Poncho Sanchez Trane's Delight

Poncho Sanchez
Trane's Delight
Concord Picante

With his first recording in seven years, Latin Jazz Legend Poncho Sanchez celebrates the life and music of John Coltrane. Included are several reimaginings of Coltrane classics, some new songs composed in his honor and several other Latin jazz pieces. Sanchez stated, "I've always loved John Coltrane ever since I was a kid and first learned about jazz. I've recorded tributes to a lot of my heroes in life — Mongo Santamaria, Tiro Puente, Cal Tjader — so I thought it was definitely time to do a tribute to the great John Coltrane."

This CD is his 20th album for Concord Picante for which he has recorded for 30 years (His relationship with Concord itself extends 37 years and now includes 27 albums). This album features the conguero's longtime band of trombonist and musical director Francisco Torres, trumpet and flugelhorn master Ron Blake, saxophonist Robert Hardt, pianist Andy Langham, bassists Rene Camacho and Ross Schodek, and percussionists Joey DeLeon and Giancarlo Anderson. It is a fabulous band whether the very original reworking of Coltrane's "Giant Steps," or the closing performance of Bobby Manrique's hot salsa, "Toro Termino," with an exquisite vocal from Norell Thompson of Los Angeles' salsa scene and some brilliant sizzling trumpet from Blake.

As to the aforementioned "Giant Steps," one has to admire how this quartet piece is orchestrated for Sanchez's larger ensemble with its harmonious setting. The melodic theme implicit in this composition becomes visible in a performance that does not focus on Trane's still startling 'sheets of sound' virtuosity." Made into a rumba, it opens with Langham's a scintillating piano solo over the heated percussion, Hardt takes a tenor solo that showcases his command of the tenor sax with attractive rhythmic accents before Sanchez, and the percussionists take the spotlight supported by a vamp laid down by Langham. There is a marvelous rendering of "Duke Ellington's "The Feeling of Jazz" with a lovely arrangement and piano Langham before Torres takes the first solo with his gritty, tailgate tone followed by Camacho's robust bass solo.

Other Coltrane compositions include "Liberia" from "Coltrane's Sound" and the track to the classic "Blue Train." This latter number is taken as a relaxed cha-cha-chá with solos Torres and Hardt on soprano saxophone before Langham vamps a bass motif for the percussionists. Sanchez and Torres contributed two originals, including the high-spirited title track with Blake's fiery trumpet. A bolero, "Si Te Decen," slows the groove down with Sanchez delivering a heartfelt vocal on a revival of Joe Cuba's 1966 recording.

This album is a welcome return to the recording world by Poncho Sanchez. "Trane's Delight" is a superb musical tribute as well as a fabulous Latin Jazz recording by one of our living masters.

I received my review copy from Concord Records. This review originally appeared in the September-October 2019 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 386). Here is a performance by Poncho Sanchez of "The Feeling of Jazz."

Jim Self and The Tricky Lix Latin Jazz Band !Yo!

Jim Self and The Tricky Lix Latin Jazz Band
!Yo!
Basset Hound Music

What a wonderful new release by tuba player Jim Self and The Tricky Lix Latin Jazz Band. The title "!Yo!" is a translation of self, and the release is a terrific latin jazz recording unusually anchored by Self's Tuba (and on two selections the Fluba, a big tuba sized flugelhorn). Self is a long-time studio musician who can be heard on over 1500 movie scores (his tuba projected those galactic tones as the Voice of Mothership in “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”). he has also done a variety of projects and this release is his 13th album. For this, he has brought together a “who’s who” of young West Coast Latin Jazz Musicians (most of whom are on the great Poncho Sanchez Band). Foremost is trombonist/composer/arranger Francisco Torres who produced, wrote or arranged much of the music. The other players (mostly from the great Poncho Sanchez band) are Ron Blake: Trumpet/Flugelhorn; Rob Hardt: Tenor and Soprano Saxes/Flute; Andy Langham: Piano; Rene Camacho: String Bass; Joey De Leon: Timbales, Batá, Shekere; Giancarlo Anderson: Congas and George Ortiz: Bongos.

Evident on the opening mambo by Eddie Cano "Cal's Pals," dedicated to the great Cal Tjader, is the marvelous arrangements that are fluently played with marvelous solos from trumpeter Blake, Self on tuba, Hardt on tenor sax and De Leon on Timbales. The music is bright, lively and bouncy resulting in an infectious performance that is characteristic of the entire recording. The classic "Poinciana," has the ensemble's seamless rendering of Curt Berg's arrangement to frame the leader's solo. In addition to the warmth of the horns, the mix of rhythm with the horns lends such a relaxed feel to this very charming performance. Even when the groove is kicked up a notch, as on Torres' mambo, "For Charlie," there is an relaxed, yet exhilarating quality as Torres on trombone and Self on tuba play a duet before each solos. Self's own "Encognito," is a slow cha-cha with Blake's trumpet solo followed by Self on fluba.

