Blueprints
Chicago Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble
Chicago Sessions
Forming a new ensemble in the modern musical world demands a lot from an artist, but establishing a big band involves a special set of challenges. From a basic logistical standpoint, the sheer size of a big band creates recurring financial issues. As a result, band leaders need to either find sufficient funding to support the group or fill the band with extremely dedicated musicians that are fully committed to the idea. Building repertoire for a big band requires a huge time commitment and highly refined composition and arranging skills. The group’s writers not only need to build a set of smart melodies and inspiring harmonies, but they also need to spread the beauty of their compositions across full wind sections, coordinating at every move with the rhythm section. The band leaders also need to shape a distinct personality for the band that reflects the individual members and the audience’s expectations. Placing fifteen to twenty talented musicians on stage opens many opportunities to spotlight individuals; the trick becomes finding spots where the unified group doesn’t become lost to the individual. When audiences see a Latin Jazz big band, they immediately get visions of Puente, Machito, and Rodriguez – although the band leaders might respect this lineage, they need to break away from it and make their own statements. Each challenge becomes larger when a big band becomes involved, so the musicians behind the group need a concrete vision and a heartfelt dedication to the group. Led by pianist Darwin Noguera and trumpet player Victor Garcia, the Chicago Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble overcomes all these potential challenges on Blueprints, delivering an intelligent and thoroughly enjoyable collection of Latin Jazz big band tracks.

Strength In Big Band Afro-Cuban Jazz
The backbone of the Chicago Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble’s repertoire rests upon Afro-Cuban rhythms, and they demonstrate their strength in this area clearly on several tracks.  Noguera and bassist Joshua Ramos set up a frantic groove over an up-tempo son montuno on “Send Eggs,” providing an exciting foundation for a winding melody from Garcia and saxophonist Juan Turros. A short but inspired percussion exchange leads into a solo from Turros, who weaves in and out of the chord with an impassioned abandon until Noguera tears through his improvisation with rapid melodies. A stuttering mambo sends the band charging into a ferocious trumpet exchange between Garcia and Tito Carrillo, setting up a enthusiastic percussion conversation from drummer Ernie Adams, timbalero Juan Picorelli, and guest conguero Paoli Mejias. Brash band hits frame a sly 6/8 groove on “Captain Spok,” until an unaccompanied solo from conguero Mejias transitions the band into a menacing melody. The wind players slide around understated melodies with an air of mystery before moving aside for an extended improvisation from Mejias. An explosive change into double time son montuno launches Mejias into an engaging series of traded phrases with Steve Turre, who uses conch shells to create a beautiful improvised contrast. A unison vamp from Noguera and Ramos ground a quick and funky son montuno rhythm on “Captain Spok,” while staggered horn entrances intertwine into a series of rapid melodic phrases. Turre grabs the band’s avid momentum and aggressively spins a series of percussive lines with his trombone that slice through the thick background figures with a sharp precision. Noguera follows Turre’s lead with edgy jazz fueled lines that powerfully charge through the harmony until alto saxophonist Greg Ward II enthusiastically wraps angular lines around the band’s heavy groove. The group takes their repertoire based upon Afro-Cuban rhythms and turns it inside out with smart compositions, committed performances, and passionate improvisations.

Expanding The Group’s Sound With Vocalists
The group expands the reach of its sound on two tracks through the integration of both Spanish and English vocals. A funky reggae groove creates a laid-back mood on “Vuelvo a Vivir,” allowing Ricky Luis to dig into the Spanish vocal with a soulful edge. The huge sound of the horn section falls into a wah-wah laden statement from guitarist Neal Alger, whose smart phrasing nails the song’s feeling superbly. The wind players transition the group into a driving double time son montuno, allowing several members of the wind section to improvise melodic ideas between a repeated coro. A richly orchestrated layer of winds establishes a lush introduction to “Timeless,” setting the stage for a pretty vocal performance from Nythia Martinez. This piece strongly displays the Noguera and Garcia’s intelligent arranging as colorful layers of wind warmly wrap around Martinez’s vocal, cleverly leading into a smooth double time feel. Picorelli leaps into a stylish statement, based upon strong idea development, until a dramatic unaccompanied solo from Ramos sends the group flying back into Martiez’s closing vocal. These two vocal features provide a striking contrast to the rest of the group’s repertoire, allowing them to display another side to their vast creative skills.

Exploring Different Rhythmic Ideas And Musical Approaches
The Chicago Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble displays a broad artistic range, drawing upon different rhythmic ideas and musical approaches on other pieces. The group’s full wind section captures the rich colors of the chord changes on “Bossa Pegajosa” until the saxophone section breaks into an unforgettable melodic tapestry of sound. Garcia leaps into a long and inspired improvisation, spinning lyrical ideas that reflect against the harmony with beauty and style. As the group supports Garcia with broad background figures, the trumpet player shows his true gift for melodic development, building his idea into a complete statement that both captures the heart of the song and reveals his strong personality. The rhythm section charges through a blazing son montuno in 7/4 on “Milesmiles,” as the wind players combine sharply curving rhythmic figures with long streaming melodies. Ward bravely charges through a fierce improvisation over the brisk seven beat groove with rapid runs, contrasted by a smart solo from Garcia that starts with long lines and build into aggressive attacks. A swing section sets up a move into a half time cha cha cha for Noguera’s classy improvisation until syncopated horn figures send the group back to the melody over the original feel. A stuttering funky three beat rhythmic foundation establishes a jagged feel behind “Tierra,” while the wind players attack a jerky melody full of staccato accentuations that brilliantly flow into an engaging melody. Woodwind player Rich Moore finds his way through the unique setting with a fluid clarinet solo that leaps off the recording with melodic ingenuity. Carrillo storms into a powerful improvisation full of bluesy appeal and high note appeal until a strong mambo leads into a fitting cajón solo from Juan Daniel Pastor. These pieces reveal a diverse range of abilities within the ensemble, allowing them to interpret pieces from all spectrums of the Latin Jazz world.

A Series Of Superb Successes
Noguera and Garcia avoid potential pitfalls of a young big band on Blueprints, leading the Chicago Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble through a series of superb successes. The group bases the core of its work upon the traditional focus of Latin Jazz big bands, shaping their strong performances mainly around Afro-Cuban rhythms. They approach this context from their own perspective though, and the cleverly conceived compositions sparkle with originality. Both Noguera and Garcia show a heavy set of arranging skills on the album, filling the recording with lush wind voicings and smart rhythm section correlation, as well as ingenious artistic twists and turns. The writing of the two musicians really sets the group apart from other big bands, as they deliver pieces strongly connected to tradition while maintaining a modern edge. The ensemble contains many strong soloists, with Carillo and Ward standing apart while Garica and Nogueras both consistently shine. The inclusion of Turre, Alger, Luis, and Mejias push the group into the next level of artistry, and their presence drives the band members to truly inspired performances. While the formation of a big band may be both a risk and a challenge, Nogueras, Garcia, and the full Chicago Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble pull the task off with style and ease on Blueprints, establishing themselves as an important creative entity with a solid and promising future.

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Check Out These Related Posts:
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Spotlight: The Gardener, Darwin Noguera’s Evolution Quintet
Spotlight: My Very Life, Paulinho Garcia
Overlooked Treasures: Four Latin Jazz Albums That You’ve Got To Discover

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