This is the ninth recording the 19-piece Caribbean Jazz Project has done for Heads Up but somehow the first I have auditioned. In addition to Dave Samuels – who did most of the arrangements – the orchestra for the big band were done by Dan Drew, who is also lead trombone in the band. Originally Andy Narell played steel drums in the band and Paquito d’Rivera handled some of the reeds. Samuels now continues with the band, exploring different avenues of Latin jazz but also including great arrangements of mainstream and big band jazz. The numerous players this time around is due to the fact that this is not just the Caribbean Jazz Project band but a joint project with the Afro Bop Alliance Latin band.
The new CD present nine signature numbers of the five-member original Caribbean Jazz Project, reworked for the big band instrumentation. The results are fresh and different and seem to swing even more. The strong jazz improvisation spirit which permeates the album never seems to get stuck in those montunas which I hear with many Latin bands and personally find annoying. Five of the tracks are originals by Dave Samuels who takes some great vibes and marimba solos. Coltrane’s Naima gets a lovely Latin treatment, and the Latin jazz standard Soul Sauce is definitely the extra hot variety. Monk’s classic Bemsha Swing closes the CD with an experimental attitude, but it works.
TrackList:
Rendezvous, Naima, Five for Elvin, Soul Sauce, Stolen Moments, Birds of a Feather, Afro Green, Bemsha Swing.
– John Henry
