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| Bobby Sanabria's Big Band: Multiverse JH 1193 |
When I recently featured three current works from Big Bands
I was called to task for not having included at least one Latin Big Band . Well
certainly that was not by design as there are many Afro Cuban and Latin based
bands that deserve mention so here is one that clearly deserves to be included
in the mix.
When you look at the
cover of Multiverse ,the latest album
from Bobby Sanabria’s Big Band, you are confronted with the serious stare
of its leader. Doffed in a black hat, a graying soul patch and dark shaded
glasses that offer reflections of distant galaxies mirrored on the surface of
his lenses, clearly this self-proclaimed Nuyorican is looking into the universe
for inspiration. Mr. Sanabria’s universe is of course much more down to earth,
it is the universe of diversity, the universality of music in its many varied
and ethically influenced forms that that have made him the musician he is
today. As a quote from the liner notes taken from Nobel Prize winning
poet Octavio Paz states “Every view of
the world that becomes extinct, every culture that disappears, diminishes a
possibility of life.” It is this
sentiment that infuses Mr. Sanabria’s music and his mission.The Multiverse Big
Band is a living, breathing organism that embodies the cross genre diversity
that Mr. Sanabria has come to represent.
As a jazz musician and a courageous proponent of the
Afro-Cuban/Latin Jazz traditions no one has been a more consistent and
passionate spokesman for rallying more wide spread recognition of the Latin
jazz idiom. It was Mr. Sanabria’s vocal and ardent petitioning of NARAS ( the
ruling body for the Grammy Awards ), that helped to re-instate a Grammy award in the category of Latin Jazz, after it had been summarily removed as a viable category for consideration.
On Mulitverse we
find a powerful , well orchestrated group of musicians playing music ranging
from the cinematic to the sublime. The music is unified by a clave driven
rhythm section, but true to its universal theme it contains elements of Latin
dance, straight ahead jazz, modern big band arrangements and even funk and rap.
A case in point is the introductory piece from Don Ellis’s
theme to the movie The French Connection, driven by its hard, clave-centered rhythm
section and pulsing brass choruses, Sanabria and company bring this smoker to a cinematic climax worthy of the movie.
The use of an oddly futuristic sounding electric baritone solo by Danny
Rivera is countered by the soaring
plunger trumpet screams of Shareef Clayton before a blistering tenor solo by
Jeff Lederer is met with the Australian bush sounds of the didgeridoo as played
by Chris Washburne. It is as if Mr. Sanabria has created a masterful amalgam of sounds that
cross all barriers of time and space.
“Cachita,”is a slick modern arrangement by Jeremy Fletcher
of the Rafael Hernadez piece. It’s rhumba-like feel incorporates the dance rhythms of Latin music
with tight section arrangements, some boisterous call and response from Hiram “El Pavo” Remon and saxophone solos
of note from John Beaty on alto and Lederer on tenor. The song ends with a clave-driven bass solo by
Leo Traversa.
Fletcher returns with his own contemporary composition “Jump
Shot” with its cha-cha rhythm and its swirling section work. Solos by
Washburne on bass trombone and Lederer on tenor add excitment. As the title implies Sananbria and companies s
deft use of percussive accents makes this one jump.
As if the world needed another version of “Over the Rainbow,”
arranger Andrew Neesley find a way to breathe new life into this classic The band supports vocalist Charnee Wade’s
wonderfully subtle interpretation of these timeless E.Y. Harburg lyrics. The
band plays with warm sensitivity over Wade’s beguiling voice.Time to go home Toto.
The funky Chris
Washburne tune “Wordsworth Ho” has a free feel to it with boisterous choruses
and angular changes in rhythmic direction that is quite contemporary in its
approach. As always in Mr. Sanabria’s bands, soloists are given just enough
space to make a succinct point without becoming a distraction to the whole unit.
Other key selections from this marvelous album include a
Jeff Lederer’s arrangement of Wayne
Shorter’s “Speak No Evil” with its dynamic
sectional chorus work and a fine solo by Peter Branin on tenor. Understanding
that there are no boundaries in music, the song utilizes a timely rap by La Bruja with a
backing vocal chorus from the band,
making this one of the most cross generational songs on the album.
Perhaps the most ambitious piece is Michael Philip Mossman’s
arrangement of this spectacular medley of Ellingtonia titled "Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite
for Ellington.” The suite seamlessly incorporates parts from “
Black and Tan Fantasy” “and “Satin Doll” to name a few and it does so with breezy
facility that makes it look easy. David DeJesus’s alto solo on “I Got It Bad It
A’int Good” is heartfelt. The band
swings on “It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It A’int Got That Swing)” with a slurred
trombone solo by John Beaty and a
rousing Latin chorus section of the theme leading to a trio of gutsy trumpet
solos. A brief sampling of “Body And
Soul” ends this one at the coda with a flurry of bongos, congas and a stirring drum solo courtesy of Mr.Sanabria..
The finale is “The Chicken/From Havana to Harlem-100 years
of Mario Bauza” which is a celebration of Mr. Sanabria’s mentor the trumpet
playing band leader Mario Bauza. The
arrangement of the horn sections have a “Tower of Power” ala “ Brecker Brothers” feel to it as one section
plays melody and others pulse powerfully behind. A rousing Maceo Parker
inspired soul/funk tenor solo by Norbert Stachel is featured and grabs the feel
of this one perfectly. The song leads to a rap by La Bruja, with talks of
the origins of the music, a short Bauza bio and some musical history of the
Afro-Cuban musical experience.
For those who love the power and the synchronicity of eighteen
musicians playing together as one Multiverse is one hard driving band that deserves more
attention. The album was a Grammy nomionee and the band will be playing at
Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola Dec 19th-22nd so if your in New
York for the holidays this is a not to be missed.
Personnel; Bobby Sanabria, leader, arranger, percussion, xylophone and drums; Christian Rivera congas, background vocals, Obanilu Allende, bongo/cenerro; Mathew Gonzalez, bongo, cencerro; Hiram "El Pavo" Remon, lead vocal, back ground vocals; Enrique Haneine, piano; Leo Traversa, bass and background vocals; Trumpets: Kevin Bryan, Shareef Clayton; Jonathan Barnes andn Andrew Neesley; Saxophones:
David DeJesus, Peter Branin; Norbert Stachel; Jeff Lederer, Danny Rivera. Trombones; Dave Miller, Tim Sessions, Joe Beaty, Chris Washburne. Charnee Wade Vocal, La Bruj :Spoken word/rap. Additional Background Vocals:Gene Jeffereson, Mary Gatchell and Georgia Schmidt. Boma Yuba Section: Ernesto Lucar and Gene Marlow.
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