The Latin Jazz Corner Best Of The Year Awards is an annual event fueled by the will of our readers – the winners are selected through a voting process open to LJC readers, Latin Jazz artists, Latin Jazz fans, and the general public. The voting for our fourth annual awards ran from December 8, 2010 – December 23, 2010 and drew thousands of participants from around the world. It was an exciting process that has provided some interesting results, spotlighting a variety of different artists from all areas of the Latin Jazz world. You can learn more about the LJC Best Of The Year Awards by checking out this post – What Are The LJC Best Of The Year Awards?; on that page you’ll find links to frequently asked questions that should give you the complete scoop on the awards.
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In the remaining days of 2010, we’ll be taking a look at the winners in each of the Best Of 2010 Award categories, revealing a small number with each passing day. In today’s post, we’ll be looking at half of the winners in Category 2 – Musicians. We’ll be covering five awards today – 2010 Latin Jazz Album Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Next Generation Artist, 2010 Brazilian Jazz Album Of The Year, 2010 Afro-Peruvian Jazz Album Of The Year, and 2010 Latin Jazz Large Ensemble Album Of The Year.
———- 2010 Latin Jazz Album Of The Year Pucusana
Gabriel Alegría Afro-Peruvian Sextet
Great music inspires people in a variety of ways, makes a concrete concrete connection with them, and becomes an inseparable part of their lives. Unfortunately for us, recordings like this are few and far between, but fortunately, 2010 gave us at least one album that reached further into our Latin Jazz loving souls, Pucusana from Garbriel Alegria’s Afro-Peruvian Sextet. Pucusana certainly contained a heavy dose of musicality as Alegría and his group found sympathetic meeting points between Afro-Peruvian traditional music and jazz, pushing the still young style of Afro-Peruvian Jazz into its next plateau. At the same time, the warm nature of the musicians in Alegría’s group and the encompassing nature of Pucusana‘s repertoire gave it a human quality that not only resulted in a great collection of music, but it also became one of 2010′s unforgettable artistic experiences.
2010 Latin Jazz Next Generation Artist 2010 Afro-Peruvian Jazz Album Of The Year Hija Del Viento
Cecilia Alessandra
Singers have a way of touching the public consciousness that triggers peoples emotion in a unique fashion. Peruvian vocalist Cecelia Alessandra certainly reached that point in Peru this year with her album Hija Del Viento, and she is steadily expanding to a worldwide audience. Whether singing modernized Peruvian folk music, moving through a classic jazz standard, or presenting something completely original, Alessandra remains an original performer. Her professionalism and creativity brought something new to the Latin Jazz world this year with Hija Del Viento, showing us a great example of Afro-Peruvian Jazz and the future potential of skilled singers in this realm.
2010 Brazilian Jazz Album Of The Year There’s a Storm Inside
Chico Pinheiro
One of the most impactful discoveries for me during the course of the 2010 Best Of The Year Awards was Chico Pinheiro’s There’s a Storm Inside. When Pinheiro’s album first appeared as a potential nominee, I tracked down the recording and took my initial listen; I soon realized that I had been overlooking an important musician. Pinheiro has some impressive guitar skills and a wonderful voice, and he tackles Brazilian Jazz with a knowledge beyond his year as well as a youthful perspective. His ability to execute music with deep rooted traditions through a modern lens puts a new spin on Brazilian Jazz while his instrumental proficiency leads to interesting flights of improvisation, making There’s a Storm Inside a 2010 must-hear release.
2010 Latin Jazz Large Ensemble Album Of The Year Panamericana Suite
Paquito D’Rivera
Large ensemble albums certainly stand out from their counterparts due to the sheer power of their sound, but a carefully constructed ensemble filled with peerless artists plows over the competition based on pure musicality. Paquito D’Rivera regularly produces recordings based on thoughtful repertoire and outstanding performances that link tradition with creativity, but his ensemble on Panamericana Suite takes things to a completely new level. In addition to D’Rivera’s core group that includes pianist trumpet player Diego Urcola, Alon Yanvai, bassist Oscar Stagnaro, drummer Mark Walker, and percussionist Pernell Saturnino, the saxophonist brings steel pan player Andy Narell, vibraphonist Dave Samuels, harpist Edmar Castaneda, bandoneon player Hector del Curto, percussionist Pedro Martinez, and more. The amazing breadth of D’Rivera’s large ensemble allows them to execute a wide variety of Latin Jazz approaches that touch upon traditions from across South America and the Caribbean, making Panamericana Suite an impressive artistic statement.
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Make sure that you check out the results for Category 3 – Composition/Arrangement and Category 4 – Business/Promotion. In this post, we look at the winners for 2010 Latin Jazz Composition Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Arrangement Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Record Label Of The Year, and 2010 Latin Jazz Album Artwork Of The Year. You can find those results HERE.
You can find the results for Category 2 – Musicians across two different posts. Take a minute to read the results for 2010 Latin Jazz Vocalist Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Flautist Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Trombonist Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Trumpet Player Of The Year, and 2010 Latin Jazz Saxophonist Of The Year by going HERE. Check out the results for 2010 Latin Jazz Pianist Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Guitarist Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Drum Kit Player Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Percussionist Of The Year, and 2010 Latin Jazz Bassist Of The Year by going HERE.
The Latin Jazz Corner Best Of The Year Awards is an annual event fueled by the will of our readers – the winners are selected through a voting process open to LJC readers, Latin Jazz artists, Latin Jazz fans, and the general public. The voting for our fourth annual awards ran from December 8, 2010 – December 23, 2010 and drew thousands of participants from around the world. It was an exciting process that has provided some interesting results, spotlighting a variety of different artists from all areas of the Latin Jazz world. You can learn more about the LJC Best Of The Year Awards by checking out this post – What Are The LJC Best Of The Year Awards?; on that page you’ll find links to frequently asked questions that should give you the complete scoop on the awards.
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In the remaining days of 2010, we’ll be taking a look at the winners in each of the Best Of 2010 Award categories, revealing a small number with each passing day. In today’s post, we’ll be looking at the second half of the winners in Category 2 – Musicians. We’ll be covering five awards today – 2010 Latin Jazz Pianist Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Guitarist Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Drum Kit Player Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Percussionist Of The Year, and 2010 Latin Jazz Bassist Of The Year.
———- 2010 Latin Jazz Pianist Of The Year Axel Tosca Laugart Timbasa
Mark Weinstein
Latin Jazz certainly looks and sounds quite a bit different in the twenty-first century, a fact exemplified by Axel Tosca Laugart’s performance on Mark Weinstein’s Timbasa. As a pianist, his broad training allows him to channel a wide array of influences, ranging from Herbie Hancock to Chucho Valdés, as well classical and dance musicians. Laugart’s playing stretches the standards found on Timbasa into a thousand different directions, coloring the music with a massive harmonic and rhythmic palette. It’s an impressive performance that announces Latin Jazz’s movement into the future with a bold and confident voice, as Laugart employs his vast piano skills with a forceful musicality that needs to be heard to be believed.
2010 Latin Jazz Guitarist Of The Year Chico Pinheiro There’s a Storm Inside
Chico Pinheiro
The guitar has long been an important part of Brazilian music, and as a result, the style holds a number of impressive performers on the instrument. With this type of history behind the music, modern guitarists need to bring a complete musicality into the their performances, a fact that Chico Pinheiro handles with ease on his 2010 release There’s a Storm Inside. Pinheiro easily evokes the swaying cool of bossa nova guitar or tears into an edgy modern jazz improvisation without breaking a sweat. Pinheiro demonstrates stylistic diversity, tasteful musicality, and individual personality with an underlying instrumental virtuosity throughout There’s a Storm Inside, skillfully carrying on the important history of the guitar in Brazilian music.
2010 Latin Jazz Drum Kit Player Of The Year Hugo Alcázar Pucusana
Gabriel Alegría Afro-Peruvian Sextet
The integration of the drum kit into Afro-Peruvian Jazz is still a young art, but one this is sure – if you’re looking for a musician to sit behind the drums in this type of project, go to Lima and find Hugo Alcázar. Over the past few years, Alcázar has dominated the major Afro-Peruvian Jazz releases, making his presence known on Gabriel Alegría’s 2008 release Nuevo Mundo, Geoffrey Keezer’s 2009 album Áurea, and Alegría’s 2010 recording Pucusana. Alcázar creatively blends important elements of each Afro-Peruvian style into his drum kit patterns, but his jazz influenced approach sets him apart, as he plays with the modern interactive spirit of Elvin Jones. As more artists pursue their interest in Afro-Peruvian rhythms, they would be wise find some time with Alcázar and check out his ground-breaking approach to Latin Jazz drumming.
