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Although the word "jam" is prominent in the title, there is little
in My Latin Roots that appears jammed, or improvised. The arrangements
are executed tightly under the watchful gaze of musical director/drummer/percussionist
Tito De Gracia, beginning with the stirring version of the Charlie
Parker tune "Billie's Bounce", rarely rendered so forcefully. Everything
positive about this album is found in this standout cover: an articulate
yet warm recording quality; punches and stops locked down; amazing
solos (particularly that of Manuel Pelallo at 4:35 during the montuno; and
ever-mounting excitement!
On this track, and others, words of praise ought
to go to Pedro Perez on bass, who does that difficult and delicate
balancing act between playing lots of notes and overplaying. Fortunately,
he invariably falls on the side of musicality, and his patterns, while
more intricate than most, set a new standard on the instrument. The ghost
of Jaco Pastorius is never far distant, although, to be sure, their attack
is totally different.
Perez's part is considerably more conventional in the
songo (hybrid salsa rhythm made popular by Irakere and especially Batucumbele)
that follows: "Songo Pa' Ti", in which he plays a salsa bass part,
notable for its use of octaves where we least expect them. The songo
is not a new, nor is it a traditional rhythm-rather, it's a sort of
work-in-progress-and depends on the interplay of players each time out. The
current musicians establish an emphatically contemporary feel. This track
is an example of Tito's tight editing. It's also an occasion to solo by a
distinguished guest, LP artist Giovanni Hidalgo. More on Gio in a moment.
You
really must check out closely the short intro to "Don
Cholo" to get a taste of Tito's remarkable agility (and compositional
skills!) Playing over an ostinato piano, he enters with snare drum
and kit during measure eight (roughly the 00:17 second mark) and squeezes-in
a deliciously syncopated fill that'll get you leaning this way then the other.
Perfect! The song is destined to become one of the listener's favorites,
if only for the interesting arrangement/chord sequence, starting with an
attractive (and thematic) bridge at the 35-second mark. Solos began to sneak
into this section the second time round and, again, the adrenaline increases.
At 2:57, the trumpet solo (Jose Rodriguez) takes flight with a long, slurred/gliss'ed
line that builds to shorter note groupings, during which Rodriguez
demonstrates a master's respect for form and mood.
On we go, past the opening
cha cha of "Claudy Day" and
the breezy salsa of "6th & 8th Street", an interesting title,
in that neither of these streets intersect in either NYC or LA. There must
be something in that square block prompting composer Tito to go to airy ride
cymbal in a celebratory mood: Those who speak Spanish may glean something
from the liner notes.
"Tio, Gio, Da, Wi (Como en Aquellos Tiempos)" is
a percussive tour de force: It ought to be as it was co-written by
Tito and Giovanni Hidalgo. Hidalgo's melodic, almost sliding conga work is
insistent and melodic. At 2:40 the flurry of percussive effects by Tito,
Giovanni, and also David Rosado Cuba and "Wilito" Lopez, is positively
stunning; it flutters like a giant hummingbird, and is followed by a rapid-fire
vocal chorus, hinted at during the intro to the track. Really nice phrasing
here, almost loop-like in its effect, and furnishes a little extra edge to
this track, the perfect album-closer.
This is a fine work, recommended to
anyone who appreciates well-rounded, well-sequenced and paced Latin
albums. In that context, it ranks several cuts above the norm.
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