanchez over an arrangement faithful to the original. Guest guitarist Steve Cropper introduces a fun arrangement of “Raise Your Hand” which features vocalist Eddie Floyd singing over a backbeat soaked cha cha cha. The group once again stays close to the source material with a version of “Knock On Wood” that finds Floyd featured alongside organist Booker T. Jones. A funky original cha cha cha pays tribute to James Brown’s long time saxophonist Parker on “Maceo’s House,” providing a context for him to demonstrate his ability to light a solo on fire. The group leans into strong Latin Jazz with the classically Sanchez composition “Tropi Blue” which spotlights long time collaborator trombonist Francisco Torres who delivers an inspiring solo. The group shows a flexible ability to tackle a variety of directions with a full throttle salsa version of “El Agua De Belen” that includes some outstanding vocals from Andy Montañez. Sanchez offers a full menu of musical treats on Raise Your Hand, but funky swing sits as the centerpiece in a grand fashion.

Scott Martin
Saxophonist Scott Martin brings together Latin Jazz experience and a background in soul jazz into a concoction that recognizes the sixties tradition. A long time veteran of the Los Angeles jazz scene, Martin honed his craft in the family, spending time playing with his father and brother, all skilled musicians. An early member of the Poncho Sanchez Band, Martin spent years serving as a major voice in the group’s horn section. His undeniable solo voice helped the support the band’s success as a solid jazz unit, and Sanchez occasionally utilized his skills as a composer and arranger. During his tenure with Sanchez, Martin performed with some of the great soul musicians, including Ray Charles and Sam Moore, solidifying his connection between Latin rhythms, jazz improvisation, and rhythm n’ blues. Martin released his first album as a bandleader in 2003, Cafe Cubano, a solid release focusing upon a more traditional Latin Jazz sound. When Martin parted ways with Sanchez in the early 2000s, he focused his energy on creating a likable blend of funk and jazz, creating The Scott Martin Latin Soul Band. The saxophonist found his groove in this setting, a fact evidenced on their second release Menudo & Gritz. This album nailed the group’s sound as a funk driven Latin Jazz unit that drew upon a classic approach to the genre. As the group built its reputation through several performances in the Los Angeles area and jazz festivals abroad, they returned in 2008 with another collection of soulful tracks on Organic Voodoo Juice. The band continues to keep the funky Latin Jazz sound alive, upholding an important tradition with class and style.

Martin’s second album, Menudo & Gritz, stands as an outstanding example of funky Latin Jazz in the finest tradition. Thick organ sounds and stuttering guitar lines reveal a sound reminiscent of Willie Bobo, but Martin paints with broad strokes here, digging into a more aggressive seventies style funk at times. He follows Santamaria and Bobo’s lead with the incorporation of popular soul songs into the Latin repertoire as well, utilizing Martin’s strong vocal talents. “Unchain My Heart” comes alive with an up-tempo bossa nova infused with a strutting funk feel, inspiring lively solos from Martin and guitarist Rick White. Rene Camacho’s slapped bass line liven a medium tempo son montuno beneath “Just Don’t Want To Be Lonely,” while a pop tinged arrangement frames the classic vocal. A soulful vocal interpretation rides over a driving cha cha cha and sparkling electric piano on “Sunny,” making way for improvisations from Martin and pianist Chris Barron. There’s a laid back tension riding over the funky cha cha cha on “Menudo & Gritz,” laying the foundation for a bluesy melody and some soulful improvisations. “Bettin’ On A One Eyed Jack” brings a bubbling Tower of Power influenced groove to the surface, compete with a rapid finger style bass line and tightly knit horn lines. “Watusi Boogaloo” remembers the sixties fondly, with a funky cha cha cha, catchy coros, and bluesy solos, all performed with a loose energetic feel. There’s an ample dose of funk, Afro-Cuban rhythms, and skilled jazz soloing on Menudo & Gritz to guarantee the survival of soulful Latin Jazz for a long time.