2010 Latin Jazz Percussionist Of The Year Freddy “Huevito” Lobatón Pucusana
Gabriel Alegría Afro-Peruvian Sextet
Many people consider the conga as an iconic symbol for Latin music, a fact that may change once they hear Freddy “Huevito” Lobatón. A charismatic personality as well as a virtuosic performer, Lobatón’s performances leap out of Pucusana and capture the hearts of audiences everywhere Gabriel Alegría’s Afro-Peruvian Sextet performs. Lobatón’s performances are supported by his encyclopedic knowledge of cajon technique across a wide array of folkloric Peruvian styles, his gracefully skill in zapateo dancing, and his flexible ability to interact and improvise. As the Latin Jazz world slowly and surely makes room for a growing Afro-Peruvian presence, Lobatón stands as a role model for percussionists everywhere, demonstrating an equal footing for the cajon alongside the conga.
2010 Latin Jazz Bassist Of The Year Panagiotis Andreou Timbasa
Mark Weinstein
Latin Jazz is a flexible music that can easily integrate cultural elements from around the world, as long as skilled and creative musicians are behind that blend. Bassist Panagiotis Andreou proves that point, as he fluidly incorporates his background in jazz, funk, modern Cuban dance music, and traditional Greek folk music into Mark Weinstein’s Timbasa. His approach to the standards found on the album could be described as anything but conventional; at the same time though, Andreou’s playing charges through the recording with a massive groove and undeniable musicality. Timbasa holds a bass performance informed by a broad spectrum of influences – once these different ideas come together under Andreou’s fingers though, it’s a Latin Jazz bass sound that looks directly towards the future.
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Make sure that you check out the results for Category 3 – Composition/Arrangement and Category 4 – Business/Promotion. In this post, we look at the winners for 2010 Latin Jazz Composition Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Arrangement Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Record Label Of The Year, and 2010 Latin Jazz Album Artwork Of The Year. You can find those results HERE.
You can find the first half of the results for Category 2 – Musicians in another post. Take a minute to read the results for 2010 Latin Jazz Vocalist Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Flautist Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Trombonist Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Trumpet Player Of The Year, and 2010 Latin Jazz Saxophonist Of The Year by going HERE.
Come back tomorrow as we complete the results for the 2010 Best Of The Year Awards with Category 1 – Albums, covering the winners for 2010 Latin Jazz Large Ensemble Album Of The Year, 2010 Afro-Peruvian Album Of The Year, 2010 Brazilian Jazz Album Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Next Generation Artist, and 2010 Latin Jazz Album Of The Year. Don’t miss it – it’s a great way to close out the year!
The Latin Jazz Corner Best Of The Year Awards is an annual event fueled by the will of our readers – the winners are selected through a voting process open to LJC readers, Latin Jazz artists, Latin Jazz fans, and the general public. The voting for our fourth annual awards ran from December 8, 2010 – December 23, 2010 and drew thousands of participants from around the world. It was an exciting process that has provided some interesting results, spotlighting a variety of different artists from all areas of the Latin Jazz world. You can learn more about the LJC Best Of The Year Awards by checking out this post – What Are The LJC Best Of The Year Awards?; on that page you’ll find links to frequently asked questions that should give you the complete scoop on the awards.
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In the remaining days of 2010, we’ll be taking a look at the winners in each of the Best Of 2010 Award categories, revealing a small number with each passing day. In today’s post, we’ll be looking at half of the winners in Category 2 – Musicians. We’ll be covering five awards today – 2010 Latin Jazz Vocalist Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Flautist Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Trombonist Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Trumpet Player Of The Year, and 2010 Latin Jazz Saxophonist Of The Year.
———- 2010 Latin Jazz Vocalist Of The Year Kat Parra Dos Amantes
Kat Parra & The Sephardic Music Experience
Vocalist Kat Parra emerged onto the scene years ago with her strong debut Birds in Flight, and continued churning out top-notch Latin Jazz through two more releases. Dos Amantes saw Parra diving headfirst into her musical passion, jazz influenced arrangements of traditional Sephardic music, delivered with a Caribbean flavor. This was uncharted water to say the least, but Parra’s thorough research and superb musicality allowed her to wrap her rich vocal tone around the multiple influences with a commanding presence. Parra’s outstanding vocal performance on Dos Amantes expressed her unique concept with clarity and conviction, opening the doors onto a bright future for combinations of Sephardic music and Latin Jazz.
2010 Latin Jazz Flautist Of The Year Masaru Koga Dos Amantes
Kat Parra & The Sephardic Music Experience
Kat Parra’s combination of Sephardic music, jazz, and Caribbean rhythms on Dos Amantes marked a new artistic direction that required forward thinking musicians. As the album’s sole wind player, flautist Masaru Koga was tasked with the daunting job of navigating traditional melodies with an eye towards Sephardic tradition while winding through Latin Jazz contexts. Koga’s insightful musicality pushed him in the right direction though, helping him to build a distinct improvisatory voice around Parra’s version of Sephardic music. His dedication to the project and Parra’s musical ideal resulted in a stellar performance that made Koga a standout part of the top-notch musical team on Dos Amantes.
2010 Latin Jazz Trombonist Of The Year Sergio Trombone La E Ca (Here And There)
Antonio Adolfo & Carol Saboya
Pianist Antonio Adolfo and vocalist Carol Saboya create a lush musical landscape on La E Ca (Here And There) that both recalls Brazilian tradition and looks into modern jazz concepts. When considering a wind player for this setting, one might think of a saxophone or flute, but Sergio Trombone proved the validity and necessity of including a trombonist here. His ability to nimbly wind through jazz harmonies with class and style combined with percussive phrasing reflective of Brazilian styles makes his performance leap from the recording. In the end, Trombone proved the perfect wind player companion on Adolfo and Saboya’s journey through these Brazilian Jazz classics on La E Ca (Here And There).
2010 Latin Jazz Trumpet Player Of The Year Gabriel Alegría Pucusana
Gabriel Alegría Afro-Peruvian Sextet
When fronting a powerful group of musicians with a defined musical concept, a leader needs to bring a strong set of skills and personality into the mix. Years of walking between traditional Afro-Peruvian music and straight-ahead jazz prepared Gabriel Alegría not only for his role as a cutting edge bandleader, but first and foremost as a serious trumpet player. On Pucusana, Alegría’s phrasing outlines Afro-Peruvian styles with a undeniable clarity while improvising through jazz changes with an identifiable Miles Davis influence. Alegría’s stands at the front of the Afro-Peruvian Sextet with power and presence throughout Pucusana, presenting a major improvisatory role model in Afro-Peruvian Jazz.
2010 Latin Jazz Saxophonist Of The Year Laura Andrea Leguía Pucusana
Gabriel Alegría Afro-Peruvian Sextet
Standing beside a major presence in any given style demands a bold and adventurous musician, willing to take risks and brave new frontiers. Working as a musical foil to trumpet player Gabriel Alegría on a daily basis, saxophonist Laura Andrea Leguía embodies those qualities in abundance. Taking a step forward on Pucusana, her presence is felt strongly, taking the melodic lead in many cases and emerging as a passionate soloist. Her performance on Pucusana not only supports the music but brings the overall ensemble into a higher level of musicianship, making her a voice to be noticed in Afro-Peruvian Jazz.
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Make sure that you check out the results for Category 3 – Composition/Arrangement and Category 4 – Business/Promotion. In this post, we look at the winners for 2010 Latin Jazz Composition Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Arrangement Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Record Label Of The Year, and 2010 Latin Jazz Album Artwork Of The Year. You can find those results HERE.
You can find second half of the results for Category 2 – Musicians in another post. Check out the results for 2010 Latin Jazz Pianist Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Guitarist Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Drum Kit Player Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Percussionist Of The Year, and 2010 Latin Jazz Bassist Of The Year by going HERE.
The Latin Jazz Corner Best Of The Year Awards is an annual event fueled by the will of our readers – the winners are selected through a voting process open to LJC readers, Latin Jazz artists, Latin Jazz fans, and the general public. The voting for our fourth annual awards ran from December 8, 2010 – December 23, 2010 and drew thousands of participants from around the world. It was an exciting process that has provided some interesting results, spotlighting a variety of different artists from all areas of the Latin Jazz world. You can learn more about the LJC Best Of The Year Awards by checking out this post – What Are The LJC Best Of The Year Awards?; on that page you’ll find links to frequently asked questions that should give you the complete scoop on the awards.
