The Shimmery, Lush Sound of Cal Tjader- Catch the Groove- Live at the Penthouse 1964-67

Cal Tjader- Catch the Groove-Live at The Penthouse- Jazz Detective/Elemental

At the end of 2023, the producers of the labels Jazz Detective and Elemental Music released a two-disk album, Cal Tjader: Catch the Groove assembled from several wonderfully recorded live dates from 1963 through 1967.  This marvelous offering captures some of vibraphonist Tjader and his quintet's most enjoyable and compelling sets excellently recorded by Jim Wilke at Charlie Puzzo’s The Penthouse Jazz Club in Seattle, Washington.

The album is a treasure chest of fine music; a time travel adventure that gives the listener a chance to revisit some of the most grooving, often dynamically Latin-inspired jazz of the era.

Tjader was an anomaly in many ways. Originally a drummer who played with an upcoming Dave Brubeck, Tjader took up the vibraphone, picking up some tricks of the trade from guys like vibes master Terry Gibbs. Tjader’s true genius was appreciating the rhythms of Afro-Cuban music. Cal could see that the inclusion of an infectious Latin groove could energize the world of improvisational jazz and it became his calling.

Callen “Cal” Radcliffe Tjader was an unlikely standard-bearer for Latin jazz. He was born in 1925 in St. Louis, Missouri of Swedish American parents. Not a drop of Latin blood flowed through this man’s veins, but that didn’t stop Tjader from proving that the music wasn’t restricted to ethnic or geographical boundaries. Cal took the world by storm, taking his beautiful, melodic and rhythmically electrified music to the crowds; making it his own.

On this album we see the two sides of Cal Tjader as both a serious jazz musician who could play the canon and creatively improvise with the best of them, and as the master of the infectious Afro-Cuban form that so captivated his followers.

The album features three different pianists including Lonnie Hewitt, Al Zulaica and the talented arranger/composer Clare Fischer. The presence of the famous Cuban percussionist Armando Peraza, who would later work extensively with the rock group Santana, just raised the level of the kineticism of this group.

The music on Cal Tjader: Catch the Groove, is sublime, with great performances, some of which were never before released, like Ellington’s “Take the “A” Train and Brubeck’s “In Your Own Sweet Way.”  But there is plenty of gold that the Tjader groups mine to perfection; Clare Fischer's wonderful “Morning,” Milt Jackson’ “Bag’s Groove,”  Guerra and Lobo’s “Reza,” Claus Ogerman’s “Sunset Boulevard,” Billy Strayhorn’s poignant “Lush Life” and Tjader’s own “Leyte” and “Soul Burst”.

It is such a pleasure to just sit back and immerse yourself in this gorgeous music. The audiences at The Penthouse were respectful and appreciative throughout this live recording. You can see why the attention was keen as you too become part of this hypnotic experience while listening. The lines are shimmery and lush; the rhythms are electric and vibrant. Cal’s vibe work is never showy, and his playing is always succinct and melodic. Despite his proficiency, Cal never used speed for speeds sake.

Sadly, Cal Tjader’s legacy has been underappreciated by the public. But his contemporaries do not doubt his importance. As the late pianist Eddie Palmieri attests to Cal’s skill in the copious and informative notes included in this splendid disc package, “Cal was unique. He was able to play the most complicated rhythmical patterns in the world.” Terry Gibbs, himself a master vibraphonist praised Cal's acumen, saying “… to me he was becoming on the same level (on the vibes) as Milt Jackson and I were.” Master vibraphonist Gary Burton acknowledges Tjader’s “…significant role in blending jazz and Latin music.”

With the important release of Cal Tjader: Catch the Groove the man and his music may get a well deserved resurgence of interest. Retroactively, Cal Tjader may get a reexamination of his talent and his importance to the music may be finally realized. For those who have never had a chance to listen to Tjader and his groups at their peak than this album is a must have.