Torres' "Sweetest Blue" is a spicy Afro-Cuban number with a delightful tropical groove, with a choice soprano sax solo from Hardt, an intricate piano solo from Langham and a Batá solo by De Leon and followed by the calmness of his lovely "Quiero Liegar," with Self playing the melody before some gorgeous trombone and piano. Self composed the title track which is a cheerful, and lovely, cha cha. An invigorating interpretation of Tito Puente's "Old Arrival," with a robust trombone solo and the three percussionists trading eights is followed by the closing track, Clare Fischer's "Morning," with an arrangement by Bill Cunliffe and solos by Rob Hardt on flute and Self on Fluba, after which Stanley the Bassett Hound howls to end this latest Basset Hound recording.

"!Yo!" is a complete listening delight. Like New Orleans Brass bands, and Howard Johnson and Gravity (also known as the horns of Taj Mahal's Tuba Band), Jim Self's performances on tuba exhibit imagination and fluidity that far transcend any novelty, and with the superb ensemble and arrangements here, has provided an album of Latin jazz easy to listen to and full of joy.

I received my review copy from a publicist. This review appeared originally in the November-December 2016 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 369). Here is a track from "!Yo!"

Denise Donatelli Is So Nice To Listen To When Lights Are Low

Variety of songs and settings are indeed a spice to the music on vocalist Denise Donatelli’s latest Savant album, When Lights Are Low. With pianist Geoffrey Keezer providing the musical direction, she is joined by Keezer on piano, guitarist Peter Sprague, bassist Hamilton Price and drummer Jan Wikan who are on most of the selections along with appearances by Ingrid Jensen and Ron Blake amongst others with a string section added to some selections and one track being with just Keezer.

A bright, brisk I Wish I Were In Love Again is a nice opening track displaying her clean and crisp articulation and her ability to embellish with some horn-like phrasing and scatting with a smart, swinging background. The mood changes with strings adding a cushion to her sensuous rendition of Billy Holiday’s Don’t Explain. her delivery seems somewhat deliberate here, but not forced and in addition to the strings providing the mood, Ingrid Jensen’s flugelhorn helps the mood of the performance that, Jim Wilke in the liner notes, observes becomes less a song of a lost affair as a song of forgiveness. Ron Blake’s tenor is added to the quartet for a smart interpretation of When The Lights Are Low, while backing vocals, cello and bass clarinet provide accents to the lively bossa nova rendition of Sting’s “Big Lie, Small World, that again displays her ability to sound so natural in her phrasing and enunciation.

Backed by just Keezer, the ballad Why Did I Choose You? displays her ability to express her feelings in an almost effortless manner. The small string section returns along with Blake on soprano sax for “Kisses (Cantor da Noite), while Julia Dollisson’s Forward, Like So, is the only song not arranged by Keezer, but by the composer (who sings as part of the backup vocals) with Keezer is on piano and Fender Rhodes supporting the delivery of the lyrics along with her wordless solo. The Telephone Song, has her breezily deliver the light lyric as guitarist Sprague and Wikan (on pandeiro) provide lively Brazilian tinged accompaniment. The only prior rendition of The Bed I Made was apparently by Bonnie Raitt but one assumes the blues-rooted rocker lent it a different flavor than Donatelli’s version on this reflective ballad.

Cedar Walton’s Enchantment (Firm Roots) ends this recording on a livelier note as Sprague’s guitar brisk solo serves to echo Donatelli’s horn like phrasing of the lyric here. Its a strong conclusion to When Lights Are Low, which is simply a superbly sung and performed vocal jazz recording.

I wrote this review for Jazz & Blues Report. That publication provided me with my review copy. Here is a promotional video where Denise talks about this recording. 

Pancho Sanchez's mixed soul-latin jazz effort

I wrote the following for Jazz & Blues Report at the beginning of 2008, but I am uncertain whether it appeared in print.

Raise Your Hand (Concord Picante), the latest recording by Latin jazz master, Pancho Sanchez, is kind of a schizophrenic recording as it has several special guests joining him for some funk as well as hot latin jazz. Four of the selections have in a classic soul-funk groove while the remaining numbers have strong latin grooves. The album is bookended by a couple of Eddie Floyd classics, Raise Your Hand and Knock on Wood, with Sanchez handling the lead vocals but his band joined by Floyd, Steve Cropper and Booker T. Jones. The result are solid renditions that are not that removed from the Stax classics, but outside of some added percussion, not as intriguing as might have been suggested. The same is true with the remake of Junior Walker’s Shotgun as well as Maceo’s House, on which Maceo Parker adds his saxophone but which one wishes they was more stylistic fusion. The remainder of the album is strong latin jazz with Sanchez also handling the vocal on El Aqua De Belen with his terrific band that includes organist David Torres, trumpeter Ron Blake and George Ortiz on timbales, but these sides sound like a completely different recording than the other four tracks. The playing throughout is excellent, and if the four soul numbers had been a bit more imaginatively performed this would certainly have excited this listener more.