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In the remaining days of 2010, we’ll be taking a look at the winners in each of the Best Of 2010 Award categories, revealing a small number with each passing day. In today’s post, we’ll be looking at the winners in Category 3 – Composition/Arrangement and Category 4 – Business/Promotion. This covers four awards – 2010 Latin Jazz Composition Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Arrangement Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Record Label Of The Year, and 2010 Latin Jazz Album Art Of The Year.
———- 2010 Latin Jazz Composition Of The Year “Sertão Wi Fi” composed by Chico Pinheiro and Pedro Luis There’s a Storm Inside
Chico Pinheiro
Latin Jazz composition in 2010 places major demands upon any musician, requiring them to touch upon tradition while building new and inspiring contexts for improvisation. Brazilian guitarist and vocalist Chico Pinheiro meets this task with a clever combination of rhythmic implications and performance styles on “Sertão Wi Fi,” a classic meeting of the old and new. The phrasing of Pinheiro’s silky vocals reach deeply into the bossa nova tradition, but the band leaps in several different directions from Brazilian rhythms to double time break beats. All these elements combine freely with rich jazz harmonies, cutting guitar improvisations, and the band’s interactive tendencies to create an unforgettable piece of music.
2010 Latin Jazz Arrangement Of The Year “My Favorite Things” composed by Rogers and Hammerstein, arranged by Gabriel Alegria Pucusana
Gabriel Alegría Afro-Peruvian Sextet
Rogers and Hammerstein’s classic composition “My Favorite Things” caught the public’s eye in The Sound Of Music, eventually establishing itself as a jazz standard through multiple interpretations from countless artists. Gabriel Alegria’s version owes inspiration to John Coltrane’s classic version of the song though, placing the iconic saxophonist’s modal energy into an Afro-Peruvian festejo. Laura Andrea Leguía channels Coltrane’s spirit through her soprano saxophone, while drummer Hugo Alcazar and percussionist Freddy “Huevito” Lobaton interact with the passion of Elvin Jones. There’s a lot of depth here as Alegría skillfully pays tribute to Coltrane while calling upon his own personality with an Afro-Peruvian context.
2010 Latin Jazz Record Label Of The Year Saponegro Records
2010 Release: Pucusana
Gabriel Alegría Afro-Peruvian Sextet
As we move further into the twenty-first century, the record label as we knew it is fundamentally changing, with artists funding their own recordings and forming independent labels. Despite offers from a number of established labels, Gabriel Alegría kept Pucusana on his own independent label, Saponegro Records, following this emerging trend. The independent nature of the album guarantees high-level musicality and individuality, and despite the lack of established label backing, Pucusana shows absolute professionalism. The win of Saponegro Records in the 2010 Latin Jazz Record Label Of The Year Category may signal a paradigm shift towards the dominance of quality independent labels.
2010 Latin Jazz Album Art Of The Year Graphic Artist: Christian Braun Pucusana
Gabriel Alegría Afro-Peruvian Sextet
Album Artwork presents an essential opportunity to present a visual image to the listener that relates to the artist and the concept of the particular album, an idea captured precisely by Christian Braun on Gabriel Alegría’s latest album. Pucusana is a district in Peru’s southern Lima providence surrounded by the Pacific Ocean that specializes in all sorts of fishing activities. Braun strings together images from several different fishing boats to build the recording’s title, Pucusana several times across the album cover. The resultant image presents an eye-catching collage of lively and colorful patches that succinctly capture the rustic nature of the town’s fishing life.
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You can find the results for Category 2 – Musicians across two different posts. Take a minute to read the results for 2010 Latin Jazz Vocalist Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Flautist Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Trombonist Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Trumpet Player Of The Year, and 2010 Latin Jazz Saxophonist Of The Year by going HERE. Check out the results for 2010 Latin Jazz Pianist Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Guitarist Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Drum Kit Player Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Percussionist Of The Year, and 2010 Latin Jazz Bassist Of The Year by going HERE.
Latin Jazz This Week will bring you a weekly look into news from the Latin Jazz world. You’ll find new releases, recommended performances, web finds, and more. You can check out some current sounds in the Listening Center tab at the top of the page. Performance dates will be kept in the Live Latin Jazz tab at the top of the page.
NEWS
After a fun and relaxing holiday break, LJC is back in action, ready to look back upon 2010 and charge into 2011 with a solid love for Latin Jazz moving us forward. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be posting the results from the Best Of 2010 Awards, spotlighting the artists that you voted as your personal favorites in 2010. Each day I’ll provide a few results, taking us into the new year. Along the way, I’m hoping to provide some more reflective material on 2010 and the Latin Jazz world.
Over at All About Jazz, they are starting a new series of video updates organized by Brian Pace. These regular clips will offer interviews with a number of people in the jazz word, and they promise to provides some great information. The first clip features an interview with a major figure in the Latin Jazz world, pianist Danilo Peréz, who discusses his latest album Providencia. It’s a good interview, check it out HERE. Also, check out this AAJ review of a recent Peréz concert that reflected upon his love of Monk – you can find that HERE.
If you’re in SOUTH AMERICA this week . . . MANANTE WHEN: Tuesday 12/28/10 WHERE:Jazz Zone
Av. La Paz 656 Pasaje El Suche Miraflore
Miraflores, Lima 051 Peru TIME: 8:00 p.m. TICKETS: 15 soles
If you’re in EUROPE this week . . . ALFREDO RODRIGUEZ
Umbria Winter WHEN: Thursday 12/30/10 – Sunday 1/2/10 WHERE:Sala dei 400
Piazza del Popolo
00187 Rome, Italy TIME: 4:00 p.m. TICKETS: 15 euros
If you’re in CANADA this week . . . GARY MORGAN AND PANAMERICANA WHEN: Wednesday 12/29/10 WHERE:Lula Lounge
1585 Dundas West
Toronto, Canada TIME: 8:00 p.m. & 9:30 p.m. TICKETS: $20
HILARIO DURAN TRIO WHEN: Friday 12/31/10 WHERE:Lula Lounge
1585 Dundas West
Toronto, Canada TIME: 7:30 p.m. TICKETS: Dinner and show: $150
If you’re on the EAST COAST this week . . . AFRO BOP ALLIANCE WHEN: Thursday 12/30/10 WHERE:Talara
615 President Street
Baltimore, MD TIME: 8:00 p.m.