 

Drumming phenom Dafnis Prieto scores big band gold with his "Back to Sunset"

Dafnis Prieto Big Band Back to the Sunset

There is something very stirring about a big band playing Afro-Cuban jazz. The music has a rhythmic core that is the armature upon which the horn and reed arrangements just swirl. Cuban born drummer Dafnis Prieto has been on his own personal musical adventure, utilizing his formidable rhythmic skills to create a unique vision for his Afro-Cuban inspired jazz. Since arriving from Cuba back in 1999, Prieto has brought an energy and flare to the music that is all his own. In 2011 his gift for being able to incorporate multi-rhythmic variations into his music was recognized by his receipt of the prestigious MacArthur ‘genius” grant. The drummer has taken his music a step further, writing and arranging a suite of big band charts that both pays homage to those who have inspired him while also blazing a trail forward into explosive new ground. The sound he creates is both imaginative and a primer of what we can expect further from this percussive hurricane.

Back to the Sunset is the culmination of his most recent energies. It features a suite of nine compositions played by the Dafnis Prieto Big Band and featuring some special guest soloists. Anchored and directed by a distinctly Latin rhythm section, the band includes Prieto on drums, fellow Cuban pianist extraordinaire Manuel Valera, the Puerto Rican bassist Rickey Rodríguez and the Venezuelan percussionist Robert Quintero on congas and percussion. There is an all American trombone section of Tim Albright, Alan Ferber, Jacob Garchik and Jeff Nelson; a trumpet section of Americans Michael Rodríguez, Nathan Eklund and Josh Deutsch and Russian born Alex Sipiagin and a reed section containing fellow Cuban Román Filíu, and Americans Michael Thomas, Peter Apfelbaum, Joel Frahm and Chris Cheek. This is one talented group and under Prieto's direction and drive they make magic.

The album’s lead off is “Una Vez Más,” a song dedicated to Latin giants of jazz Eddie Palmieri and Tito Puente along with the Latin influenced trumpeter Brian Lynch. Lynch is featured on some shimmering, high register trumpet work here. The brass and reeds all work in sync with the infectious clave rhythm to transport you to the sunny realm of the southern hemisphere. Valera’s takes a solo that dances over Quintero and Prieto’s percussive explosion.

“The Sooner the Better” is a song dedicated to the Fort Apache bandleader Jerry González and Brazilian composer Edgberto Gismondi, and is a dense composition. The song begins with a pedal point by Valera and some fleet fingered bass work by Rodriguez. The fluttering woodwinds come dancing in as the brass bellow beneath. The repeating melody line is joined in rotation by each section until they merge in resplendent unison. Prieto has an ear for drama, building tension with soaring solos and releasing it masterfully, engaging the listener all the while keeping a tempestuous storm of rhythm roiling beneath. There are layers of color and texture here that paint a complex and masterful aural picture. Fluttering flute lines, boisterous baritone bleats lead up to a stirring and powerful tenor solo by Peter Apfelbaum. Alex Sipiagin introduces a fluid flugelhorn solo that hangs in the air like a bilious cloud. Altoist Filiu blasts out one last solo that filigrees around the repeating melody line to the coda. 

“Out of the Bone,” a song dedicated to pianist Michel Camilo and altoist and M base founder Steve Coleman, starts with a brooding baritone solo from Chris Cheek before the group goes into the Latin vibe. Prieto’s masterful drum rolls and syncopated lines along with Quintero’s active congas boil below the surface giving the band a base upon which to form layers of sound. A bass trombone solo by Jeff Nelson roars as the trumpet section squeals in the background.   A trombone duel between Garchik and Ferber is another highlight. There is a celebratory, festive Mexican hat dance feel to this one at the end that keeps you on your toes.

