Arturo O'Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra - Virtual Birdland

Arturo O'Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra - Virtual Birdland - Zoho Music

In the liner notes to "Virtual Birdland," Arturo O'Farrill observes, "The images of 2020 were scary, nights of ambulance sirens, freezer trucks, sleeplessness, a nation's economy brought to a halt. Jobs lost, businesses, restaurants, and yoga studios shuttered. With the exception of some high-tech companies and the well ensconced, everybody suffered.

"There were other images. Women and men in scrubs and face shields facing an onslaught of suffering with quiet strength. … People at the lower rungs of the socioeconomic strata who, just by showing up to work, conferred upon themselves wealth of character. Images of violence visited upon young black lives, millions marching in defiance of that hatred. … We saw who was who and what was what and can never unsee the differences. Into this reality we meet a group of musicians, the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra. One week they're looking at gainful employment. The next they're faced with the reality that the work they've prepared for their whole lives has disappeared."

The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra has had a weekly gig at New York's Birdland. This was impacted by the Pandemic, along with other free-lancers. O'Farrill noted that "At the beginning of this crisis the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance created an emergency fund for the freelance community, and the orchestra began a weekly stream to raise money to help artists. The production schedule involves musicians donating their time to record individually for hours at a time, then videographers and sound engineers spending days assembling, mixing, syncing, and editing the offering that is shown once a week on Facebook and YouTube." This led to the present recording, the motivation behind which O'Farrill details more fully in his liner notes, which arose with the technology that allowed a brilliant jazz big band recording to occur despite the fact the musicians were physically separate.

The opening "Gulab Jamon" is a multi-dimensional composition with a mix of tropical Afro Cuban rhythms and shifting, and often turbulent orchestral textures with Jasper Dutz's energetic tenor sax as well as the leader's intricate piano solo. Malika Zarra's "Pouvoir," arranged by Kali Rodriguez-Peña, brings an irresistible African groove with ebullient vocals and bras solos set against the vibrant horns. Rafi Malkiel's "Desert" has an exotic flavor (in the manner of Juan Tizol's "Caravan") with the band conjuring caravans on an ancient Middle Eastern trade route. There are intriguing solos from the composer on Euphonium and trumpeter Seneca Black. Then there is the high-spirited interpretation of Larry Willis' "Nightfall," with superior solos from Rachel Therrien on flugelhorn and Ivan Renta on tenor sax and Miguel Blanco's gorgeous arrangement.

Other tracks here are a similarly high level. Especially noted is the Orchestra's rendition of Paquito D'Rivera's buoyant "Samba For Carmen" with a riveting alto sax solo from D'Rivera followed by Adam O'Farrill's red-hot trumpet. The late Chico O'Farrill's arrangement was employed here. Then there is the superb, explosive rendition of Tito Puente's "Para Los Rumberos" with its memorable, recognizable theme and punchy horns. With excellent arrangements and compositions, along with the excellence and joy of the performers who collaborated from all over the globe, this is one of the best Big Band recordings, not simply Latin Big Band recordings, in recent years.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here Arturo O'Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra perform "Gulab Jamon."

Django Festival All Stars Live at Birdland and More

The Django Festival Allstars, purveyors of Gypsy jazz in vein of the legendary Django Reinhardt, have become frequent visitors to the States, including regular runs in New York City. Led by guitarist Dorado Schmitt and accordionist (Ludovic Beier) with Franko Mehrstein on rhythm guitar (with Dorado’s sons Samson and Branson also becoming regulars), their performances at venues such as Birdland and the Kennedy Center are to full houses. This writer was fortunate to see them a couple years ago at the Kennedy Center for an exhilarating evening full of virtuosity, passion and heart, and will be there when they return in this fall. 

While not part of the Allstars when I saw them, they also include violinist Pierre Blanchard. The latest recording is Live at Birdland & More, (Three’s A Crowd Records) reflecting that it includes some live performances from NYC’s Birdland club as well as some Paris studio recordings that includes guest appearances by saxophonist Anat Cohen and cellist Jisoo OK. This CD is the first time that members of the Schmitt family dynasty performing together have been recorded for North American release.

There are plenty of pleasures to be heard here starting with the traditional Gitan Swing which provides Dorado a chance to dazzle with astonishing technique along with Beier’s similarly dazzling accordion playing on this hot jazz performance. Dorado switches to violin for a lovely original For Pierre, that is dedicated to Blanchard and displays Dorado’s warm style. Blanchard is featured on his own original Balkanic Dance, with evocation of Indian solo violin and Balkan folk dances that morphs to a driving gypsy swing performance with Beier’s accordion complementing Blanchard’s fiery playing. Anat Cohen guests on soprano saxophone on what is perhaps Django Reinhardt’s most famous composition Nuages, with some lovely and very warm playing in her own style. 

Another Blanchard original, Valse En Exil, is a lovely piece of romanticism with Samson Schmitt exhibiting a precise technique in his guitar solo while Dorado’s El Dorado has a Brazilian flavoring with delightful interplay between Beier and Dorado. On Reinhardt’s Manor De Mes Reves, Beier is heard on the accordina (a mouth accordion) then lends a wistful quality. The marvelous Out of Nowhere, displays the lovely gliding violin of Blanchard and Dorado’s cleanly, articulated playing set against a simple rhythm on this standard. There are moments of faux-Middle East sounds (think of Juan Tizol’s Caravan) on Beier’s vibrant Camping Car with fiery solos from Blanchard and him. Dorado is again featured on violin, on his own Song For Ettore, exhibiting a strong romanticism in his playing while his son, Amati is featured on lead guitar. Son Bronson contributed Bronson’s Song, with fleet and imaginative playing suggesting some influence from Grant Green. Them Their Eyes, perhaps familiar from Billie Holiday is a tour de force for Samson, Beier and Blanchard, who also shine on Dorado’s Melissa. 

Bossa Dorado closes this lively and enchanting recording with Dorado taking the lead against the rhythm guitars of Samson and Mehrstein with Jisoo Ok providing a different musical tone with her charming cello playing. This is a spirited close to a recording of virtuosity and passion that is full of charm as well as exhilaration. This was produced by Pat Philips and Ettore Stratta, who are founders and producers of the regular Django Reinhardt New York Festival which is in midst of its 14th year in celebrating the legacy of Django Reinhardt and the Gypsy jazz tradition, which this release helps document.

I received by review copy from a publicist.  Here is a clip of Dorado Schmitt and the Django Festival Allstars performing How High The Moon.