ARTURO O’FARRILL WHEN: Wednesday 12/29/10 WHERE:Puppet’s Jazz Club
481 5th Avenue Park Slope
Brooklyn, NY TIME: 6:00 p.m. TICKETS: $10
BOBBY SANABRIA
Cachimbo with special guest La Bruja WHEN: Wednesday 12/29/10 WHERE:Fonda Boricua Lounge
172 E. 106 Street
New York, NY TIME: 8:00 p.m. TICKETS: $5
CHICO O’FARRILL’S AFRO-CUBAN JAZZ ORCHESTRA WHEN: Sunday 1/2/10 WHERE:Birdland
315 W. 44th Street
Manhattan, NY TIME: 9:00 p.m. & 11:00 p.m. TICKETS: $30
CIDINHO TEIXIERA WHEN: Sunday 1/2/10 WHERE:Zinc Bar
82 West 3rd Street
New York, NY TIME: 9:30 p.m., 11:00 p.m., & 1:00 a.m. TICKETS: $10 with 2 Drink Minimum
EDWARD PEREZ WHEN: Thursday 12/30/10 WHERE:Tutuma Social Club
164 East 56th Street
New York, NY TIME: 8:30 p.m. & 10:30 p.m. TICKETS: NO COVER
ERIC KURIMSKI WHEN: Thursday 12/30/10 WHERE:Terraza Café
40-19 Gleane Street
Elmhurst, NY TIME: 10:00 p.m. TICKETS: NO COVER
WHEN: Friday 12/31/10 WHERE:Chavín at Night
16 N. Main Street
Port Chester, NY TIME: 11:00 p.m. TICKETS: Bar: $25; Table; $35
HELIO ALVES WHEN: Sunday 1/2/10 WHERE:Blue Note – New York
131 West 3rd Street
New York, NY TIME: 12:30 p.m. & 2:30 p.m. TICKETS: Dinner and show: $24.50
OSCAR PEREZ NUEVO COMIENZO WHEN: Wendesday 12/29/10 WHERE:Zinc Bar
82 West 3rd Street
New York, NY TIME: 7:30 p.m. TICKETS: $10 with 2 Drink Minimum
STEVE GLUZBAND & HOT HOUSE WHEN: Friday 12/31/10> WHERE:Tutuma Social Club
164 East 56th Street
New York, NY TIME: 9:00 p.m. & 11:00 p.m. TICKETS: NO COVER
If you’re in the MID-EAST this week . . . CHICAGO AFRO-LATIN JAZZ ENSEMBLE WHEN: Tuesday 12/28/10 WHERE:Andy’s Jazz Club
11 East Hubbard Street
Chicago, IL TIME: 9:00 p.m. TICKETS: $10
TUMBAO BRAVO WHEN: Sunday 1/2/10 WHERE:Sangria’s
401 South Lafayette Avenue
Royal Oak, MI TIME: 9:30 p.m. TICKETS: $5
If you’re in the MID-WEST this week . . . JANINE SANTANA
5th Annual Meanest Green Chili Cookoff & Sizzlin’ Jazz Benefit WHEN: Thursday 12/30/10 WHERE:The Oriental Theater
4335 West 44th Avenue
Denver, CO TIME: 6:15 p.m. TICKETS: $25
If you’re on the WEST COAST this week . . . ANNA ESTRADA WHEN: Monday 12/27/10 WHERE:The Cannery
2801 Leavenworth
San Francisco, CA TIME: 12:00 p.m. TICKETS: FREE
WHEN: Wednesday 12/29/10 WHERE:Pier 23
Pier 23 On The Embarcadero
San Francisco, CA TIME: 7:00 p.m. TICKETS: FREE
GILBERT CASTELLANOS WHEN: Wednesday 12/29/10 WHERE:El Camino
2400 India Street
San Diego, CA TIME: 9:00 p.m. TICKETS: NO COVER
JOHNNY BLAS & HIS LATIN JAZZ BAND
Duo With Ben Thomas WHEN: Saturday 1/1/10 WHERE:Steamer’s
138 W. Commonwealth Avenue
Fullerton, CA TIME: 8:30 p.m. TICKETS: $8
PACIFIC MAMBO ORCHESTRA WHEN: Monday 12/27/10 WHERE:Cafe Cocomo
650 Indiana Street
San Francisco, CA TIME: 9:30 p.m. TICKETS: $10
PETE ESCOVEDO
New Year’s Eve Spectacular WHEN: Friday 12/31/10 WHERE:Friendship Hall
1121 E. Santa Clara Street
San Jose, CA TIME: Starts At 5:00 p.m. TICKETS: $80 – $95
Without actually realizing it, there was one lesson that I learned early in life that stuck with me until this day – jazz makes Christmas come to life. Despite their irreplaceable presence in my childhood, the Christmas carols that we all know are a bit . . . old school. Put jazz phrasing into those melodies, substitute some hipper harmonies, and make room for improvisation and those ancient carols are simply timeless. I should thank a man who crossed both the Latin Jazz and straight ahead jazz worlds many time, as this realization was due primarily to the work of Vince Guaraldi. These days I think about Guaraldi as the man behind the piano on several great Cal Tjader albums, but as a child, he was the music in A Charlie Brown Christmas that I just couldn’t get out of my head. As Christmas kept returning from year to year, my love for Christmas through a jazz perspective sent me into albums from Louie Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Wynton Marsalis, and more. These days, Christmas just isn’t the same without some swinging carols to complete the picture.
Those initial encounters with Guaraldi’s jazz-fueled holiday classics built a fondness for swing laden Christmas carols, but I can’t get through the holiday season without a healthy helping of clave. While swing brings a certain timeless charm to Christmas carols, Caribbean and South America rhythms bring them to an exciting boil. Christmas should be a festive time where we celebrate our loved ones and everything they bring into our lives; Latin Jazz Christmas carols draw out this feeling and get the party started. It’s a great viewpoint on Christmas classics, but strangely enough, we haven’t really been inundated with memorable Latin Jazz Christmas albums over the years. The swing side of the jazz world digs into this repertoire on a yearly basis, and as a result, there’s a wealth of great jazz Christmas albums. We have individual Latin Jazz Christmas tracks that appear occasionally, and a group of forgettable Latinish Christmas albums, but too few great Latin Jazz Christmas albums. So today we celebrate a couple of outstanding Latin Jazz Christmas albums that really should become holiday traditions for all of us.
———- Latin Jazz Christmas
Concord Picante Artists Latin Jazz Christmas, a 2003 release from Concord Picante takes unique advantage of the label’s strong roster. It’s a great approach to delivering a memorable Christmas album that both reinforces the recognizable nature of the label’s artists and creating a product with distinct meaning in people’s lives. Many record labels have taken this path towards a Christmas album, but few conglomerates have the pure Latin Jazz power of the early twenty-first century Concord Picante. West coast conga powerhouse Poncho Sanchez and his band contribute a couple of tracks, and the combined strength of Dave Samuel’s Caribbean Jazz Project comes through on other pieces. The label has some serious representation in Latin Jazz saxophone, with songs that feature both Ed Calle and Justo Almario. The Escovedo family shines with the Christmas spirit on numbers that feature patriarch Pete Escovedo and daughter Sheila E, as well as long time collaborator Ray Obiedo. High register trumpet pyrotechnics also play a part in the album as Cuban legend Arturo Sandoval jumps into the party on a couple of pieces. This line-up alone is enough to make any Latin Jazz fan’s mouth water, but add the fact that this takes place on an album that they can share with family and friends . . . Latin Jazz Christmas becomes a holiday must-buy.
There’s more depth than just a stellar group of names though; the music on Latin Jazz Christmas will keep you coming back for more each year. Sanchez leads his band through a ominous Afro-Cuban 6/8 version of “What Child Is This,” leaving solo space for trombonist Francisco Torres and saxophonist Scott Martin. Samuels and flautist Dave Valentin turn a familiar melody inside out on The Caribbean Jazz Project’s “Sleigh Ride,” with a son montuno rhythm in 7/4 and several inspired improvisations. “Jingle Bells” become a mambo big band spectacular in the hands of Sandoval and Calle, who both deliver awe inspiring statements over the Christmas classic. Sheila E. places a driving cha cha cha behind her vocals on “Santa Baby,” creating a performance filled with sass and spice. Acoustic guitar licks provide a rumba flamenco flavor to “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” creating an understated simmer behind Calle’s flute solo and Almario’s soprano sax statement. The band provides a charging son montuno arrangement behind Pete Escovedo’s accessible vocal on “Feliz Navidad,” leading into a roaring improvisation from Obiedo. A beautiful combination of straight-ahead clave swing, clever arranging, and unforgettable solos from Martin, trumpet player Sal Cracchiolo, and Sanchez turn “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” into an instant classic. The high energy performances from Latin Jazz Christmas set the standard for holiday music with a Caribbean flair, delivering the perfect combination of jazz depth, rhythmic intensity, and holiday cheer.
A Latin Jazz Christmas
Bobby Rodriguez Individual musicians recording a Christmas album have an overwhelming task on their plate – they’ve got to take some of the world’s most recognizable music and reinvent them. Everyone knows the words, chords, and melodies to the majority of Christmas songs; it’s going to be pretty challenging to surprise them. They’ve heard the traditional context for each of these songs, they’ve sang them, they’ve played them, and they’ve danced to them. By the time most listeners are adults, they’ve heard a million different interpretations of these songs, ranging from swinging jazz versions to hard rock covers. Making matters more complex, a musician can’t surprise their audience too much when it comes to Christmas music. Most people enjoy a new spin on familiar holiday melodies, but at the heart of their experience, they simply want to enjoy the songs that they know and love. Even the most adventurous listener has a place in their heart for this music, and they prefer their high art in another context. From one perspective, a musician that undertakes a whole Christmas album needs to reinvent the wheel without making it spin too fast – a major challenge from any angle.
Los Angeles based trumpet player Bobby Rodriguez tackled this task with great musicality, delivering a Christmas classic in A Latin Jazz Christmas. Rodriguez’s solo trumpet introduces “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” with an exciting zeal before the band explodes into a fiery montuno for improvisations from Rodriguez and conguero David Romero. A propulsive merengue rhythm puts a distinctly different spin on “Deck The Halls,” allowing Rodriguez to send the band into high gear with an energetic statement. Rodriguez playfully bends the melody to “Feliz Navidad” around a cha cha cha, before the band leaps into a heavily funkified groove for solos. Bassist Jonathan Pintoff creates a free floating open 6/8 feel for “We Three Kings,” opening the door to Rodriguez for edgy modal exploration. Pianist Sergei Kasimov and Rodriguez tenderly interact around the melody on “The Christmas Song,” leading into a heartfelt bolero which serves as a feature for Kasimov’s insightful improvisation skills. “Jingle Bells” comes alive as a driving samba, giving way to a joyful rhythm section vamp and a spirited improvisation from Rodriguez. Christmas bells set the tone for a lively cha cha cha behind “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town,” with Rodriguez’s clever phrasing taking the song to new heights. Rodriguez delivers a smart combination of familiar melodies and appealing personality to make A Latin Jazz Christmas a festive holiday recording that will light up the season.