The iconoclastic alto saxophonist/composer Henry Threadgill is another of Prieto’s influences and here the drummer dedicates this lushly arranged composition “Back to the Sunset” to both Threadgill and to the pianist Andrew Hill. Hearing Threadgill’s probing, raspy alto in counterpoint to Prieto’s lyrical arrangement is quite a juxtaposition. The altoist’s jagged bursts of sound at first pierce Prieto’s lush arrangement like an intruding knife cutting through a delicate silk tapestry. But Threadgill’s alto finds a seam in the music, a line of raw beauty to explore, a vein that he discovers running through. To his credit he  mines it playing  poignantly and with great feeling.  The result is remarkable.

Perhaps one the most interesting arrangements on the album is entitled “Danzonish Potporrui,“dedicated to the pianist Bebo Valdes, the iconic jazz drummer Art Blakey and the Latin inspired Canadian soprano saxophonist Jane Bunnett. Prieto starts off with a flurry of percussive inventiveness before the band settles into a Latin driven vamp. Prieto is a master of changing rhythmic time between sections. He skillfully plays the brass off against the woodwinds in a display of arranging prowess. He introduces a beautifully Iberian sounding trumpet solo by Josh Deutsch and after a throbbing bass solo by Rodriguez, the band increases the tempo again; this time featuring a lilting soprano voice (presumably a nod to Bunnett) by Michael Thomas. An uplifting Valera piano interlude (presumably in deference to Valdes) is surrounded by fluttering flutes and brass. Prieto keeps an array of impeccable time changes that would put a smile on Blakey's face. The finale has the band building an ever increasing tension as  a bandoneon sounding, melodica solo by Peter Apfelbaum, lends a Tango-like feel to the mood of the closing section of this complex piece.

“Song for Chico” is a dedication to bandleaders Chico O’Farrill, his son Arturo O’Farrill and Mario Bauzá and has a big band sound that resonates with its Afro-Cuban drive. The powerful band plays the lines with unusual force and drive. The saxophonist Steve Coleman’s alto is the featured soloist on this one and his penetrating tone lends a distinctively modern, non-Latin element to the piece. The band alternates lines with Coleman in a dramatic call and response. He is followed by an edgy trumpet solo by Nathan Eklund that pierces the envelope. Prieto and Quintero trade percussive barbs in a wild syncopated interlude as the band raise their voices individually in sequence to lead into another Coleman alto saxophone solo at the coda.

Dafnis Prieto Big Band photo credit David Garten

“Prelude Para Rosa” features Valera at his most creative and independent. The band pulses behind building up to an apex of interest with dancing piccolo, blaring trombones and burnished brass before they settle into a breezy sway and offer the piquant melody. A piccolo solo by Michael Thomas floats above the music like a hummingbird in flight. A lilting soprano solo by Joel Frahm has a similarly weightless feel. Listen to the pulsing drive that Prieto writes for the different sections; all separate tasks but interwoven in a unified tapestry of sound.

“Two for One” is dedicated to the drum master Buddy Rich, the pianist Chucho Valdes and the percussionist Hermeto Pascal. The song features Quintero’s driving congas, Chris Cheek’s boisterous baritone and Nathan Eklund’s trumpet. The band pulses like a throbbing heart with Prieto pumping just the right amount of percussive adrenaline to keep it up to the task. A sinewy alto saxophone solo by Thomas is followed by an inventive piano solo by Valera.  Toward the end Prieto demonstrates some of his polyrhythmic skills in the manner of a Buddy Rich-like solo that would have made the master proud..

“The Triumphant Journey” is dedicated two contemporaries that brought Afro-Cuban Music into this country, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and the percussionist/singer/composer Chano Poza. A soaring trumpet solo by Mike Rodriguez and a tenor solo by Frahm with references to Gillespie’s ” A Night In Tunisa” are followed by a trombone solo by Tim Albright. Forceful arrangement of the

band over Filiu’s alto solo and roiling drums by the master Prieto concludes this adventurous album.

Bobby Sanabria's Big Band Multiverse & The Universal Diversity of Music

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 19^th-22^nd 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.