(Paul Carlon, tenor sax/flute/mbira; Anton Denner, alto sax/flute; Dave Smith, trumpet; Ryan Keberle & Mike Fahie, trombones; John Stenger, piano; Dave Ambrosio, bass; Wm. “Beaver” Bausch, drums; Ileana Santamaria, vocals on three tracks)
Most enjoyable Latin-flavored jazz I’ve heard in years! While I enjoy the Latin numbers of artists such as Cal Tjader and big band charts from Kenton and Gerald Wilson, most Latin jazz strikes me as overly repetitious. Reedman and composer Carlon has composed all ten tracks here except Billy Strayhorn’s Smada, which he arranged. He is involved in the NYC jazz and Latin scene, and has assembled a blue-ribbon group of musician friends for this album.
His clever arrangements – perhaps with the presence of the pair of trombones – gives the band the sound of a much larger aggregation than just an octet. The track Rumbatapestry mixes Afro-Cuban rhythms with other world music and tap dance – you hear the sounds of tap-dancer Max Pollak, sounding like another Latin percussion instrument in the band. A strong Cuban influence aids in the musical appeal of the octet. Vocalist Santamaria is a standout on all three of her tracks. (I originally hesitated seeing the three vocal credits, due to so many good albums ruined by the wife or girlfriend handling vocal chores on some tracks. I couldn’t have been more wrong!) Boogie Down Broder is a tribute to a Cuban trombonist and composer, and Clave 66 – with a great flute solo – was inspired by the Cuban timba bands.
– John Henry