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Got more Latin Jazz Christmas classics? Share them with us in the comments and keep our Christmas in clave! Happy holidays everyone!
A successful career in music takes more than simply talent and drive, it requires a survivor mentality. Every musician enters the field with a passion for certain types of music, specific approaches, and a favorite context. While they may find some of their preferred musical directions along the way, a career in music is fairly unpredictable. Throughout the course of a career, a musician will be faced with unfamiliar types of music, aesthetics, and more; unwillingness to be flexible will only lead to a change in careers. In order to survive, they must learn to thrive in these uncharted waters and apply their creativity across the board.
Pianist Bill O’Connell has been a surviver, creating high quality music through decades of musical history. Born in New York, O’Connell started studying piano at a young age, and by his teens was deeply entrenched in the popular music of the day. As O’Connell looked towards a career, music became his most obvious choice, and he headed to The Oberlin Conservatory Of Music to dig into classical piano. Still in his twenties, O’Connell moved back to New York with an eye on jazz gigs, but the scene during the seventies held a different plan for him. Salsa was in full swing in New York, and O’Connell found an abundance of gigs in Latin music. He worked steadily in the dance music world, but started moving towards Latin Jazz, eventually landing a gig with legendary conguero Mongo Santamaria. He began his tenure as a bandleader in the late seventies, with the 1978 release Searching, while finding a myriad of additional gigs as a sideman. He also developed a close association with flautist Dave Valentin, becoming a key member of Valentin’s group and a regular songwriter. In the eighties, O’Connell was a backbone on several of Valentin’s GRP albums that crossed the line between Latin Jazz and fusion, including Mind Time and Live At The Blue Note. At the same time, O’Connell kept one foot in the straight-ahead jazz world, performing with Sonny Rollins, Emily Remler, Chet Baker, and more. In 1993, O’Connell returned to his role as a bandleader, recording a strong album that walked the line between jazz and Latin music, Lost Voices. He worked steadily throughout the nineties, recording with Valentin on Red Sun, Tropic Heat, Primitive Passions, and Sunshower. At the same time, a number of musicians began to integrate O’Connell’s smart writing and playing into their recordings, including bassist Charles Fambrough and vocalist Jon Lucien. O’Connell’s track as a bandleader moved into high gear after the turn of the century, with the emergence of his scorching Latin Jazz Project on the 2001 album Black Sand, with a group that included bassist Andy Gonzalez, drummer Steve Berrios, and percussionist Milton Cardona. He followed this in 2004 with Latin Jazz Fantasy, an ambitious project that took his compositions from duo to orchestral contexts. Asserting his unique perspective on the music, O’Connell recorded Triple Play in 2008, a collection Latin Jazz pieces performed in a trio setting with Valentin and conguero Richie Flores joining the pianist. O’Connell’s late 2010 release Rhapsody in Blue is an exciting blowing session that finds him leading a band that includes Berrios, Flores, and bassist Luques Curtis through both Latin and modern swing tunes. With every twist and turn of his musical career, O’Connell has ridden with the changes and kept his eye on quality musical productions.
Look through the history of Latin Jazz and dance music over the past thirty years; scattered throughout that history – sometimes in the forefront and sometimes in a supporting role, you’ll find Bill O’Connell. He has contributed a great amount to the music, and the quality of that experience comes through in spades on his new release, Rhapsody in Blue. In celebration of this new release, today’s Latin Jazz Video Fix is dedicated to pianist Bill O’Connell. The first clip features O’Connell in a trio context with Valentin and Flores, performing material from Triple Play. The second video finds O’Connell in supportive role behind trombonist Papo Vazquez and saxophonist Mario Rivera, but he still gets space for an amazing solo. The third snippet is a piece from a concert that O’Connell did with Dave Valentin’s band at the Barquisimeto International Jazz Festival. The last piece is a bit grainy and distorted, but the energy is worth it as O’Connell jams at the FB Lounge in New York. There’s a lot of great music here that gives you a preview of what you’ll hear on Rhapsody in Blue – enjoy!
———- Bill O’Connell And Triple Play
Bill O’Connell Playing With Papo Vazquez And Mario Rivera
Bill O’Connell Performing With Dave Valentin’s Band
Bill O’Connell Jamming At FB Lounge
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Want more from Bill O’Connell? Check out some of the recordings below! Black Sand
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Do you have a video to contribute to satisfy our weekly Latin Jazz video fix? If so, send it in – it’s time to feed our addiction. I’m looking for live performances, from any context. I’ll most likely be posting one video per week, but if you’ve got another idea, let’s talk. So come on Latin Jazz videographers, musicians, and fans – let’s share some of our memorable videos! Get my contact info HERE.
Latin Jazz This Week will bring you a weekly look into news from the Latin Jazz world. You’ll find new releases, recommended performances, web finds, and more. You can check out some current sounds in the Listening Center tab at the top of the page. Performance dates will be kept in the Live Latin Jazz tab at the top of the page.
NEWS
Things have been pretty exciting here at LJC over the past couple of weeks, as the Best Of 2010 Awards have kicked into high gear. The thing that I really love about this event is the amount of passion and dedication that fans around the world show for their favorite Latin Jazz groups. With thousands of votes cast and hundreds of additional nominations counted, 2010 has been the most thrilling ride yet in our year-end awards . . . and things are far from over. There’s still plenty of time to see changes in the polls – ballots close this Thursday night, 12/23/10 at midnight Pacific Standard Time. So spread the word and encourage everyone you know to get out and support your favorite Latin Jazz artist – VOTE NOW!
Congratulations to vocalist Kat Parra, who was recently awarded a grant from the San Francisco Friends Of Chamber Music to help support the future endeavors of her Sephardic Music Project. The funds will go towards a new project entitled Las Aventuras de Pasión that explores the many facets of love in the Sephardic music world, something we will be anxiously looking forward to here at LJC. Bay Area Brazilian Jazz band Grupo Falso Baiano was also awarded a grant to complete their latest live recording. You can get the full details on the grants HERE. In addition, Parra is up for 2010 Latin Jazz Vocalist of the Year in the LJC Best Of The Year Awards – VOTE NOW!
This past month the Latin Jazz world lost a promising artist from Puerto Rico when flautist Eddie Perales died in a tragic car accident on December 7th, 2010. Initially inspired to play the flute by Latin music icons like Jose Fajardo and Johnny Pacheco, he turned towards classical music as he reached the end of high school. Collegiate studies at the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico led to a professional career that walked the line between work in the classical and jazz worlds. In 2000, Perales released Molto Cha, demonstrating the strength of his Latin Jazz approach. For many of us, Perales exists as a new name, but his musicianship should be known – we’ll have to do something about that here at LJC. If you’re interested in checking out more about Perales, you can visit his website HERE.
If you’re in SOUTH AMERICA this week . . . SOFIA REI KOUTSOVITIS
Vocal Workshop WHEN: Monday 12/20/10 WHERE:Centro Cultural Graciela Carena
Alvear 157
Cordoba, Argentina TIME: 6:00 p.m. TICKETS: $75
If you’re in AFRICA this week . . . OMAR SOSA
World Festival of Black Arts & Cultures WHEN: Tuesday 12/21/10 WHERE:Monument de la Renaissance
Dakar, Senegal TIME: 7:00 p.m. TICKETS: FREE
If you’re in CANADA this week . . . HILARIO DURAN TRIO WHEN: Tuesday 12/21/10 WHERE:Trane Studio
964 Bathurst Street
Toronto, Canada TIME: 7:30 p.m. TICKETS: $15
If you’re on the EAST COAST this week . . . ADRIANO SANTOS BRAZILIAN JAZZ ORGAN TRIO WHEN: Wednesday 12/22/10 WHERE:NuBlu
62 Avenue C
New York, NY TIME: 10:00 p.m.
AFRO BOP ALLIANCE WHEN: Thursday 12/23/10 WHERE:Talara
615 President Street
Baltimore, MD TIME: 8:00 p.m.
ANNETTE AGUILAR & STRINGBEANS WHEN: Thursday 12/23/10 WHERE:Corcho Wine Bar
227 Dyckman Street
New York, NY TIME: 8:00 p.m.
ARTURO O’FARRILL WHEN: Wednesday 12/22/10 WHERE:Puppet’s Jazz Club
481 5th Avenue Park Slope
Brooklyn, NY TIME: 6:00 p.m. TICKETS: $10
CHICO O’FARRILL’S AFRO-CUBAN JAZZ ORCHESTRA WHEN: Sunday 12/26/10 WHERE:Birdland
315 W. 44th Street
Manhattan, NY TIME: 9:00 p.m. & 11:00 p.m. TICKETS: $30
CIDINHO TEIXIERA WHEN: Sunday 12/26/10 WHERE:Zinc Bar
82 West 3rd Street
New York, NY TIME: 9:30 p.m., 11:00 p.m., & 1:00 a.m. TICKETS: $10 with 2 Drink Minimum
EDMAR CASTANEDA WHEN: Sunday 12/26/10 WHERE:Jazz Standard
116 East 27th Street
New York, NY TIME: 7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m. TICKETS: $25
EDWARD PEREZ WHEN: Wednesday 12/22/10 WHERE:Terraza Café
40-19 Gleane Street
Elmhurst, NY TIME: 10:00 p.m. TICKETS: NO COVER
WHEN: Thursday 12/23/10 WHERE:Tutuma Social Club
164 East 56th Street
New York, NY TIME: 8:30 p.m. & 10:30 p.m. TICKETS: NO COVER
ELEONORA BIANCHINI WHEN: Saturday 12/25/10 WHERE:Tutuma Social Club
164 East 56th Street
New York, NY TIME: 8:30 p.m. & 10:30 p.m. TICKETS: NO COVER
ERIC KURIMSKI
With Juan Medrano “Cotito” & Eleonora Bianchini WHEN: Thursday 12/23/10 WHERE:Terraza Café
40-19 Gleane Street
Elmhurst, NY TIME: 10:00 p.m. TICKETS: NO COVER
PABLO ASLAN
Tango Jazz Celebration With Paquito D’Rivera WHEN: Monday 12/20/10 – Friday 12/24/10; Sunday 12/26/10 WHERE:Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola
Broadway at 60th Street, 5th Floor
New York, NY TIME: 7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m. TICKETS: $30 – $35
PAQUITO D’RIVERA
Tango Jazz Celebration With Pablo Aslan WHEN: Monday 12/20/10 – Friday 12/24/10; Sunday 12/26/10 WHERE:Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola
Broadway at 60th Street, 5th Floor
New York, NY TIME: 7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m. TICKETS: $30 – $35
If you’re in the MID-EAST this week . . . CHICAGO AFRO-LATIN JAZZ ENSEMBLE WHEN: Tuesday 12/21/10 WHERE:Andy’s Jazz Club
11 East Hubbard Street
Chicago, IL TIME: 9:00 p.m. TICKETS: $10
TUMBAO BRAVO WHEN: Sunday 12/26/10 WHERE:Sangria’s
401 South Lafayette Avenue
Royal Oak, MI TIME: 9:30 p.m. TICKETS: $5
If you’re on the WEST COAST this week . . . ALEXA WEBER MORALES WHEN: Tuesday 12/21/10 WHERE:Alameda Winter Island
Corner of Webster Street and Pacific Ave.
Alameda, CA TIME: 6:00 p.m. TICKETS: $5
ANNA ESTRADA WHEN: Wednesday 12/22/10 WHERE:Panama Hotel
4 Bayview Street
San Rafael, CA TIME: 7:00 p.m.
GILBERT CASTELLANOS WHEN: Wednesday 12/22/10 WHERE:El Camino
2400 India Street
San Diego, CA TIME: 9:00 p.m. TICKETS: NO COVER
JOVINO SANTOS NETO
Duo With Ben Thomas WHEN: Tuesday 12/21/10 WHERE:Pacific Place
600 Pine Street
Seattle, WA TIME: 5:00 p.m. TICKETS: FREE
PACIFIC MAMBO ORCHESTRA WHEN: Monday 12/20/10 WHERE:Cafe Cocomo
650 Indiana Street
San Francisco, CA TIME: 9:30 p.m. TICKETS: $10
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The ability to capture an audio recording of a performance is one of the most important parts of cataloging jazz history, but unfortunately, we’ve gotten to a place where we don’t take advantage of it to the fullest. In the forties, fifties, and sixties, jazz artists recorded multiple albums over the course of a year. This trend left us with a legacy of recorded history that allows us to observe a musician’s artistic progress over the course of time. Somewhere along the line, rock took over the popular music and the industry moved to make each album an event that only occurred every one or two years. For some reason, the jazz community followed suit, and we lost the ability to hear the finer points of an artist’s development. We still got albums every year from most major jazz artists, and occasionally they would appear on albums as sideman simultaneously. Still, the ability to hear a musician build upon their individual artistic concept became much more difficult.
Wide access to quality recording equipment and the do-it-yourself promotional mentality has started to turn the tide, a fact evidenced by the two close releases from saxophonist and clarinetist Paquito D’Rivera. At the end of September, D’Rivera released Tango Jazz: Live at Jazz at Lincoln Center, a collaborative exploration of jazz fueled tango with bassist Pablo Aslan’s group. A little over a month later, Panamericana Suite, a wide reaching live performance that touched upon cultural influences from across the Western Hemisphere, arrived from D’Rivera. Also during 2010, D’Rivera contributed a composition and performed on Terra Incognita from the Imani Winds, released Improvise One, a live DVD with the WDR Big Band, as well as producing and playing on band mate Alex Brown’s debut, Pianist. This type of output provides the insightful perspective on this important artist that the jazz world needs and deserves. Recognizing the significance of D’Rivera’s rapid recorded output, we’re going to dig into Tango Jazz: Live at Jazz at Lincoln Center and Panamericana Suite.
Tango Jazz: Live at Jazz at Lincoln Center
Paquito D’Rivera With The Pablo Aslan Ensemble Sunnyside Records Collaboration sits at the heart of exploration, a fact that D’Rivera confirms with an exciting performance on Tango Jazz: Live at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Although his roots sit in Afro-Cuban Jazz, D’Rivera has spent the better part of his career investigating the myriad possibilities of Caribbean and South American music. He has returned to Argentinean Tango on many occasions, appearing on Nuevo Tango legend Astor Piazzolla’s The Rough Dancer and the Cyclical Night (Tango Apasionado) and integrating the music liberally into his 2007 release Funk Tango. A complete album dedicated to the style required a group of musicians fully immersed in the crossroads between jazz improvisation and tango tradition, which D’Rivera found in the Pablo Aslan ensemble. With a history of stretching the boundaries of the tango legacy, Aslan has worked to find a place for jazz inside a music deeply entrenched in composition. His 2010 release Tango Grill brought together a number of like-minded Argentinean musicians such as trumpet player Gustavo Bergalli, drummer Daniel Piazzolla, and pianist Abel Rogatini. Aslan and his ensemble approached a number of tango standards with the mind-set of jazz musicians, employing improvisation, interpretation, and harmonic variation within the context of tango conventions. With these musicians making a special appearance in New York to celebrate the release of Tango Grill, D’Rivera joined the group in concert, capturing the event on tape. The subsequent recording, Tango Jazz: Live at Jazz at Lincoln Center finds D’Rivera and Aslan’s band digging deep into the possibilities buried in the meeting of these two musical worlds.
The inspired meeting between D’Rivera and Aslan’s ensemble shows the combined musical muscle of these forward thinking artists, delivering a prime example of the potential in tango jazz. D’Rivera, Bergalli, and bandoneon player Raul Jaurena freely share the melody on the standard “Viejo Smocking” before all three musicians enter into a wild improvised exploration of the harmony. Aslan’s “Beto” opens with the dramatic flair typically associated with tango, employing compositional conventions dripping with tension while finding recurring spaces for improvisation. D’Rivera weaves his clarinet through a somber setting on his composition “Bandoneón,” leading the group through a complex tapestry before flying into an extended solo. There’s a modern blend of Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, and tango on bandoneon player Michael Zisman’s “Close Encounter of The Fourth Kind” which inspires blistering statements from D’Rivera, Bergalli, Rogatini, Daniel Piazzolla, and Zisman himself. The group pays tribute to Astor Piazzolla’s legacy with a lively interpretation of “Verano Porteño” that includes a double bandoneon conversation between Jaurena and Zisman as well as some beautiful violin work from Nicolas Danielson. Aslan finds common ground between tango, jazz, and Cuban music with the witty composition “Tanguajira” that places typical tango melodic ideas over a guajira rhythm, invoking playful improvisation from Rogatini, D’Rivera, Bergalli, and Aslan. Both D’Rivera and the ensemble feed off the enthusiastic energy focused upon the deep entry into tango and jazz, bringing the style to a new artistic high – either party could most likely find their way into an interesting expression of tango jazz, but the collaborative effort between D’Rivera, Aslan, and the ensemble on Tango Jazz: Live at Jazz at Lincoln Center marks a major step forward in the genre.
Panamericana Suite
Paquito D’Rivera
MCG Jazz D’Rivera keys into an important concept on Panamericana Suite that sits at the heart of Latin Jazz. He views America as more than a general name that describes the United States – it’s a collection of cultures that stretch from North America to the Caribbean and South America. Viewing the music like this creates the opportunity to pay tribute to multiple traditions from across this broad region. At its root, this perspective on the music reflects the modern state of the Latin Jazz world, but in execution, it’s an extreme challenge for one man. For most people, the basic mixture of jazz and a single Caribbean or South American tradition presents years of study and practice to perform with any sense of respect towards the different traditions; the successful performances of a wide range of cultural musics can be an impossibility. Fortunately, D’Rivera has spent his long musical life wrapping his head around all these traditions and learning the subtleties of each style. He also wisely surrounds himself with musicians that bring strength to the diverse genres D’Rivera encounters. With all these pieces in place, D’Rivera explores a number of musical aesthetics from the Western Hemisphere, infusing a collection of original compositions with color and depth.
D’Rivera masterfully presents an artistic portrait of North America, the Caribbean, and South America, on Panamericana Suite, integrating musical traditions, instrumental combinations, and native players from each region. Harpist Edmar Castaneda opens “Waltz For Moe” with a virtuosic unaccompanied improvisation before the band explodes into a Venezuelan joropo, setting the stage for his awe-inspiring jazz artistry. Bassist Oscar Stagnaro reinvents Dizzy Gillespie’s classic composition “Con Alma” with a Peruvian festejo, providing a lively backdrop from improvisations from vibraphonist Dave Samuels, D’Rivera, and pianist Alon Yavnai. Trumpet player Diego Urcola rearranges Roberto Pansera’s tango “Preludio No. 3″ into a vehicle for jazz improvisation, featuring Urcola, D’Rivera on clarinet, and bandoneonist Hector del Curto. The D’Rivera composition “Tojo” pays tribute to the legendary Cuban trombonist Generoso Jimenez, pushing cha cha cha, bolero, and candombe rhythms behind trombonist Dana Leong, D’Rivera, steel panist Andy Narell, and drummer Mark Walker. The album’s centerpiece lies in D’Rivera’s extended composition, “Panamericana Suite,” a seamless collection of Caribbean and South American cultural traditions. From percussionist Pedro Martinez’s bata introduction to soprano Brenda Feliciano’s operatic lyric and the constantly shifting rhythmic basis, the piece makes a major statement about the commonalities between these aesthetics. The deeply rooted sense of connection flows through every bit of Panamericana Suite, presenting a prime example of vast possibilities inherent in the larger world of American music.
Preserving D’Rivera’s Legacy For Future Generations
D’Rivera has given us an important gift, delivering a multitude of recorded works that reflect the continued growth of his artistic vision. D’Rivera has always been a restless musical soul, eager to explore new directions and expand his musical palette. As a result, his artistic identity has consistently matured over the decades of his professional life. Fortunately, his hunger for new musical frontiers has been widely captured on a recurring basis, as seen with the close release of Tango Jazz: Live at Jazz at Lincoln Center and Panamericana Suite. He simply produces so much inspired music that it would be a crime not to allow a steady flow of recorded works. The power and diversity of D’Rivera’s musical world not only deserves this type of regular documentation, it demands it. Future generations deserve the opportunity to look back upon D’Rivera’s legacy and follow the important moments in his career as completely as possible. Much of the jazz world has some catching up to do behind D’Rivera – musically and in terms of recorded output – but lucky for us, one of the Latin Jazz world’s brightest stars recognizes the urgent need to advance each of these areas with steady conviction.
The further an artist moves forward in their chosen musical direction, the more they define their artistic identity. It’s a process that evolves over the course of years, as the musician moves through a series of milestones. These milestones are the moments that we remember historically, but it’s really the events that lead to the milestones that build the artist’s identity. All the hard practice and long performances that the musician experiences, as well as the different people and places that they encounter, push them towards each milestone. The culmination of these experiences lead the musician to new heights and helps them shape their overarching ideas about music.
As pianist Samuel Quinto has progressed in his pursuit of Latin Jazz, he has become an artist with a strong musical vision. Raised in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, Quinto embraced music, driven by the inspiration of his community. The church exposed Quinto to gospel music and started him playing the piano while the language of the streets spoke to him about traditional Brazilian music. He gave school a chance, but music soon trumped engineering and the piano became a full time job. While performing at a local hotel, some guests introduced Quinto to the music of Michel Camilo. Latin Jazz became Quinto’s prime passion, but he soon realized that Bahia held little promise to advance this artistic interest. The pianist looked towards Europe, and after a preliminary trip and some research, he ended up in Portugal. The country didn’t have an active Latin Jazz scene, but it did have a wealth of strong musicians who recognized Quinto’s strengths. He soon had a regular trio who found their way into the studio to record Quinto’s first release as a leader, Latin Jazz Thrill. The recording opened possibilities for performances across Europe, spreading Quinto’s reputation. By 2009, the membership in Quinto’s trio had rotated, bringing drummer Manuel Santiesteban and bassist Marcos Borges into the mix. The three musicians recorded Quinto’s second release, Salsa ‘n Jazz, a strong album that focused upon the pianist’s original compositions. With this strong and defined statement completed, Quinto presented a solid view of his artistry.
The course of Quinto’s career represented a true progression, rising from the initial inspirations of gospel music and Brazilian traditions into a fully formed Latin Jazz artist. The compositions presented on Salsa ‘n Jazz reveal a creative mind with the technical abilities to express his ideas with precision and flair. In Part One of our interview with Quinto, we looked at the early influence of his church and Brazilian music, his move into a professional career, and his discovery of Michel Camilo. Part Two of our interview focused upon Quinto’s move to Portugal, the Latin Jazz scene in that part of Europe, and the formation of his trio. We complete our conversation with Quinto today, talking about his current release Salsa ‘n Jazz, the member of his trio, and his future plans.
———- LATIN JAZZ CORNER: Salsa ‘n Jazz came out in 2009; how was that recording different?
SAMUEL QUINTO: The difference is that I showed my compositions. On the first album, I only recorded three compositions of my own. I made arrangements of other standards. I played “Summertime” as a guajira. Night and Day was a combination of baião and salsa, I made a new rhythm, salsa-baião. On Salsa ‘n Jazz, I recorded just my compositions, except for “Stella By Starlight.” It was an opportunity for me to show my original music; it was a dream come true.
LJC: Had you been composing for a long time, or was this something new for this album?
SQ: I had composed many pieces of music earlier. I composed a lot of gospel music for choir, quartets, trios, and full groups. I had also composed instrumental music, like samba, bossa nova, and guaracha. I have many compositions. I chose these eight piece for Salsa n’ Jazz.
Once of them, “Ficou No Meio,” I composed it on the elevator! The trio had come to practice; we took the elevator and the elevator broke between the third and fourth floors. We were in this position for one hour! So I made this music during our time on the elevator.
There was also another song, “Kalimba Mulêle.” When I was in Brazil last year, I bought a kalimba. It was a little kalimba, like a toy; it wasn’t a professional kalimba. The kalimba has five notes and the five notes are sharp notes. I decided to make a piece of music for this kalimba, so I composed “Kalimba Mulêle.”
LJC: Once thing that I was curious about in your compositions – it seems like you use rhythms from both Brazil and Cuba equally. Do you feel a stronger connection to the Brazilian rhythms or is it all something that you draw upon?
SQ: I feel that Cuban music and Brazilian music, not just the two countries, Cuba and Brazil, but also the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Argentina. I feel like it’s all one music. I feel that if I could put one rhythm inside another one; that is why my music is not so pure. I don’t have pure rhythms on this CD. There is just one rhythm that is pure – chorinho – that’s on “Vôo Da Andorinha.” It’s a pure chorinho like we play in Brazil in the bars or in the streets. We play chorinho like this. But the other compositions are mixed. I feel like these rhythms are related and I put one inside the other one.
LJC: Could you tell me a little bit about the other members of your trio?
SQ: Right now, I have playing with me, Manuel Santiesteban, a Cuban drummer that has lived here for the past thirteen years. He’s an amazing drummer. You’ve got to see him live. When we played at the jazz festival in Matosinhos, we opened for Dianne Reeves. She had a Brazilian guitar player with her at that concert, Romero Lumbamo. He talked with us; after he saw Manuel play, he said, “Man, you’re like an octopus! How do you play like that?” He’s a very good musician and very good friend. He studied in Cuba and graduated with a degree in drums. He went to the same school as Dafnis Prieto, who plays with Michel Camilo. He plays both percussion and drums.
Edamir Costa is now playing bass with me. Marcos Borges played on Salsa ‘n Jazz, but he is no longer with me. He was getting busy with another job, and so he asked me to find someone else. So I asked Edamir Costa, who played on my first CD, to come back with me again. He is from Rio de Janeiro; he studied bass there with Andr Santos, a maestro who plays in traditional orchestras that focus on music from Brazil. Edamir has lived here eleven or twelve years. He plays with many, many musicians. He never played Latin Jazz before he played with me; he only played Brazilian music or pop and rock. When I met him, I invited him to play Latin Jazz. He told me, “I don’t know how to play this – your music is crazy!” I told him, “Come to my house. We’ll practice together and I’ll show you the bass lines and accents.” We practiced everyday and he started to learn how to play with me. Right now, he’s a great bass player.
LJC: What does the future hold for you and your group?
SQ: I’m trying to record a solo album. I know that is it is tough to record a solo Latin Jazz album, but I’m going to try. I have some compositions that I’ve arranged for solo piano and I think that it’s a great project. I will play guitar also; on one piece I play both piano and guitar – it’s a great samba on the guitar.
In addition to the solo piano album, I am planning on doing a CD with a great singer that lives here in Portugal, Marcos Buzana. He’s a mixture between Milton Nascimiento and Djavan. We would like to record a CD together. He plays guitar and sings while I play piano – the album could be very good.
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You’ll want to read the first part of our interview with pianist Samuel Quinto, where we look at the early influence of the church and Brazilian traditional music, his decision to focus upon music, and the influence of Michel Camilo. You can find it HERE.
Make sure that you check out Part 2 of our interview with pianist Samuel Quinto, as we talk about his move to Portugal, the formation of his trio, and the recording of his first album, Latin Jazz Thrill. You can read it HERE.
, Geoffrey Keezer’s 2009 album 
, and Alegría’s 2010 recording 
, and continued churning out top-notch Latin Jazz through two more releases. 
Without actually realizing it, there was one lesson that I learned early in life that stuck with me until this day – jazz makes Christmas come to life. Despite their irreplaceable presence in my childhood, the Christmas carols that we all know are a bit . . . old school. Put jazz phrasing into those melodies, substitute some hipper harmonies, and make room for improvisation and those ancient carols are simply timeless. I should thank a man who crossed both the Latin Jazz and straight ahead jazz worlds many time, as this realization was due primarily to the work of Vince Guaraldi. These days I think about Guaraldi as the man behind the piano on several great Cal Tjader albums, but as a child, he was the music in 
that I just couldn’t get out of my head. As Christmas kept returning from year to year, my love for Christmas through a jazz perspective sent me into albums from Louie Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Wynton Marsalis, and more. These days, Christmas just isn’t the same without some swinging carols to complete the picture. 
A successful career in music takes more than simply talent and drive, it requires a survivor mentality. Every musician enters the field with a passion for certain types of music, specific approaches, and a favorite context. While they may find some of their preferred musical directions along the way, a career in music is fairly unpredictable. Throughout the course of a career, a musician will be faced with unfamiliar types of music, aesthetics, and more; unwillingness to be flexible will only lead to a change in careers. In order to survive, they must learn to thrive in these uncharted waters and apply their creativity across the board. 
and 
. At the same time, O’Connell kept one foot in the straight-ahead jazz world, performing with Sonny Rollins, Emily Remler, Chet Baker, and more. In 1993, O’Connell returned to his role as a bandleader, recording a strong album that walked the line between jazz and Latin music, 
. He worked steadily throughout the nineties, recording with Valentin on 
, 
, 
, and 
. At the same time, a number of musicians began to integrate O’Connell’s smart writing and playing into their recordings, including bassist Charles Fambrough and vocalist Jon Lucien. O’Connell’s track as a bandleader moved into high gear after the turn of the century, with the emergence of his scorching Latin Jazz Project on the 2001 album 
, with a group that included bassist Andy Gonzalez, drummer Steve Berrios, and percussionist Milton Cardona. He followed this in 2004 with 
, an ambitious project that took his compositions from duo to orchestral contexts. Asserting his unique perspective on the music, O’Connell recorded 
in 2008, a collection Latin Jazz pieces performed in a trio setting with Valentin and conguero Richie Flores joining the pianist. O’Connell’s late 2010 release 
is an exciting blowing session that finds him leading a band that includes Berrios, Flores, and bassist Luques Curtis through both Latin and modern swing tunes. With every twist and turn of his musical career, O’Connell has ridden with the changes and kept his eye on quality musical productions.
, demonstrating the strength of his Latin Jazz approach. For many of us, Perales exists as a new name, but his musicianship should be known – we’ll have to do something about that here at LJC. If you’re interested in checking out more about Perales, you can visit his website 
The ability to capture an audio recording of a performance is one of the most important parts of cataloging jazz history, but unfortunately, we’ve gotten to a place where we don’t take advantage of it to the fullest. In the forties, fifties, and sixties, jazz artists recorded multiple albums over the course of a year. This trend left us with a legacy of recorded history that allows us to observe a musician’s artistic progress over the course of time. Somewhere along the line, rock took over the popular music and the industry moved to make each album an event that only occurred every one or two years. For some reason, the jazz community followed suit, and we lost the ability to hear the finer points of an artist’s development. We still got albums every year from most major jazz artists, and occasionally they would appear on albums as sideman simultaneously. Still, the ability to hear a musician build upon their individual artistic concept became much more difficult. 
, a collaborative exploration of jazz fueled tango with bassist Pablo Aslan’s group. A little over a month later, 
, a wide reaching live performance that touched upon cultural influences from across the Western Hemisphere, arrived from D’Rivera. Also during 2010, D’Rivera contributed a composition and performed on 
from the Imani Winds, released 
, a live DVD with the WDR Big Band, as well as producing and playing on band mate Alex Brown’s debut, 
. This type of output provides the insightful perspective on this important artist that the jazz world needs and deserves. Recognizing the significance of D’Rivera’s rapid recorded output, we’re going to dig into 
and integrating the music liberally into his 2007 release 
. A complete album dedicated to the style required a group of musicians fully immersed in the crossroads between jazz improvisation and tango tradition, which D’Rivera found in the Pablo Aslan ensemble. With a history of stretching the boundaries of the tango legacy, Aslan has worked to find a place for jazz inside a music deeply entrenched in composition. His 2010 release 
brought together a number of like-minded Argentinean musicians such as trumpet player Gustavo Bergalli, drummer Daniel Piazzolla, and pianist Abel Rogatini. Aslan and his ensemble approached a number of tango standards with the mind-set of jazz musicians, employing improvisation, interpretation, and harmonic variation within the context of tango conventions. With these musicians making a special appearance in New York to celebrate the release of 
The further an artist moves forward in their chosen musical direction, the more they define their artistic identity. It’s a process that evolves over the course of years, as the musician moves through a series of milestones. These milestones are the moments that we remember historically, but it’s really the events that lead to the milestones that build the artist’s identity. All the hard practice and long performances that the musician experiences, as well as the different people and places that they encounter, push them towards each milestone. The culmination of these experiences lead the musician to new heights and helps them shape their overarching ideas about music.
, a strong album that focused upon the pianist’s original compositions. With this strong and defined statement completed, Quinto presented a solid view of his artistry. 
SQ: I had composed many pieces of music earlier. I composed a lot of gospel music for choir, quartets, trios, and full groups. I had also composed instrumental music, like samba, bossa nova, and guaracha. I have many compositions. I chose these eight piece for Salsa n’ Jazz. 
LJC: Could you tell me a little bit about the other members of your trio?
LJC: What does the future hold for you and your group?
